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Clan Sanjeia (Elder/Queen Lililethan: emerald green) - Associated dragons: Johnathan, Renenly, Noluleth, Kisayal, Nithessi

Clan Arsothsk (Elder Kyrenic: sky blue flecked with black) - Associated dragons: Zieadasra

Clan Hata (Elder Alalirrel: red with white belly)

Clan Kamvra (Elder Raszeics: black with green bands)

Clan Siedkess (Elder Ithelashri: forest green)

Clan Karcaith (Elder Ietrithala: solid gold)

Clan Ilikess (Elder Yedanathil: solid white) - Associated dragons: Maaglieth

Gentle slaps of splashing water stirred Johnathan from his slumber In the fuzzy reality of half-sleep it could almost be mistaken for the lapping of waves against the shore. When he opened his eyes, though, it wasn't to the sight of an ocean. He awoke in the elder's suite of Lily's clan residence. Flickering firelight filled the room from the massive hearth on the far wall. Soon the source of the splashing became apparent as his wife stepped up out of the pond-sized bath. Her slender green frame blocked out the light of the fire as she crept over towards hearth and leaned practically into the flame, letting the heat boil away the water that dripped from her scales. Despite the fire's best efforts the room had taken on a bit of a chill. A storm had lashed the island for days, driving freezing rain and wind into the halls and homes of Syrsarun. The mountain city was carefully designed to allow for maximum ventilation but it had the unfortunate side effect of channeling the wind of the storm throughout the mountain.

He lifted his head reluctantly from the soft cushions of the bed, admiring the vision of his wife as she turned about. Steam wisped away from her and caught the orange light, outlining her just a moment in a blazing halo. "Is it time for the council today?" He mumbled, his voice slurred with sleep still.

Lily started, and then grimaced in chagrin. "Sorry, love. I didn't mean to wake you." She padded across the room to give him a peck on the top of his snout, even as one hand gently pushed him back down towards the bed. "Go back to sleep, you aren't scheduled today."

"I should get up and see to the children."

"They're fine. There are plenty of dragons around to keep an eye on them for a bit. You need to get some rest." She was insistent, and it was only after he'd settled back down that she stepped away. "I'll be back around noon."

Despite his initial resistance, sleep was already claiming again him as the door closed behind her with a muted thump. Muffled voices on the other side of the door kept him from slipping all the way to slumber, and he found himself once more in that hypnagogic state. He lingered for a time on that threshold of slumber but Lily's departure had stirred the rest of the household. Sanjeian dragons answering the call of their elder had filled the clan residence, and now the sounds of activity filtered into the bedroom. He grunted in defeat and pushed himself to his feet. Aches and pains ignited throughout his body as he moved, and John ignored them as best he could. A month of invasive magical testing by the council had greatly set back his long-term recovery, inflaming injuries that still hadn't quite fully healed. He felt it in the stiffness of his joints and the flares of pain from deep scars. He paused a moment in front of the fire. The heat soaked into him and soothed his body, loosening some of that stiffness. Faint traces of Lily's scent lingered here, citrusy and fresh. For just a moment he stood and enjoyed the privacy, before sighing and heading out. Opening the sliding wooden door, the scarred dragon was greeted by two guards that looked up at him in surprise. Each was smaller than him, but they bore the scares and posture of veterans, armored in layers of metal plates and chain.

"Clan-mate, we were told you needed to get some sleep." John was unable to wear the translator in case its magic interfered with the council's tests. Fortunately Clan Sanjeia was in the habit of tutoring its members in human languages. John stared at the armored dragon for a moment, fumbling for a name to match the face. He hadn't been able to spend much time getting to know any of the dragons of Lily's clan; the council had kept him busy from sunrise to sunset most days, other than the few days he'd spent in the care of increasingly frustrated healers.

"Sorry...Renenly?" John responded cautiously, certain he'd gotten the name wrong anyhow. The golden scaled male nodded just slightly, however. "Can't seem to get back to sleep, so I might as well get up and get the kids breakfast."

"Kisayal is already feeding the group of them." The second guard spoke up. Noluleth? John was fairly certain that was the right name. Kisa at least was familiar. She was a governess for the clan and had temporarily taken over much of the care for Ban and Laurelie. "Perhaps you might find it more peaceful outside? There is a break in the weather this morning and the sun is quite nice. You really look like you need some sleep." The guard's tone made it clear that he would prefer for John to follow Lily's instructions. John was torn, he hadn't spent nearly enough time with the children these last weeks, but he didn't have the energy to argue. He was exhausted.

The elder's wing did have an impressive cliff-side balcony, the biggest in the residence, conveniently placed to watch the sunrise. With a defeated shrug John turned down the hall that led outside. "All right." The guards fell in behind him.

Lily had previously been hands-off with her clan. Decades ago, when she had taken on the responsibility of a human kingdom, she had arranged for other leaders in her clan to operate autonomously, with only some guiding principles to constrain them. They could call on her to represent them at the council if they needed, but otherwise she left them to her own devices. Her free-spirited candor and disregard for tradition made her an awkward leader to have around all the time, especially since Sanjeia dragons were expected to be the epitome of manners and etiquette. However, with her fame and power, she made a potent figurehead that could step in when necessary. The arrangement had worked out and none of the dragons here seemed to resent her for her absence. Indeed, the dragons here seemed quite happy with this liberty. Without leadership decisions all bottle-necked into one elder the daily affairs of the clan were handled with a brisk speed that was uncommon in Syrsarun.

But the two dragons behind him wore very functional armor, reminding him that protection was the primary reason Lily had involved her clan. Underhanded deeds like assassination were not common in Syrsarun, but that didn't mean they had never happened. Things were tense among the clans; and some days in the council it had seemed like the arguments might even turn violent. Lily didn't want to take any risks by leaving John or the children unguarded at home. Zieadasra had stayed on as their steward but the young dragoness wasn't half John's size. Besides, she had trained as a diplomat, not as a fighter. So along with legal scholars, mages, and personal attendants to help with the council, there had been guards. Lots of guards.

Ren and Nol stayed at a respectful distance as John came out into the brilliant morning sunlight. The brooding storm had broken. Heavy clouds still lingered on the horizon but for now there was blessed warm sunlight. The pavers of the terrace were carved carefully to make sure the worst of the rain ran over the edge, but puddles still remained. John found one of the dryer spots and huffed out a light sheet of flame. The water boiled away with an angry hiss, leaving steaming stone behind. John coughed and winced. His throat still stung when he used his fire. Testing the rock with one careful forepaw, he found the temperature just about perfect, and eagerly sprawled out onto the hot surface he had created. He watched the guards dry their own spots at either end of the terrace before sitting down to keep a careful watch over him. Finally he closed his eyes. Soaking in the heat from below, and the warm sunlight above, some of the aches slowly faded, and sleep came quickly.

It was a deep sleep that left the dragon confused when he woke up. John felt rejuvenated, or at least better than he had, even though it had seemed like he had simply blinked. Some hours must have passed though, for the sun had risen high into the sky. He shivered as he stretched out and lifted his head to find Renenly grinning at him with restrained laughter. A moment later John discovered the source of this amusement. Faint giggling and clumsy paws padding on his tail drew his attention. He turned to find his children crouched there. They were festooned with the decorations of a local game; glittering tufts of feathers and ribbons tied about them in numerous places. Around their wrists and ankles, down their tails, and on their wingtips. Two teams, wearing two different colors of ribbons would play a sort of tag, with the goal being to snatch as many of the other teams ribbons as possible, without losing your own. The source of their giggling was an attempt to tie the same ribbons onto John. The little bundles were sized for children though, and on him they looked more like bits of windswept debris.

"I think I might be too big to play." He chuckled at Ban and Laurelie.

The two of them looked at their father with smiles that didn't bear the slightest bit of guilt. Instead they giggled louder and went about tying on another bundle. "Can we play out here?" Ban asked, his mouth open in a grin.

"We tried the other one," Laurelie said, looking across to another balcony just visible around the cliff, "but there are too many dragons there."

"Hmm, but then I'd have to move, and I just got these stones nice and hot."

"Dad, they aren't even warm." Ban said skeptically.

John blinked as he realized that he had been asleep long enough for the pavers to get quite cool under him. Still, he wasn't quite done teasing his son yet. "I suppose you could just play around me. It could be a new challenge!"

"Dad!" His son pleaded in exasperation. The two of them looked expectantly up at him, before Laurelie suddenly hopped away.

"We can dry you a new spot!" She chirped as she dashed away.

John watched in amusement as Ban followed her in a race to the edge of the plaza, near the guard, where the two of them began spitting little trickles of flame at the puddles. Little puffs of steam marked small successes, but it would be a task worthy of a saga for them to clear a spot large enough for John. He stood, and ambled over, "Thanks you two, I'll take it from here." He nudged them gently with his tail, before once more breathing out a muted curtain of flame. Ban watched in jealous awe as water popped, sizzled, and boiled off like light fog in the hot sun. Soon the pavers were shimmering with lingering heat, and John eagerly coiled his frame atop them.

"Go ahead and get the others then." He prodded them.

"Thanks dad!" Ban called as they scampered back inside to fetch the rest of their teams.

It didn't take long for the crowd of children to return. Lily's clan had shown up with families in tow, eager to greet the new scions of the royal bloodline, and they had brought a score of children with them. None of the children had hit their major growth periods yet, so their sizes were all roughly similar, though it was clear than Ban and Laurelie were among the older and larger in the group. The first time they had played John had worried they might be too rough, but this game of tag was centered on finesse, not strength.

Between the council's tests and his convalescence they had spent enough time here for both Ban and Laurelie to get a conversational grasp on the language. John couldn't help a rising sense of pride as he watched his offspring help lay out the colored flags for the game boundaries, chatting along the entire way with the other kids. Even if he himself could only understand the occasional snippet or sentence. Soon the field was set, and with a collective cheer, both teams erupted into motion, charging each other in erratic lines, each young dragon trying to catch another off-guard for a chance to snag a ribbon while trying to defend their team-mates alongside them. Soon the first few dragons were trotting back to the rear to deposit their prizes, Ban and Laurelie among them, before darting back into the fray.

"Did you decide to play as well this morning Johnathan?" An amused feminine voice interrupted his attention. He had been watching the game closely enough that he hadn't noticed the new arrivals emerging out onto the terrace. Kisayal, the clan's governess led the way. The friendly faced dragon was older than most here, and she had a matronly manner that went well with her duties. Her relationship to the royal bloodline was clear from both her great size and her pristine green scales; she didn't quite have the glittering emerald hide as Lily but if John hadn't known better he could have mistaken them for sisters.

"The kids decided to induct me into their team this morning, but I'm fairly certain for moral support only." John replied with a smile. Behind Kisa, Zieadasra and Maaglieth worked together to tow along a heavily laden cart of food with their tails as the trio made their way around the playing field to join John. Soon the two guards moved over as well to share lunch.

Ziea hadn't seemed entirely pleased to be their steward during their first few days here, and John had assumed she'd return to her own clan once the Sanjeia dragons had arrived. Instead, the small cerulean dragoness had argued to stay. Arsothsk had always been the largest clan, consisting of most of the crafters and mundane professionals among the dragons. The dragons of their clan were, on average, too small to gain a reputation as powerful fighters, but during the great war Arsothsk had been closely allied with Sanjeia. They had provided the equipment and materiel to keep Lily and her veterans in the fight. It seemed Elder Kyrenic was keen on rekindling that alliance. Lily had agreed with this, and allowed Ziea to stay on.

Maaglieth was the most unexpected of the group. John had never thought to see the brawny brown dragon again after his stint as an impromptu guard back home. Soft-spoken on the rare occasion that he spoke, and constantly wearing the slightest hint of an amused smile, Maaglieth had made only a slight impression based on how good he had been with the children. In fact, Maaglieth had been so quiet and unremarkable in his presence that John had more or less forgotten about him afterwards. So it had been quite unusual for him to show up on their threshold several days after the fateful council meeting that had landed them in this mess. He had bluntly informed Lily and John that his elder, Yedanathil, had requested that he attempt to use his prior position of trust to gain access to their household. To spy on them. Despite the antagonistic relationship between Lily and Yedanathil, Maaglieth didn't seem embarrassed or concerned to admit his task. If anything, he had seemed somewhat impatient to be on his way. It had caught him and John both off guard then when Lily had agreed. Lily had later explained to John that there was little harm in allowing him to stay. It wasn't as if they were planning anything important, and having Maaglieth in place here might keep Yedanathil from trying to get other more eager spies in place.

Over the last few weeks both of the outsiders had proven themselves useful enough to make John grateful that they had decided to stick around for the mess that he was brewed up in. As they reached Johnathan, Ziea and Maaglieth quickly began busying themselves with the food, dishing up heavy plates and handing them over to the guards first. Kisa stood and looked out at the playing kids.

"I'm sorry they woke you. Your young ones are devilishly good at slipping away when they want to; I didn't realize they were gone until they came scampering back to collect the others. I can corral them all up if you would like some more rest."

John dismissed the idea with a flick of his tail. "It's fine. I'm just happy they're finding friends here." He didn't give voice to his worry that growing up among humans would make his children outcasts among their own kind. Kisa studied him a moment and nodded.

"Children are children, all the world round. If you're absolutely sure you're okay with them, I have some lessons to prepare for the older children."

John gave the governess a small nod of assent.

"They've already had lunch," Kisa called as she turned away, "don't let them wheedle you into getting them snacks." She halted a moment to address the children in their own language, her voice stern enough to make them pause briefly in the game. When the children replied in a chorus of affirmatives the governess nodded in satisfaction and disappeared inside. Delightful scents of strong spices and steaming meat drew his attention as Ziea offered him a dish. Stacks of smoked pork and fruits in some sort of sweet glaze had his mouth watering instantly.

"Thank you Ziea." John had given up entirely on trying to pronounce everyone's full name. He had lost the will to care if it was seen as boorish. It seemed like everyone had adapted though, and Zieadasra simply nodded as he accepted the dish.

"Elder Lililethan is with the council?" Maaglieth asked offhandedly between bites. With his mouth full and his eyes focused on Laurelie triumphantly dashing away with another ribbon, John could only mumble an affirmative.

"That's a shame. I overheard some very interesting conversations last night. But I suppose we can exchange gossip when she returns."

Maaglieth played the wallflower remarkably well, mostly staying out of sight and out of mind. But every now and then, when he had the occasion to have a private moment with Lily or John, he would casually drop some bit of information regarding the plans and activities of his own clan, or of Elder Yedanathil. It seemed bizarre to John. Everything he had seen so far had led him to believe that loyalty to a clan was a cornerstone of society here, but nobody else seemed at all surprised.

"She should be back soon."

Zieadasra turned to examine him. One of the interpreter trinkets dangled between her horns. "How are you feeling this morning Johnathan?"

"Better actually. I suppose Lily was right; I really did need to get some more sleep."

She nodded, and followed his gaze out at the game. "Your children are playing well. It is rare to see someone take to the Colors-Chase so naturally." The proper name for the game didn't translate well, and John had heard it also come across as Glitter-Chase.

"They get it from their mother I expect." John replied proudly.

When they had cleaned their plates Maaglieth rose to gather them up and place them back on the cart. Stretching and fanning his mottled brown wings the smaller dragon lifted his head towards the sun. "It is nice being outside again. I was beginning to worry we might not see the sun again." He looked warily out at the horizon, "Although I fear it won't last. It's unfortunate that the children will be cooped up inside."

John nodded. The clouds had crept much closer during his nap, and now loomed nearby. "Well, thankfully we still have the Creche to give them a chance to stretch their wings."

"I wouldn't recommend the Creche right now. Most of the guardians there have been rotated out for dragons of the Kamvra clan." Maag spoke casually again, even as he mentioned Raszeics' clan.

John swiveled his head to look at the would be double-agent with surprise. Maaglieth's offhand guidance of the conversation and his easy tone hid the importance of his information. Yedanathil was perhaps the most vocal of Lily's opponents, but at least she seemed to hide her animosity behind a veneer of decorum and politeness. Raszeics did not. The enormous elder was frightening in his intense hate, sometimes appearing nearly feral as he growled and snarled at Lily during the council meetings. Of all the elders, Raszeics was the only one that John could admit to being frightened of. If he had managed to usurp control of the Creche guardians, John would never feel safe leaving their children there alone. He chewed over his worries as he watched the group of kids finish the first round of color-chase. Bundles of feathers were counted, and one of the younger dragons began to mark out the scores with a piece of chalk while the rest of the children worked together to tie their ribbons back on.

"Maag, may I ask why you are being so helpful to us? Yedanathil seems to hate us; it can't be safe for you to go behind her back like this."

Zieadasra and the Sanjeia guards shifted uncomfortably as John blurted out something that was apparently meant to be left unsaid. Maaglieth just smirked thoughtfully for a moment. "The situation is complex I'm afraid. But I will explain as best as I can if you do me the favor of answering some questions yourself."

A familiar uneasiness came over John. Recent events had taught him to be wary of anyone prying too closely into his life. "What questions?"

"You must know that Elder Lililethan and yourself are the center of any number of rumors. I simply seek clarification."

This was the most verbose Maag had been since he'd arrived, which only made John more nervous. Only after a moment of consideration did he agree, "Okay."

Ziea looked on with interest, and even the guards kept one ear cocked in their direction, trying in vain to look like they weren't eavesdropping.

"I have spent enough time among humans to know that women play a much different role in your society than they do in ours, and that human ideas of beauty are very much different as well. Given this contrast, what was it that drew you to Elder Lililethan?"

It wasn't the type of question John had expected from the deadpan dragon. If anything it seemed more like gossip. He had to pause a moment to consider. He had been with women before he had met Lily, and while he had enjoyed certain aspects of it, there had always been something hanging over his dalliances.

"I suppose it _was_the differences more than anything. You are right: human women in my homeland very rarely held positions of power, and even then only through marriage to a powerful man. Marriage is often a woman's only bargaining chip, and that means there is always a certain degree of politics behind relationships. A woman is expected to take care of the home, and the children, but money, and business, and pretty much everything else is a man's responsibility. By the standards of my country, I was never a very good man. I preferred being at home, and helping with the fields and orchards. I was never that great at seeking power or wealth, and I was miserable at dealing with the court. After my first time-" John caught himself as he almost spoke too freely, "-talking with Lily, and seeing the kingdom she ran, I realized that it didn't have to be that way."

Maaglieth's smirk had spread to the guards, and even Ziea had a twitching at the corners of her snout. His slip-up had not gone unnoticed. John simply sighed and continued. "It was refreshing to not have that pressure. To feel protected. And there was no game behind her desire. She wanted us both to enjoy ourselves, and expected nothing else in return."

Maaglieth nodded. "And that impression was enough to make you use the spell she gifted you to turn yourself into a dragon?"

"Oh. No, that wasn't entirely intentional." John cleared his throat in chagrin. "You have to understand, I was still quite young at the time, and more emotional. Lily knew she had a duty to have children, and though I understood, her rejection still hurt. I had experienced something entirely new, and then lost it. Then, when I was returned home and subsequently arrested for using a summoning circle... well I suppose I panicked. It seemed like my life was crashing down. I wasn't well trained in magic either, so I didn't use the spell very rationally. I just wished that someone could make Lily happy and give her a family. The wild magic she had given me took its own path after that, and I can only be thankful that it did. I am very pleased with the results so far."

"You are happy then? You wouldn't change anything, even with the attack on your city? Even with the losses in your homeland, your own injuries, and the trouble you find yourself in now?"

John's teeth snapped closed in an immediate flash of guilt. He would never know how much of the attack on Pastock was caused by his presence. Just like he would never know how many men he might have killed with the fire he had set loose upon those demons. Months spent in recovery had given him time to grapple with those questions, but they still stung. He turned to look at Laurelie and Ban, weaving through the scramble of other young dragons, smiling and laughing as they played.

"From what I gather, the people responsible had already started down the path they were on before I ever met Lily. If she and her mages hadn't been there, it might have even been worse. Instead of an attack, it might have been a take-over. I know enough about your own war to know that it started when demons infiltrated the leadership of a human kingdom. If we hadn't interfered with those plans, that could have been Pastock next. A whole new war." He looked down at his scarred hands again. "Maybe it sounds greedy, not being more curious, but this spell and my choices have given me the best years of my life with Lily, and a family that I love dearly. I would do it all the same again if I had the choice."

He felt sure of his words, but it didn't stop him from feeling the echoes of pain from the last year. He fell into a quiet reverie, and only stirred at a gentle touch on his shoulder. Zieadasra held a bowl-like goblet towards him, a comforting smile on her face. A very rare gesture coming from the smaller dragoness.

"Thank you Ziea." John forced a smile to his own face, and gratefully accepted the drink. The pause to drink the chilled wine gave him a moment to compose himself.

Maaglieth interrupted the quiet once again, "You've been here for long enough now. What's your opinion of this place so far? Of our culture and society?"

"Oh, I don't know. I'm not much of a scholar, and my opinions would just be a limited perspective."

"Please. It is rare for any of us to be able to hear the honest views of an outsider here."

This wasn't exactly the morning of relaxation that he had been hoping for. "Well," he rumbled reluctantly, "from the position of an outsider, I still have trouble making sense of a lot of things. There are the small things, like the fact that I still have no idea what you all exchange for payment. Gold seems useless when even less skilled mages like me could use magic to pull it from the earth. But there are other, larger differences that I don't understand." He trailed off. Hopefully the vague statement would satisfy Maaglieth. But it was Zieadasra that prompted him further.

"You mean all of the rules and customs of the clans? I have heard you complain several times about how strict things are here."

"Well, no, not exactly. There are many human cultures that are just as strict, and just as heavily regimented. You clan structure isn't so different from some of the feudal societies of humans. A rich, powerful dictator at the top, with stratified tiers of upper, middle, and lower castes. But among humans those cultures usually maintain order through fear and force. The dictator uses his wealth and power to build armies, and uses those armies to subdue the population. It works among humans, because humans have a much harder time fleeing such a culture. Successfully settling somewhere new requires hundreds of men and women working together, gathering supplies, building shelter, farming, and so on. And that's after managing to escape, and likely sneaking across foreign borders. Attempts to colonize new lands requires immense resources, and frequently end in failure and death anyhow. But dragons can fly, or even use magic to teleport, practically anywhere in the world. Dragons have absolute freedom of movement and the ability to survive anywhere they care to live. Instead everyone seems entirely willing to submit to a culture that is, quite frankly, oppressive."

His words fell on a silent audience. Ren and Nol appeared thoughtful, if not exactly happy, though Zieadasra looked ready to object.

Maaglieth looked pleased though. "You make interesting points. It's true that gold and gems hold little value to us. The things dragons value are more inherent. Take the paintings that most clans decorate with. The painter's talent is the display of wealth. It is why, despite being regarded as subpar warriors, Arsothsk is among the most influential clans. But there is also inherent value in certain bloodlines. Dragons breed slowly, and children are valuable. Traits like size and strength, or even the Sanjeia bloodline's unusual tendency to bear twins, are carefully hoarded. Obtaining these traits through breeding is both the main goal of negotiations and the primary means of control in the clans. The elders control breeding rights and curate bloodlines, and so their clans obey to ensure they have their chance to have children."

John was tempted to just leave the conversation there. But Maaglieth's argument still didn't satisfy him. "It still doesn't make sense. The elders control breeding rights, as long as you submit to the elder. But what's to stop a group of dragons from gathering together and agreement to meet somewhere. It's as simple as me saying to you 'Let's meet at the base of that mountain over there every fall.' Harvest festivals are practically universal in human cultures, and though I obviously simplified it, that's the origin of most of them. Literally just a bunch of farmers agreeing to meet and celebrate a successful crop together." He shrugged and frowned. "I know there's probably more to it, something I've missed since I didn't grow up here, but you asked for my view as an outsider."

"I did. Thank you for indulging me. And if I may make an admission, I think there is merit to your opinions."

Ziea finally burst the bounds of her self-control. "Some small merit perhaps, but you have missed too much of what it is to be a dragon. The duties we hold closest, and the threats we hold at bay. Discipline makes us strong, and keeps us at peace with each other. We don't act out of some mindless obedience, but out of a shared necessity!"

Despite her vehemence, Zieadasra's words struck Johnathan as exactly mindless obedience. It sounded like something memorized into rote through repetition. Still, he didn't want to insult her, and John hunched his wings in apology, bowing his neck slightly towards the young dragoness. She huffed out and fumed, but calmed herself. "You speak of things from a human perspective. I understand that. But we are not humans."

Renenly broke in, surprising the group of them. "She is right, Clan-Mate. I have traveled many nations of the world, and to turn this around, there are a great many things humans do that break any reason. Human's penchant for war, and the tendency to slaughter each other for little reason. Or the shameful way they treat their children, letting them suffer and starve for the failures of their parents."

"I don't think we should be too eager to make accusations about the treatment of children." Maaglieth's response had a hard edge to it, and Renenly actually snapped his mouth shut, looking away, shamefaced. Maag waited a moment before continuing.

"Do you know what a 'wild-born' dragon is?" He asked, glancing back to John. "I have heard humans use a similar term; natural-born."

Natural-born. The term settled with distaste in John's thoughts. His father had always said, 'If you're going to call a man a bastard, call him a bastard, don't dress it up behind nice terms. Otherwise don't bring it up.'

John glanced away, "I don't know that they're exactly the same. Natural-born is a child born out of marriage. They are not treated well among most humans, and there are much crueler terms more commonly used."

Maaglieth waited until John made eye-contact before continuing "They are more alike than you think. Wild-born dragons, even if they later are accepted into a clan, are rarely accepted as equals, and as you said, there are much crueler labels frequently applied."

"And you're wild-born?"

"I am. My mother was a trade envoy for Clan Ilikess. A prized position. She met a male that she fancied on one of her missions, and decided not to wait for the clan's permission to have a child. She was shunned for this decision, unofficially exiled. It was burden that she thought she could bear, but she was mistaken. I wasn't much older than your children when she began to petition that I be recognized, and she reinstated. She argued that my size could be valuable to her bloodline, as they had very few dragons to match. Eventually she succeeded, and left my father to come home. The stories she told me growing up made me think that we would be coming back to a wonderland. Instead we were pariahs. I was always treated as other-than, less-than."

"And that's why you work against your clan?"

Maaglieth snarled and half-rose to his feet, his wings mantling out aggressively. "I am not working against my clan!" He spat. The normally placid male was smaller than John, but heavily built, and certainly still large enough to be a threat. The two guards shifted smoothly, rising and turning to flank the brown dragon. The display was enough that even some of the children on the edge of the game turned to look.

Maaglieth shook himself, exhaled slowly, and settled back down. "When I realized that I was viewed as an outsider here, I decided that I would overcome that prejudice by being better. I would prove that I was more than a wild-born rambler. I submerged myself in studies of our people, our history, and our culture. And what I found disturbed me."

He sighed unhappily. "I have spent decades uncovering lost records of our people. There has been no one to guide me. We have the greatest of mages, generals with centuries of experience, craftsman that know the secrets of every metal and stone, but we have no historians. No philosophers. Despite our long lives, dragons are a people detached from our own past, and in a way, detached from ourselves."

The smaller male looked as tired as John felt. Almost defeated. He stayed silent for a long pause, but before John could prod him to continue a sudden agonized howling from the playing children interrupted their conversation. John turned to look, and to his horror spotted his own children harrying another dragon. A young female, larger than either of them but still gangly and awkward from recent growth, howled and tossed. Ban clung to her back with his claws, resisting her attempts to buck him off, even as Laurelie gripped one wing in her teeth to pull her off balance.

"Ban! Laurelie!" John was on his feet in a rush, his voice harsh and ringing across the terrace with enough force to make the nearest children leap away.

"Johnathan, you should not interfere!" Zieadasra hissed. John knew the dragon's theory on letting children handle their own conflicts, and he could agree with it. Up to a point.

Her protest was forgotten as quickly as their conversation as John waded into the play field. The crowd of young dragons parted before him, leaving Ban and Laurelie exposed to frantically disentangle themselves and huddle sheepishly under his gaze. Their victim limped away towards the adults. Her golden scales were scratched and nicked, leaving a couple small flecks of blood in several places..

"What do you think you're doing?" John kept the angry growl out of his voice, but his words were hard. He had taught them better.

"She was cheating!" Ban mewled plaintively.

"She was Dad!" Laurelie piped in, more angry and less apologetic. Her tiny face was scrunched up in indignant anger. "I watched her!"

"And do you think attacking her is a good way to deal with cheating?"

"Yes!" Laurelie responded furiously.

John took in a deep breath and tried to quash his anger and disappointment. His children had only ever played with humans before, and had always seemed to have an instinctive grasp of how fragile their playmates were. This was something new. He couldn't call upon his own childhood either. His father had never been the violent sort, but Albert's idea of discipline had been a quick cuff to the head and an admonishment not to be stupid. Ban and Laurelie might be children, but they were dragons, with claws and teeth already capable of killing. John sighed and glanced around.

The rest of the children had scattered away, but not very far. They stood watching as John towered them. The young golden dragoness had made her way over to Renenly. The glittering gold guard stood stiffly, watching her approach, but the truth sunk in for John when Renenly protectively curled his tail in front of her. The golden scales gleaming under his armor matched hers perfectly. After a moment Renenly leaned down to murmur in her ear, his eyes never leaving John's. Great.

John let out a breath and settled himself down closer to Ban and Laurelie's level. "Come here you two." He resisted the urge to look back at the guard as he pulled his children in, close enough to hopefully not be overheard. Dragons or no, these were his kids, and he was going to try and teach them right. Ban and Laurelie curled up just under his snout, looking up at him with a mix of trepidation and curiosity.

"What is her name?"

"Sabda." Ban admitted.

"How was she cheating?"

"She was stealing ribbons." Laurelie growled. "Stealing them from other people's piles."

"Was she playing well before she cheated?"

"No," Ban chirped. "She only got one ribbon!" He seemed entirely too pleased with this information.

"Has anyone else only got one ribbon?"

"Nope!" Ban replied cheerfully.

John nodded sagely, keeping his face stern as he looked down at his son and daughter. It was enough to wipe the smile from Ban's face. "Now I want you two to listen and be honest. If everyone else, all of your friends, were playing a game that you were bad at, do you think you might be unhappy?"

Laurelie replied insistently, "We wouldn't cheat! We'd play something else!"

"All alone? If everyone else wanted to play Color-Chase?" His daughter stayed mulishly silent this time before shrugging her wings. "And if you were so bad that you only had one ribbon? If you were going to be the worst at the game, do you think you just might try and steal a ribbon or two, to not look so bad?"

"No!" Ban spoke loudly, but from the way he was shifting on his paws John wasn't convinced.

He decided to gamble. "Really? Even if other people were making fun of you for only having one ribbon?"

"_We_didn't make fun of her!"

"Did anyone else?" They both glanced away shamefully.

"Cheating is bad, I agree. And sometimes people cheat because they're greedy and want more. But sometimes people cheat because they want to fit in." He spoke softer now, lowering his head to brush the end of his snout against theirs as they looked back up at him. "Do you think that if you invited her to switch teams and helped her to play better, she would still cheat?"

"But she's so bad!" Laurelie protested. John took a quick glance to confirm that their team had a considerably larger stack of ribbons.

"She's so bad that it makes it easy to win?" When his daughter hunched down in deeper shame he continued. "I know you two know better than this. You don't make fun of Anita, Clara, Rose, and Eric, because they can't fly like you. And when they went into the ocean the first time, you were there helping them swim. And because of that, you have four new friends."

John could only hope that reminding them of their human friends back home would drive his point home. "You two know how to help others be better. You've done it before. So what would you do to help Sabda be better this time?"

It took a long moment. So long that John feared this conversation had been for naught, but eventually Ban spoke up. "She stays still too much."

"She can't make up her mind." Laurelie reluctantly added.

"So why don't you tell her. You two are so good at this game, you know how to help her play better. And if she gets better, she'll always want to be on your team for helping her." Eventually they both nodded in agreement. Laurelie even had a familiar look of determination in her eyes, something very akin to her mother. "I'm going to send you two over there now. What is the first thing you're going to do?"

"Apologize." They answered in practiced unison.

"Okay, off you go."

As his children scampered away, John stood and moved close enough to overhear without looking like he was interfering. Renenly still stood stiffly over his daughter as Ban and Laurelie approached. After a moment he withdrew his tail, leaving Sabda exposed to her tormentors. Some of their own intuition must have come into play because neither Ban nor Laurelie approached closer. Of course it didn't matter if John could overhear, because they spoke to Sabda in the local language. Still he listened in vain and could make out the familiar conciliatory, if slightly reluctant, tones of his children as they said sorry. As they continued to speak, Renenly started in surprise, and glanced between John and his children. A moment later Sabda left her father's protective presence and followed Ban and Laurelie towards the other children, where they began chattering amongst themselves. Shortly, the whole group was stripping off the feathered ribbons and cleaning up their area.

John wasn't sure exactly what had been decided, but he wasn't about to interrupt an apparently successful apology to ask. Instead he moved back towards Maaglieth and Zieadasra, passing Renenly on the way. The guard shifted slightly, just enough to partially intercept John. "You didn't understand what they said?"

"No, I'm afraid not." John replied defensively.

Renenly searched John's face intensely before dipping his head just slightly, though his expression was confused if anything. "They offered to change the teams, but they decided to go play a seeking game instead." He quickly straightened himself and stepped out of the way.

Maaglieth wasn't so much smirking as he was openly grinning when John returned to them. Zieadasra looked distracted, curled in on herself watching the departing children. The moment John settled down, Maaglieth passed him a fresh chalice of wine. John hadn't even noticed he'd spilled the other. He sipped, watching as the crowd of young dragons chased each other inside.

"It is good timing," Maaglieth said wryly. "It looks like those storms will be here soon. Perhaps it's best if we head inside as well."

"Hold on Maag, you still haven't explained yourself."

Maaglieth shrugged his wings, staring off into the sky. "I would prefer not to repeat myself. If I am not mistaken that is your wife off there. I believe it would be easier to simply show both of you."

A quick glance up confirmed Maaglieth's suspicions. Slate gray clouds filling the horizon made it easy to spot the glint of bright green reflected in the sunlight. Watching Lily sweep her way smoothly around the curve of the mountain at the head of her flock of attendants, John couldn't help but be distracted enough to forget Maag's end of the bargain. He barely noticed as Zieadasra stood and mumbled to the guards. "We will give you a moment Johnathan."

He nodded absently as they departed, leaving him alone to wait.

Anger and fatigue clashed in Lily's thoughts as she flew. After weeks of throwing all varieties of spells at her husband in an attempt to find any cracks in the magic that had transformed him, the council was running out of ideas. So far nothing had shown to have even the slightest effect, other than to make John miserable and send him repeatedly back to the healers. Subjecting her husband to this torture had disgusted her, and every day she found herself tempted to call it to an end. John hung on though, and for the first time Lily agreed with him that this was a necessary pain. Her own examinations had left her confident that there was no risk of John turning back, but with the revelation of why the demons might be chasing John, there was a risk they couldn't ignore. If the other elders were right, and there was something that she had missed, it would place all dragons at great danger. She couldn't neglect such a threat to her clan. Even if she had been selfish enough to spirit her husband and children away despite that threat, it would open up a rift in the clans, and likely provoke the other elders into drastic actions. Her duty was clear, and she could only be grateful that John was so willing to share it.

At least she could find some relief that the council's tests had so far been fruitless. The wild magic that had transformed John had left no trace or foothold for other spells to latch onto.

Will-working was the literal translation for magic from the dragon's language. It was a more accurate term: a mage literally forced reality to follow their will. To an experienced practitioner like Lily, nearly any outcome imaginable was possible with the proper investment of time and effort. Real and permanent shapeshifting like John's, however, was still out of reach. Even with an improbable amount of time and effort. Limited forms of shapeshifting weren't particularly hard; Lily had used it to disguise herself as human for her first meeting with John. But that required an active spell to maintain. Even that had been a shallow mask, a surface of humanity to cover her true form still lurking beneath. No one had managed to truly turn one living thing into another. Any attempts had always killed the subject. It was the complexity of life that was the issue more than anything else. Living creatures were complex arrangements of countless small structures, all interconnected and working together to make a whole being. Skilled mages could maintain a spell to bypass some of those complications, but only temporarily. As if that weren't enough, sapient creatures had a surprisingly strong resistance towards attempts to alter their bodies.

And so John remained a dragon, a fact that seemed unlikely to change. She had argued as much to the council this morning. Aside from the days that John had to spend recovering with the healers, they had met nearly every day for over a month now, letting the best and brightest mages among dragons test his limits. Even several of the other elders on the council were ready for a break. They all had other duties that were being delayed by this experimentation, and it made sense to give their collected mages a chance to research and plan rather than stumble into another blind test. After all, if they came up with an idea at a later date Lily and her family were easy enough to contact. It had seemed as though she might have swayed the others, until Yedanathil had began needling her.

"The safety of our kind demands that we be thorough in this matter. We cannot allow inconvenience to make us complacent and end our investigation early, lest we miss something. After all, if your husband was ever captured by the enemy they would not limit themselves as we have."

Lily had disputed that this wasn't an end, but simply a pause before they continued on more strategically. It didn't make sense to continue to burn so much effort uselessly. Yedanathil switched to arguing about compromise, that maybe they could send some agents of the council home with them to continue the examinations. Then, wearing a smirk that Lily had desperately wanted to snatch off the fat worm's face, Yedanathil had suggested that perhaps it would be acceptable to leave Ban and Laurelie here in Syrsarun for observation. That perhaps some element of the wild magic might linger on them. The proposal was a dirty trick, serving both to insinuate that Lily's children might not be legitimate dragons, as well as a veiled attempt to separate Lily from them, leaving them in a position where they could be influenced by the council. It was bold, but the worst part is that it wasn't even particularly outlandish.

Traditionally, young dragons would be boarded with the clan at around eight years old to begin the lessons that would prepare them for their roles later in life. Ban and Laurelie were only seven now but it wasn't unusual for dragons of important bloodlines to be separated younger than others. Lily herself was the same age when she had been handed over to the clan by her mother. The memories of that parting had never quite faded and part of the reason Lily remained away from Syrsarun was to spare her own children that same trauma. The rest of the council had been taken aback by her vehement refusal, and in the end they had ended the session with nothing changed and nothing decided. A waste of a morning that she would have much rather spent with her family. Her only consolation of the entire ordeal was that the council had granted one more day of recess before meeting again, to allow the elders to discuss further experiments.

Only when she finally began to descend around the terrain towards their residence did the irritation begin to fade, banished by the sight of the figure waiting for her out on the terrace. There wasn't any mistaking the dragon below. The sunlight dappled over his form like a shattered ruby, the thick bands and blotches of pale scar tissue worked with the streaks of black scales along his wings to break up his outline. John stared skywards at her, and she could just make out his eager smile. Lily hurried herself along, outpacing the half dozen court attendants that had accompanied her to the council, and a moment later was flaring her wings out to stall herself into a gentle landing. John approached her before she even had all four limbs on the ground, catching her up in his arms and wings as he tucked his head in against her throat. These human-style hugs still amused her for how awkward they were, but she wouldn't trade them for anything. She returned his tight embrace, breathing in just a bit to enjoy the faint taste of him on the air. Seconds later the other dragons of her flight were touching down, studiously ignoring their elder's display of affection as they circled around to head inside. The faintest echoes of suppressed laughter drifted from the mouth of the corridor as Lily was left alone at last with her husband.

"Did you get some rest this morning John?" Lily mumbled down into the back of his neck.

"I did. I'm feeling much better." He didn't question her about the council, or push the conversation any further. John simply held her as the tension of the day slowly drained from her body to be replaced by a placid joy. She hummed happily, content to share this private moment in silence. A harsh gust of cold wind washed over them, bearing the biting taste of ozone. The breeze sent a chill through John's frame. The thinner scales and stretched tissue of his scars had left him more sensitive to the cold, and Lily spread her wings to shield him, reluctant to give up this rare intimacy. But the storm wouldn't be ignored, and a distant rumble of thunder left no doubts that it would soon be upon them. "Let's head inside John, I don't want you out here in the rain."

As the first wisps of clouds started to drift across the sun, they disentangled themselves and walked together into the residence.

"Welcome back Elder." Zieadasra stood just inside the corridor, waiting for them, Maaglieth a step behind her. The brown dragon gave her a respectful bow, his snout split with a customary stoic smile.

"Thank you Ziea." John had never quite broken the habit of using shortened names, and rather than let him suffer alone Lily had made an effort to do the same.

Maaglieth fluttered his wings and cleared his throat to draw her attention before they could move any deeper inside. "Elder Lililethan, while we are still in private I have some news I'd like to share."

She looked at him curiously. Maaglieth was not usually so direct in his approach.

"Elder Yedanathil has been meeting with many of the other elders in private. I know that she has had private audiences with Elders Raszeics, Alalirrel, Ietrithala, and Ithelashri. I do not have the full details of what they discussed, but from what I know that Clan Sanjeia, and especially your place as the elder has been a topic of interest."

Lily nodded. She knew that Raszeics and Yedanathil would be seeking to influence the other, though she had expected their interest to be more focused on John than on her.

"I know this isn't unexpected, but I got the feeling there was something more to these meetings. I know they have been gathering information of some sort. I have my suspicions as to the goal. I learned that Elder Raszeics has managed to replace the Creche guardians with his own agents." This intelligence did give her pause. The Creche was a pseudo-sacred establishment, meant to provide a safe place for the children of all clans. It was supposed to be free from interference. It only deepened her suspicion that Yedanathil and Raszeics meant to target her children. Before she could process any further, Maaglieth spoke again. "I know this is a sensitive subject, but do you think Banzhrakin or Laurelie might have spoken to the other children there that you are expecting again?"

Lily's heart skipped in sudden alarm, but that alarm soon turned into defensive anger. Maaglieth watched the expressions playing over her face, and his smile disappeared. He dipped into a deep bow, exposing the back of his neck to her as he laid his head nearly on the ground. "I do not mean any threat by these words Elder, but I was assigned to our maternal ward for several years. You are far enough along now for me to see the signs. I expect that others have noticed as well, even if they don't have the proof."

Even the protective fury for her children couldn't block the logic of these words. Lililethan knew that she couldn't keep her pregnancy hidden forever, and she was coming up on the first year now. Of course others would spot it. Her anger deflated into resignation, and she bent down to nudge her nose against the back of Maaglieth's neck. "Of course. I'm sorry." The apology felt lame, but Maaglieth smoothly straightened back up, his smile already back in place.

"In any case," the Ilikess dragon continued as though nothing had interrupted him, "there may not be any merit to my fears, but Elder Yedanathil is deeply involved in our nursery. She spends a considerable amount of time with expecting mothers, so I would not be surprised if she has suspicions."

Lily considered her options. Decades ago she had struck down many of the laws regarding breeding in her own clan. Instead of personally handling the management of bloodlines she had left those decisions with the families themselves. But that wouldn't mean much to the other clans. Tradition was clear about this; even breeding with two males too closely related was uncommon, as it was every dragon's responsibility to ensure the healthiest, most heterogeneous bloodlines possible. Still, there were some options available if Yedanathil and Raszeics thought they could spring this on her. Nothing would take away the shock of committing such a cultural taboo, but there were some facts on her side. It was likely too late to move on any plans this afternoon, but she did have another day before the next council meeting. She shook herself. "Thank you, Maaglieth."

He flipped his tail dismissively, then turned to lead the way inside now that his intelligence had been delivered. Soon the bustle of the household distracted her from her worries. Lily had been hesitant to involve her clan in this affair. Her abdication had been working well for all involved, and she wasn't keen on picking back up the mantle of Elder. She had to admit though that there was something deeply satisfying in seeing the dragons of Clan Sanjeia going about their business, filling the residence with comfortable background noise and friendly faces. Being absent for so long, Lily had worried that the dragons of her clan might have grown to resent her. After all, a proper clan had an Elder to sit for them at the council, not an appointed spokesman. But as they passed by dragons going about their business in the halls of their home, there was no animus to be seen. Instead they were greeted with smiles and respectful bows. As they approached the center of the residence, and the spacious parlor there, a small crowd of children came dashing towards them.

"Hello Elder Lililethan!" They called as they darted between the adults, quickly scattering along various corridors. The faint echo of a voice calling out from the parlor followed in their wake, chanting a count. The group of them followed the voice, and soon found its owner. Laurelie was sitting in the middle of the residence's common room, both wings held over her eyes. Several of the adults of the clan were lazing in the heated sand-beds here, looking on curiously at the young scion.

"Forty-nine, fifty! Ready or not-" Lily's daughter pulled her wings back, her face fixed with in a resolute glower, which quickly changed into glee as she immediately spotted her parents. "Mom!" The little dragoness squealed happily and came in a rush to latch herself around Lily's forelimb. "Hi Mom, hi Dad, hi Maag, hi Ziea, can't stay! Ready or not here I come! Bye!" Laurelie gave them all a farewell wave of her wings as trotted away, her eyes keen and her nose in the air.

"Looks like they've taught the others hide and seek." John chuckled.

Lily smiled happily at her husband. She had intentionally kept Ban and Laurelie away from Syrsarun, not wanting to inflict the rigid lifestyle of the clans upon her children, but she had worried that separation would alienate them from other dragons. It was a great relief that they were getting along well. The lounging dragons gave her small nods, and Lily spotted an empty bed among the sand with enough room for her and John both. Before she could move though, Maaglieth spoke up again.

"Elder, I was having a conversation with Clan-Mate Johnathan earlier, and there is something I would like to show both of you. It would require some hours though. I know it is much to ask, but I think it is important, and I don't know the next time you will both be free from your duties at the council."

Lily eyed the empty sand-bed longingly, "Maag, I really would like to spend some time with my family..." She spoke gently, and hoped the younger dragon would take the hint.

"Bring them, if you wish. This isn't anything dangerous, or secret. Just something forgotten. The more dragons that see it, the better, as far as I'm concerned."

Out of the corner of her eye she saw John inclining his head, giving her a meaningful look. With a defeated sigh she turned away from the inviting bed. "Very well."

Zieadasra departed to round up Ban and Laurelie, a task that took longer than expected due to the fact that Ban was hidden in an empty pool all the way across the residence. Word spread among the children that something was happening, and by the time the steward returned the entire swarm of young dragons was tailing her. It wasn't just the kids that had grown curious. An outsider leading their elder on some mysterious journey was enough to get the interest of a great many of the Sanjeia dragons. More and more of them trickled into the lounge, including Kisayal and her daughter Nithessi. Kisa quickly brought the children to order, hushing them and gathering a head count, while her daughter eagerly moved forward. "Hello Elder Lililethan." The dragoness gave her a quick bow. Nithessi was the same age as Ziea, though larger, just old enough to begin taking on duties and assignments herself. Her green scales marked her clearly as a descendant of Lily's bloodline, although distantly related.

"Hello Nithessi." Lily responded with a smile. The girl had already stopped paying attention to her elder, he eyes fixed across the room at Johnathan. Lily watched in amusement as Nithessi turned towards her real target.

"Hello Johnathan, where are we going?" Nithessi was hardly the first dragon to show attraction to Lily's husband, although bolder than most. Lily hadn't been lying when she told him that he was handsome. Quite a catch by any standards. But Lily couldn't really feel threatened by the attention he drew as she watched John look up absently from their son and daughter.

"Oh, hi Thessi. I'm not sure."

Lily actually felt a pang of sympathy as Nithessi faltered, apparently ignored. The girl quickly shrugged it off though, and continued to make attempts to engage John in conversation. Soon they had gathered all that were going, and departed.

Their procession through the city was large enough to draw attention, and dragons from other clans watched in open interest as they made their way deeper and deeper into the mountain. Lily spotted several dragons from Ilikess and Kamvra discreetly following them, keeping their distance as Lily's entourage passed out of the more populous upper sections of the city. Eventually even those spies were forced to peel away as they descended into levels that were empty and quiet. Parts of the city had been nearly abandoned as the losses to the war piled up, the space that had once been occupied by families now sadly deserted. Soon they were forging a path through a thin layer of dust on the floor, moving through hallways that had been unused long enough to for the cleaning crews to begin ignoring them. The lighting became more intermittent, and the normally carefully maintained murals were faded and cracked with age.

They came upon a corridor where the lighting was out entirely. The halls ahead of them stretched on into absolute blackness. The oppressive silence and darkness pressed down upon the group, and Lily could feel the nervous fear of the children. Despite the fact that she was surrounded by a dozen adult dragons, Lily could help but feel disconcerted herself. It felt like she was somewhere she was intruding in someone else's home. Maaglieth paused a moment to tug one of the glowing blue orbs from the wall of the hallway, breathing a wisp of power into the globe to flare it into a bright torch before using a simple spell to suspend it above his head. Several of the guards in their company did the same. The young dragons in the group huddled in the middle of the cluster of adults as they continued deeper. It wasn't much longer before they came to a dead end. The passage ahead of them was blocked off with an unpainted wall, with only a single vertical bar of heavy steel interrupting the stone. Maaglieth reared up to to grip the bar with both hands. His brown scales swelled and trembled in the blue light as he strained and heaved, tugging back against the bar. Nothing happened.

He stopped and huffed, looking back sheepishly, "Sometimes the air pressure is a bit much. Could I get some assistance?"

Johnathan, already at the head of the group, shuffled forward awkwardly to hunch over the smaller male until he could wrap his hands around the bar as well. Together, the two of them hauled back. Their claws dug into the stone floor as they pulled, and soon a faint crack began to appear in the seamless stone. A sibilant howl of air whistled through that crack. Lily felt her ears pop as the air pressure changed. Amoment later the two dragon tumbled back as an enormous slab of solid rock swung open, leaving a gaping entry deeper into the mountain. Maaglieth landed atop John's chest, and the two dragons lay in a pile for a stunned moment before quickly separating themselves.

Maaglieth shook himself of with a shiver, taking an extra step away from John. "Ah. Sorry. We should wait a moment for it to vent out. Sometimes foul air collects down below."

"Maag, what is this? Why have you brought us here?"

Their guide looked off into the darkened tunnel he had just opened thoughtfully. "These are levels of Syrsarun that have been sealed off and forgotten. They have been a part of my research into our history."

Lily followed his gaze into the abyssal blackness ahead of them. Her mother had never told her of this. Nor had her grandmother.

"Dad, are there monsters down there?" Ban's whispered voice interrupted her thoughts, even as she heard other children seeking comfort from their own parents. This likely wasn't the adventure any of them, children or adults, were expecting.

"No dear one. Just quite a bit more dust I'd expect. You two can hop on my back if you want to see better."

Lily couldn't hide her smile at the clever wording. Offered the chance to seek the comfort of their father without the insinuation that they were afraid, both of them quickly clambered up between John's shoulders. Other children followed the example, and even young dragons who's parents had not accompanied them were finding willing adults to carry them. John and one of the larger guards both ended up carrying a small crowd.

"That should be long enough." Maaglieth said in satisfaction, and stepped through the doorway. The hallways beyond were eerily silent. The shuffling of footsteps and clacking of claws against the stone seemed too loud. When Maaglieth spoke again he had dropped his voice into a hush. "I found records of sealed sections of the city in some old architectural documents. It took years of petitioning the council to get them to allow me to install a door."

"But why were they sealed?" Lily asked, scanning the walls. The decoration here was drastically different than the brightly colored murals above. Heavily stylized carvings were dug into the walls, with only muted colors applied on top. Dragons were not presented in realistic, lifelike proportions, but instead reminded Lily much of human heraldry, all full of regal poses and simple shapes. There were no alcoves for the glowing orbs that illuminated the levels above; instead the ceiling was studded with ornate chandeliers, now dark and useless.

"We're getting to that. Zieadasra, I believe there was a census done several decades ago. Do you recall those numbers?"

"Of course." The steward replied absently. She too was looking over the strange artwork. "Do you want the clan numbers, or overall?"

"Overall please."

"Last count was eleven-thousand, two-hundred and fifty-six recognized dragons between all the clans. Estimated another thousand or so unaffiliated dragons living outside of the confederacy."

Lily heard a stumbling footstep, and glanced back to see John recovering from his shock. "That few?" He asked, his face appalled

Zieadasra looked at him defensively, "We suffered significant losses in the great war. Our population is growing again, but we haven't recovered entirely."

"Ah, yes. Of course. It just seems like a very small number. For an overall population that is."

The steward shrugged, her hackles still up. "Humans are more numerous, I understand, but you can't compare a few thousand extra humans against a population of dragons."

Lily winced inside. She had made an effort to ensure that her clan was educated on the outside world, and a great many Sanjeia dragons spent some time abroad, but they were an anomaly. Many dragons in the other clans never left the island, and were woefully ignorant of reality outside of the confederacy.

"A few thousand..." John looked confused, "Pastock alone had nearly a hundred thousand people living in the valley. Wake is twice that. I know there are even larger cities as well."

Zieadasra faltered, "You must be mistaken. A hundred thousand humans all in the same place? How would they even feed that many?"

One of the guards shrugged. "Not just humans. One of the continents in the southern ocean hosts a country of beast-folk. I visited their capitol once, and I estimated that it might have held over a million people."

Zieadasra looked between the Sanjeia dragons, aghast. Truth was slowly dawning on her, a truth any veteran of the great war knew. An experienced dragon might be worth a small army of another race, but the other races had a great number of armies. Facing demons and men in battle had destroyed nearly a third of their population in a conflict that lasted decades. Dragons still hadn't recovered. The ruins of the empire they had burned had already grown into another.

"Ah, here we are." Maaglieth led them into a massive gallery. The walls stretched away in a curve, extending far enough that the blue light of their torches didn't reach the far side. Enormous statues of armored dragons rearing up on their hinds stood in a ring at the center, reaching all the way up to the shadowed ceiling to act as pillars. In the center of the ring stood an octagonal monolith of obsidian, and on each face of black glass was mounted an enormous golden plate. Looking closer, Lily could see dense blocks of text engraved on the gold.

"The language has changed a bit, but you should still be able to read it. I would recommend that you start here." Maaglieth spoke to Lily, and inclined his head towards one of the plates.

It was carved into draconic words, but the grammar was odd, and it took Lily a moment to puzzle it out before she began to read aloud. "This monument stands to commemorate the victorious fallen, the heroes of our great struggle against the enemy, which we have conquered in this year of-" She stopped, "Maaglieth, this date, that's more than two-thousand years ago."

He nodded, his smile appearing grim in the dim light of the room. Their interest suddenly sparked, the other dragons approached the pillar, looking over the plates themselves. Together they looked over the history of this forgotten war, ancient even by the standards of dragons. The more they read, the more upsetting the story became. Another great war against the demons, which had devoured thousands more lives, leaving enormous sections of Syrsarun empty. The records of individual battles were vague, but the numbers that were indicated were terrifying. Dozens of dragons perishing in a single skirmish, hundreds in the larger battlefields. How could this have been forgotten?

"According to what I've found, it was consuming far too much effort to maintain these abandoned sections." Maaglieth spoke loud enough for them all to hear. "I expect they didn't mean it to be a permanent situation, but before we could grow the population enough to need to open them back up, we found ourselves in another war. A cycle that has repeated itself long past living memory. There are other monuments to the fallen, other_victories_," his voice drawled the word out, "each costing a little bit more of us. And just as the oldest and most experienced dragons of Sanjeia were the first to fall in the last war, so it was in this one. As each elder falls in battle, it robs us of that much more of our history. Time and time again. Thus we end up with no one left alive that remembered these tunnels even existed."

"Maaglieth," Zieadasra spoke quietly, "you mentioned the census before. Have you found any previous census?" It sounded like she didn't want to hear the answer to the question.

"Several. The oldest record I could find indicated that Syrsarun once held nearly thirty-thousand dragons, with the islands as a whole supporting twice that number. I suspect there are even older sections, but the lower levels here have flooded."

"Why haven't you shown this to the council?" The steward asked pleadingly. Lily already knew the answer.

"I have tried. I explained my findings with my own elder, pleaded with her to come see for herself. But Elder Yedanathil is more concerned with growing her clan in the present."

Maaglieth was wild-born, and had spent his early years among humans. It had been one of the reasons she had accepted him as a guard for John back in Wake. The status of wild-born dragons in the clans was not an enviable one. Maaglieth must have had trouble getting an audience with Yedanathil at all. It wasn't surprising that he hadn't been able to convince anyone to take him seriously. She would be skeptical herself, if she hadn't just witnessed it. It was strange to realize, but looking back, she couldn't ever recall being concerned with the history of their people. After all, her own grandmother used to tell her stories stretching back hundreds of years, and surely that was all the history she needed. Until it wasn't.

"Johnathan asked me why I was helping you. This is why. The way we are living, it isn't working. I don't know what we need to do, but something has to change. So far the two of you seem to be the only ones doing anything different."

Lily turned and shared a wary glance with her husband. It wasn't so long ago that they were listening to a similar speech, getting tangled in the politics of John's home.

Maaglieth glanced between them, "Please do not mistake me, I know the two of you have your own responsibilities right now. To be honest, I do not think an active effort on your part will do any good. You both have a...troublesome reputation right now." He bowed apologetically at his own words. "I am optimistic though that the example you have made might start to influence others. Change through osmosis if you will. Anyhow, now you've seen." He shrugged, leaving the thought open.

Yes, they had seen. And having seen, Lily had no idea what to do about it. Maaglieth was right; Lily was hardly in a position with the council the begin arguing for widespread changes.

"Dad, can we go back? This is boring." Laurelie's whisper cut through the hanging silence. Ban led the other children on John's back in a chorus of agreement.

Lily smiled, and looked one last time at the monument, "Yes dear, now that we've seen we can go back."

"Oh! Can we go to the crutch?" Ban mangled the word in his excitement.

"Ah, sorry I don't think-" John started to say no, but Lily felt an inspiration. A wonderfully mischievous inspiration.

She interjected by clearing her throat. If Maaglieth wanted changes... "Actually I think the Creche sounds like a lovely idea. I think we should all go."

John looked at her curiously, but nodded and followed her lead.

The walk back out was filled with the excited hoots of the children, looking forwards to the impromptu field trip. The journey down into the depths of the mountain and back had taken some time, as Maaglieth had said. This late in the afternoon the Creche would be closed. They arrived to find the doors barred, with only a single guard standing watch. The young male bore the black sash of the Creche guardians, but Lily recognized the green bands and the size of him. He was one of Raszeics many children. Despite this, he bowed deeply and spoke respectfully. "My apologies Elder Lililethan, the Creche is closed for the day."

"I am aware. I thought that since it wasn't getting used anyhow, I would take the opportunity to reserve it for a short time." She smiled sweetly at him, almost feeling guilty for putting him on the spot.

"Ah! Elder, that is..." He paused, shrugging his wings helplessly. Children weren't allowed in the Creche unsupervised, but Lily's group had plenty of adults with them. But adults didn't use the Creche because it was for children. There were no laws against it, it just wasn't done.

"I understand that this is unusual, but I have been tied up at council for so long that I hardly see my family and clan. I would appreciate this chance to spend time with them here, in a place where the children can enjoy themselves now that the storm is back upon us. You are welcome to join us, if you want to keep an eye on things."

The guardian looked torn, but finally bowed and stepped out of the way of the doors. "Of course, Elder. I will keep my position here."

The children cheered as Lily pushed open the doors and led the way into the playground. Her bemused clan-members followed her, with Maaglieth and a very confused Zieadasra bringing up the rear. John didn't wait for his passengers to disembark. Lily laughed openly as her husband plowed straight into the water, the wave of his impact washing the squealing children from his back. "Oh! It's warm. That's nice." John purred. Maaglieth was practically shoving dragons aside in his eagerness to follow. It occurred to Lily that as a wild-born, he would never have had the chance to play in the Creche as a child. The brown dragon made up for that now as he took a flying leap into the pool that sent a great cascade of water over John and the children. It didn't take long for the others to join him. Dragons that had played here in their youth enthusiastically chased their nostalgia, wading into the enormous pool. Zieadasra was predictably the last one standing on dry ground.

"Zieadasra, I wouldn't be surprised if the rules here get changed tomorrow. This may be your only chance to do this, so enjoy it while you can."

Only under a nearly direct order from an elder did the small dragoness finally plunge into the water. As big as the pool was, it wasn't exactly built for this many adult dragons, and they slowly jostled into a ring around the shallow edge of the pool, bunched together to leave the center open for the children to play on the ramps and spires there. Maaglieth ended pressed up against John's left shoulder, and Lily waded over to try to squeeze in on his right. An annoyed jolt went through her as Nithessi darted in front of her, diving into the spot. A little too bold. Lily fought the temptation to just bowl the young dragoness out of the way for her audacity. Nithessi wasn't being intentionally rude, she had to remind herself. The girl was just infatuated, and unaware that John was most certainly not available. She would have to speak with her later.

"Excuse me Thessi." Lily said gently as she approached.

The smaller dragoness looked awkwardly between Lily and her husband. John gave the girl a blank smile, apparently unaware of the situation. "Of course, Elder." She reluctantly moved allowing Lily to settle down into the spot. A moment later she settled down on Lily's right, shooting sulking looks across at John. Zieadasra ended up bobbing comically on the other side of Maaglieth. The steward was just small enough to not really be able to lie down without submerging herself, so she kind of half-stood, half-floated in the water.

The joyful chatter of her clan, and the happy taunts and cheers of the kids playing above them, couldn't entirely wash away the worries of what she'd learned. But it did soothe her a great deal. Surrounded by her family, immediate and extended, she was reminded of what she did miss about living in Syrsarun. Every now and then one of the youngsters would make the mistake of splashing too close to John. Her husband seemed to take enormous glee in responding. One after another children would dive down, following Ban's example of a cannonball, trying to splash John with the impact and get away. One after another, they were swamped by the rushing waves that John made by thrusting his forelimbs out, coming up sputtering and laughing. Maaglieth joined in occasionally. The smaller male wasn't able to produce the same results, but still succeeded in splashing great torrents of water at floundering targets.

Even Zieadasra seemed to relax after a time, and gave up the attempt to keep her footing. The steward cupped some air in her wings to act as buoys and simply let herself float along on the waves that Maag and John created. The initial excitement calmed after a time. The children focusing on their own games while the adults settled into various conversations with those nearby. Lily stayed quiet, her own thoughts still lingering on the sealed off tunnels below. It was yet another trouble that she didn't want to deal with, but the afternoon's discoveries had been troubling enough that she couldn't banish them from her mind. To distract herself Lily listened in on the conversations around her. Nithessi had given up trying to draw John's attention and was chattering amiably with the dragons to her other side. John and Maaglieth were engrossed in a conversation about Maag's journeys. He was apparently quite well-traveled, having little care for the normal stigma that came with leaving the islands.

"By far, the least pleasant place I've visited. I traveled the country for perhaps a month, and in that month it was either raining or snowing every day but two. Mirara, the capitol, was interesting. In as much as it served as an example of what decades of indentured servitude could accomplish. They were happy enough to host me at first; everyone is considered equal there, so long as you have gold to spend. They were less pleased when I decided to leave without spending any of mine."

John listened intently. Lily knew her husband was no slouch in his own worldly knowledge. He had traveled as part of his father's business and frequently spent time soaking up stories from the sailors in Wake. It was pale comparison to Maaglieth however, who had apparently visited nearly every continent, save for the frozen wastes of the poles. Curiously she saw that Johnathan wasn't the only one paying attention.

Zieadasra paddled with her legs and tail to maintain position nearby, her ears twitching back and forth to catch every word. She had a strange expression of worry on her face as she listened though. Eventually the young steward sighed and lifted her head.

"Maag," the single word was enough to make Lily blink in surprise. Zieadasra, the trained steward, stiff as an iron rod, using anything other than a full name?

Maaglieth paused in his current anecdote, turning to face the dragoness. He hadn't seemed to notice the slip up. Lily couldn't help but grin as she watched the emotions flick over Zieadasra's face. So that's how it was. The sky-blue dragoness steadied herself in the water and continued. "Did Elder Yedanathil offer you anything for this...service?" Zieadasra neatly avoided mentioning that that service involved being a spy.

"Oh, yes. I know that she is often at odds with the other clans, but my elder is quite well liked among Ilikess. She was actually offered a generous position as an ambassador, so that I could travel freely with the support of the clan. It gives me some hope that she intends to take a greater interest in the outside world."

Zieadasra took a calming breath. "So she didn't extend an offer of paternity?"

"Ah. No. I'm afraid I would have to turn it down if she did. It would be a cruel thing to force a dragoness to risk her reputation by breeding with a wild-born." He shrugged, his smile slipping for just an instant. "Perhaps some day. I have managed to find quite pleasant company among other males for the time being." He cast his gaze across the pool towards one of the guards that had accompanied them. Renenly, a gold scaled male of some size. "I must admit, Sanjeia has been most obliging in this regard."

Lily felt John jolt stiffly against her side. His time with her had loosened him up quite a bit towards the broader possibilities of sex, but he had come from a place where rumors of deviant behavior could ruin a man. Maaglieth must have noticed as well, for he turned his gaze towards the scarred dragon. "Don't worry Johnathan, I am acutely aware of your commitments. Besides, I fear you are a bit too passive for my tastes. I lean towards more assertive partners."

John quickly shook himself, an amused smirk drifting onto his face. "Honestly, I'm more surprised that it is Ren. He's been standing guard practically all day, every day since he arrived. I don't know how he'd find the time." Pride simmered in Lily at John's words. It took a certain bravery to cast aside the teachings and prejudices of his youth.

Their attention was drawn back to Zieadasra as the steward cleared her throat. "You needn't force yourself on anyone."

She wore a bold mask, but Lily could see the water shivering around her as the young dragoness trembled nervously. "That is, if you are not otherwise bound I would...uh, that is I am..." She visibly steeled herself. "I have not been with a male, and I would like to be with you. If you want, that is."

For perhaps the first time since meeting him, Lily watched Maaglieth rendered absolutely speechless. Normally so composed, he now opened and closed his mouth several times, no words escaping. "Oh!" He finally managed, his face concerned, "I would very much like to say yes, but are you sure? You know how it might affect your standing, associating with me?"

Zieadasra tossed her head defiantly. "I know that you have shown yourself to be a dragon of good character and admirable intellect. I know that you have shown me a window into the world that I have previously ignored." She faltered a moment, "I don't know that I will be able to obtain my clan's permission for children just yet, but I would still like to be with you, until I do."

Maaglieth would be blushing if he were a man. As it was he fluttered his wings nervously, stirring the water. "You are very kind. It would be my great pleasure." He bowed his head.

John shook, trembling for just a moment against Lily's side before a laugh burst from his throat. He strangled it down as best as he could, but he still ended up hissing and coughing out restrained chuckles. Maaglieth glared at John in insult. "Is something about this amusing?"

"I'm sorry, I really am." Lily's husband lifted one hand apologetically, trying to straighten his face, and failing miserably. "Please forgive me, I'm not trying to tease, and I wish the two of you many pleasant nights together. But I couldn't help it. You two are normally so unflappable, so sure of yourselves. A moment ago you were openly bragging about bedding, or being bedded by Ren. And now the two of you are flirting like a couple of awkward school children." He grinned, "It's just with how up-front Lily was with me, and how offhand you talked about Renenly, I assumed that was the way of things. I'm honestly glad to be wrong. It's adorable."

Lily felt her own face crack into a grin as well. John's first night with her did offer an amusing contrast to Ziea's clumsy proposition.

Zieadasra and Maaglieth were much less entertained, and scowled at the two larger dragons with unrestrained indignation. "And I suppose your first time together was a smooth unrestrained passion?" Zieadasra snapped.

"Well, there were a lot fewer words involved." John chuckled. "At the risk of being too blunt, Lily more or less pinned me down, pulled my clothes off, and asked me if I wanted to fuck."

"I suppose, as it turned out, John prefers more assertive partners as well." Lily added with a shrug and a toothy smile.

The obscene admission shocked both aspiring lovers, but also stole away some of their irritation. Their steward looked almost scandalized, but after a moment the frown faded from Maaglieth's face and he grinned as well, "Perhaps the two of you can someday share the secrets of matrimonial bliss. In the meantime, I think I would prefer to continue my conversation with Zieadasra somewhere more private, so that we may stumble through our courtship together." He bowed to his prospective partner, gently gripping her hand and towing her to the edge of the pool.

"Oh, wait a moment dears!" Lily's exclamation stopped them. "Sorry, I know you are both caught up in the moment, but give a moment of though. You both have tasks your clan has assigned you, and that's Raszeics' guard outside. I don't want anything that could cause you trouble getting back to your clans. Return home with us. We can give you a room where you won't be disturbed. We even have some toys and trinkets you can borrow, if you're feeling adventurous."

Zieadasra's eyes went wide at the embarrassing offer, but after a brief whispered conference, the two agreed with the plan.

It didn't take long to convince the children to come out of the Creche. Having spent the morning at play as well, the lot of them were tired and hungry for dinner. The mood returning back to the residence was full of good cheer for the time spent together, despite the troubling revelations of the earlier afternoon. Lily kept her word, and offered Maag and Ziea a secluded suite on the far side of the residence where they wouldn't be disturbed. The room hadn't been intentionally designed as such, but the privacy it had offered had lent itself well to carnal activities, and it was already stocked with a variety of romantic aides the two might find useful.

Afterwards the Sanjeia dragons shared a brief meal together, talking over the events of the day. Ban and Laurelie played in a circle with the other children, battling a leather ball back and forth idly as they chattered. Lily noted that a shy gilt-scaled dragoness, that she was fairly sure was Renenly's daughter, huddled close between Ban and Laurelie. Eventually the gathering broke up, dragons drifting away by ones and twos. Ban and Laurelie ended up sleeping sprawled out in a tangle of children, sleeping off the day's excitement. Kisa assured them that she would watch over them for the night, leaving Lily and John to retire to the elder's suite.

John didn't hesitate to plunge onto the cushioned bed, sighing deeply in satisfaction. Lily padded more carefully on the bed, trying not to tread on her husband's wings as she snuggled up against him. John's voice rumbled in a pleasant croon, his chest humming against hers. A moment later he laughed aloud.

"What?" Lily queried with a smile.

"Just everything. The whole day really, but especially Maag and Ziea. I did not expect that."

"You did seem rather tickled by the whole ordeal."

"It's strange, because I know for a fact that they're older than me, but watching them flirt like teenagers was cute. And I admit, it was kind of fun to see them both so flustered. I can almost see why you enjoy tormenting me so much. I hope they're doing okay though. Ziea is quite small. I wonder about the logistics of it."

"Oh?" Lily purred, drawing a single clawed finger across her husband's chest. Now that he mentioned it, seeing John all hot and bothered seemed very appealing at the moment. "So you've spent some time thinking about these logistics?"

"How could I not? She's literally half his size. It's like a shire horse riding a pony." John teased right back, refusing to rise to her bait.

Lily smiled at the challenge. "Well, if you're that curious we could arrange for some experiments. I know at least one young dragoness that was trying to ride your pony all day long."

Instead of squirming at the idea, John looked at her blankly. "Thessi? Is that what she was about? She kept asking me about the Battle of Pastock, talking about my scars. I thought she was trying to get combat lessons."

Lily growled and rolled atop him, pinning him to the sheets as she grinned smugly down at him. She knew her husband, and his composure only went so far. "Oh, she wants lessons all right. She'd let you teach her all night long." She ground her hips down against his to emphasize her statement. "Just imagine, an innocent, naive young female, twitching and squirming atop you, seeing just how much of you she could take."

"Lily!" John's finally broke with a shocked gasp.

Victorious laughter bubbled from her throat and she bent her neck to kiss the scars and scales of his chest. She shimmied lower, licking and nibbling on his belly as she went. "Of course, knowing you and the mess you make, she'd probably look like a balloon by morning. We'd have to roll her out."

"You're actually getting off on this!" His mortified accusation was halfhearted and quickly shown to be hypocritical. As she approached her goal she found his vent already puffy and slick, ready to release his maleness at any moment. His metallic scent was thick in her nose and on her tongue. John was watching her face as she finally stopped with her cheeks nestled between his thighs. "Maybe I should go get her then. You'd probably enjoy watching, you shameless tart."

Any illusion of the threat being serious was stolen away by his expression. His eyes were wide, locked on hers as he panted lustily and licked his lips in anticipation.

"Oh? A tart? I think you're going to need to come up with a stronger word love. I don't think your average tart would suck your cock right out of your slit." She ended her sentence with a firm kiss to those swollen lips between his legs, pushing her tongue down into the soft sweltering warmth that concealed his hidden shaft. Holding his gaze with hers, she probed until she met his glans. Tremors rippled through her husband beneath her as she licked and slurped around the soft barbs and folds of his tip, tasting him and the eager fluids he spilled out. With lewd intent she directed the slender tip of her tongue towards the source of those fluids. She found the bubbling cleft in the center of his crown, and burrowed inside, sampling his flavor right from the source. Overcome by the obscene intrusion, John bucked against her, his shaft practically surging out of his vent to nudge insistently against her lips. His insides quivered and quaked against her squirming tongue, even as his thighs clenched around her head to lock her in place.

"Did I say tart? I meant my wanton, shamless, angahhh-" Lily interrupted his flattery by parting her jaws, allowing his cock to emerge directly into her mouth. She carefully sealed her lips around his head and suckled hungrily, coaxing out a great gout of his slick lust. "Angel of a wife." He finished weakly.

Lily just hummed pleasantly, pulling him in deeper. She drooled in anticipation as his spire grew thicker and longer, oozing his essence across the roof of her mouth. Her tongue curled and probed, continuing to caress the parts of him that remained hidden. Soon his crown was bumping against the back of her mouth, pulsing and spurting desperately. She saw no reason to deny him, and shifted her angle, relaxing her throat. With a wet squelch she devoured him fully, swallowing around his length as it pushed into her gullet. With a bellowing groan John thrust up at her, his tail slapping against her chest. Saturated by the taste of him and overwhelmed by the feeling of the throbbing length in her maw, Lily nearly gave into the feral desire to simply hold him down and nurse on him until he erupted down her throat. John apparently had other ideas though. He managed to regain his senses enough to take control of his tail. She could feel the tip of it drag down along her belly, prodding and probing. She hesitated just a moment before shifting her hips, moving to help line him up. Soon the smooth scales of his tail rubbed against her sex, gliding through the dripping arousal that had leaked between her lips and smearing her it in a sheen over her scales.

Lily gave a choking gasp and squeezed her eyes shut as his tail found her entrance. John was too far gone to offer much foreplay, but at this point Lily didn't care. Her passage practically swallowed the tip of his tail, her swollen flesh eagerly pulling him deeper. The sex-slick scales of his tail didn't offer much friction, but the girth of it was enough to compensate for that. She moaned around his cock as he stuffed inch after inch and inch into her. Her insides clenched and squeezed as he stretched her and filled her to her limits. She couldn't see it, but she could easily imagine how it looked from past experience: the lips of her vent spread wide and tight, glistening with her arousal. Crammed so full of his tail that her stomach was trembling from the pressure, she still felt her muscles pulsing hungrily for more.

"Oh, Lily!" Hearing her name delivered in a passionate moan was music to her ears. She looked up again, finding John staring down at her lovingly. She grinned, and with a lewd slurp, pulled her mouth off of him. She licked her lips with a smile, pulling in the viscous strings of saliva that had dangled from her snout. For the first time this evening John's maleness was exposed to the air, bobbing with his pulse.

"Still think we should go get Thessi?"

He snorted, and responded to her teasing by flexing the massive curl of tail buried between her legs. Lily couldn't choke back her own groan as the agile mass writhed inside of her. Even as his tail tortured her insides, he curled up on himself so that he could grip her cheeks with both hands. "You are the sexiest, most wicked, beautiful woman I've ever met. Why would I need anyone else?"

He punctuated the statement by leaning in to kiss her, his tongue flicking out to share in the mess he'd made in her mouth. Lily felt her eyes drift shut in bliss. With her husband lavishing her with attention from both ends, she relaxed somewhat, letting the fiery lust damp down into something more deliberate. Eventually John's lips parted from hers, though he remained curled up with his hands caressing her face. Lily purred, and turned to kiss the head of his shaft instead. Slower now, she resumed tending to his throbbing arousal. It was familiar territory that her tongue and lips explored. She licked all along his crown until his barbs were standing at full attention. She nibbled along the turgid flesh beneath as his arousal dribbled sloppily onto her face. But John was no stranger to his own taste. His tongue dances over her scales, eagerly slurping up each wanton spurt that erupted from his tip, ticking over her lips as she swallowed him once more. As Lily began bobbing her head up and down on his length he even lapped at his own cock wherever it was exposed. And all the while that glorious length of tail twisted and twirled inside of her. He didn't have the leverage to truly thrust into her, but with multiple feet of his tail stuffed between her legs it didn't matter.

Lily felt her breath hitching as she came closer and closer to her peak. He belly clenched in uncontrollable spasms, and her passage was fluttering right on the very edge. She pulled off one last time to gasp out a sentence, "Grab my horns John, hold me down."

His feral grin was the only response he offered before he complied. She had just enough time to open her mouth again before his clawed hands curled around her horns and shoved her almost painfully down onto his cock, burying it so far into her throat that her snout was wedged into his slit. Lily squealed and thrashed as the forceful handling drove her over the edge. Her eyes rolled back as her body clenched up in the throes of orgasm, waves of pleasure crashing over her mind to wash away all other thought, her throat worked on pure reflex, swallowing nonstop around him in desperate desire to taste his release. John didn't keep her waiting long. She could just feel the sensation of his crown swelling and expanding out in a barbed flare that locked him in place before a torrent of cum blasted into her throat, pouring down without end. The taste of his seed on her tongue and the powerful tremors through his frame was almost enough to launch her into another climax, and it was all she could do to keep swallowing and contain the flood that he produced.

It seemed like forever that she floated on that cloud of bliss. Every sense was filled with her husbands presence, his smell and taste absolutely inundating her mouth even as her eyes were locked on the quivering muscles of his stomach. Even her ears were filled with the messy gurgling of her own efforts to drink down his cum. Eventually though her body sagged, exhausted. John had long ago lost his grip on her horns, having fallen back onto the bed in the throes of his own orgasm. Not that it mattered: with the massive flare at the end of his shaft lodged in her throat, Lily wasn't going anywhere. His tail continued to twitch in her sex as he came, drawing whimpers from the dragoness as it stimulated her sensitive flesh. By the time his turgid length stopped throbbing and spurting Lily felt like she had eaten a full meal. She let his softening maleness slip from her mouth, an obscene splash of seed and saliva following it as it slapped back against John's belly. She barely managed to crawl her way back up alongside her husband, wincing as his tail slipped out of sex with another wet slurp.

She collapsed against him, absolutely drained. After a long moment John summoned the energy to wrap one wing around her, squeezing her close. "I love you Lily."

"And I love you." She purred, kissing the top of his head. He gave one last pleasant croon as his eyes drifted closed, and soon fell into a doze against her chest, leaving her awake by herself. For a moment, all she did was sit and look down upon John as he slumbered in her arms. His breath came in gusts against her scales, and soon he was twitching with the random motions of his dreams. Her appetite sated in more ways than one, Lily was tempted to join him, and let sleep claim her. She wanted very much to bask in this loving embrace and let the worries of the day fall away with sleep. But eventually Lililethan's thoughts turned towards the troubling discoveries of the day, and the even more troubling prospect of the next council meeting. She had managed to delay it for a few hours, but she still had plans to make.

She had allowed John to suffer through the council's tests in the hope that it would keep the peace between the clans. But if Yedanathil and Raszeics were going to use the opportunity to plot against her she had to make contingencies herself, and they were already a step ahead. As much as she wished to sit and watch over John, she had things to prepare. Yedanathil and Raszeics wanted to play dirty. They wanted to bring up internal clan politics to discredit her in the eyes of the council. She could play dirty as well. She had become elder from birthright, but before that she had been the most ruthless general that their people had seen in generations. If the other elders wanted to fight dirty, she would fight dirty. She planted one last kiss on her husband's head before weaving a careful spell, pushing him into a deeper sleep. Finally she pulled herself away from him, moving towards the door. There would still be messengers and servants on call, in case their elder needed something.

The stickiness between her legs and over her face made her pause. A bath first, and then politics.