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The sea was a place where earth and water mixed and mingled together. It held the unique position of being neither here nor there. When the world was young it had held legends of creatures in the deep that would call mortals to their deaths or lure sailors away from the safety of their ships. It had been a place of mystery and power enough that many races acknowledged the gods will and bowed to them. Yet to Sithen's kind the shore held a place to retreat with ones spirit. The three realms of earth, sky and water all formed a place of peace and contemplation when the hardest times and choices lay ahead of them. It was to this place the sleeping dragon's spirit wandered as his spell of healing and restructuring kept him in a light trance and forced Baen to get the sleep he so needed. His spirit flew until he opened his eyes of a foggy place that the only noise could be heard in the hushed sound of the ocean.

The drake flexed his toes into the damp sand and settled on his haunches as he stared around the silvery area. It was as it had always been, it didn't reflect the change of the physical world with its stink of humanity and filth. The fog swirled around him until it forced him to lose sense of time and perception of the moon overhead and stared out over the dark lapping waves. His spirit was not broken, but it felt bruised and raw enough that he savored the silence of all thoughts save his own and the steady sound of the waves. He threw open a single call to the world itself, a note of mournful longing as he tried to seek out another mind like his own. Yet even as it tolled over the waves he felt know echo giving him a hint that she had found this place as well. It was a bitter comfort. If she were dead she would have lingered here where all his kind had before passing on to wherever their spirits flew. After a time he simply sighed and stretched out on the warm sands and rested his head on his forepaws.

:It's lonely, isn't it?: A voice as sharp and cold as ice brushed his mind until he jerked his head up to find the mist swirling thicker to his left.

It wasn't unknown for strange spirits to find their way here and end up lost, but it wasn't common anymore. Human's didn't seem to find their way here nor the lesser beings. As he watched the mist started to draw closer together until a ghostly image was outlined. It didn't appear as solid as he was, but Sithen knew he wouldn't appear solid to the creature. They were glimpsing each other through their own visions of what this place was, yet as it formed he saw a massive set of wings half spread as the tips touched the ground like forepaws. The head was fully draconic, but the only legs it possessed were a set of powerful haunches that were tucked up close beneath its lower body. The mist shivered and shimmered as if he were viewing the beast through a snow storm while the head turned towards him. Only the brilliant blue of the eyes met his. They were a clear sapphire that glittered with the force of the personality behind it.

:Who are you? Ghost or reality?: He breathed the words out with a touch of sadness behind them. He knew the answer before it was given. The Wyvern's had once laid claim to all of the ice riddled north and south. In their own right they had been as great as the Storm Dragons.

:Reality, but only here.: The beast answered and gave a shuddering shiver.

Sithen reared up onto his feet again and spread his jaws in a hiss as he watched the impossible. The wings lifted up and seemed to tear at the air itself until the two claws hooked into the mist and gave a great heave that rent a tear into the fabric of this reality. The ice white head shoved through and forced its way from the insubstantial to something that looked as if it were flesh and blood entirely. The spreading wings forced the tear wider until the beast lunged onto the sand and landed with a hiss as the toes curled into the warm wetness. From nose to tail he was formed of every shade of ice, from the crystal clarity of his horns and spikes to the shaded blue opaqueness of his underside. He brought a breath of winter with him while the storm drake lowered his head and let out a low growl in his throat in warning.

:Put away your fangs, drake.: The blue eyes seemed to gleam with merriness as he regarded the other dragon. :I mean you no harm, but I doubt you'd take my words seriously if you believed me a wandering ghost on this shore.:

:What is your name?: Sithen left his response with a touch of wariness as the beast folded his wings and settled more firmly on his haunches reared up. The mind voice that brushed his own seemed contained and the vivid image of a trickle of water behind rock that showed before a waterfall burst free came to mind. This was no dragon or Wyvern, not to control these lands such as these.

:I am the Sea, the Air, the Earth. I am a being of your dreams and nightmares.: The answer was tauntingly cryptic before the beast turned his head to one side. :You may call me Rogeth'tra'shrayren. Or simply Rogeth will do.:

The mind voice was merry as if even talking to another was great sport. Sithen shifted his eyes to one side with a low rumble in his throat. The world was full of languages, but there were few that were so close as to the gods as what the creature spoke. The meaning didn't come from his knowledge of that language but the images that flashed through his mind. Trickster, challenger, deceiver. The name was all that and something more. The gods could walk these paths if they chose, but there were other things that were attracted to them. There were spirits and beings that had never had a physical body that inhabited the land in the hopes of gaining one. Some were harmless and simply caused pranks and tricks to annoy or ensnare the mind briefly. Others though were as close to evil as could be imagined and Sithen tread with as much care as a fledgling on his first flight.

:Rogeth.: He nodded his head in greeting. :What attracts you here?: Even the youngest of his kind knew better then to ask what a spirit wanted. To ask them was to invite them to try and take it from you.

:Nothing more and nothing less than a body of course.: The Wyvern shape yawned and gaped his jaws before spreading one broad wing outwards before folding it. :I had meant to make this one mine, but he was trapped and held captive until he died. I had grown quite fond of him too.:

:You will find no bodies for the taking here.: Sithen shifted his gaze back to the dark ripple of the ocean waves as they rolled closer to the shore.

:Pfft! Is that what you think I'm here to do?: Amusement rolled off of Rogeth's mind voice and he felt a brush of icy air near his left side as the spirit-Wyvern stretched out next to him. :You do me an injustice believing I am here for your body, powerful and lovely though it is.:

:Then did you simply come to taunt me when I seek peace? When last I met a spirit here, they knew better then to infringe upon the thoughts of others.: He didn't let his annoyance show, instead he tried to lose himself in the roll of the oceans.

:Not at all. I came to seek you out on purpose.: The beast's voice teased him with hidden meanings and knowledge, but when he didn't rise to the bait he continued. :I have watched you for longer then you know. I have watched you and the Wyvern since you became the last of your kind. Both of you had such promise! The Wyvern broke first, he went mad on his own and then I simply nudged him a bit further in the right direction. You, you have retained your sanity, but only through hibernation and then hope.:

:Yes, I have. I am not a Wyvern to lose myself to voices in my head. I know what is real and what is trickery.: Sithen rumbled in quiet pride and turned his head to find the Wyvern had mimicked his pose at watching the ocean.

:Indeed. I would be ashamed for you if you did. Yet I didn't come here to discuss the madness of the beasts shape I wear, I came to discuss a deal between us.: The spirit turned his head to the clear bright eyes watched him intensely. :I will help you to reach your goal, I will even aid your daughter to the limits of my ability, if you grant me the chance to have a body of my own.:

:Which body?: Sithen clamped down on the surge of hope he felt in his breast at the mention of helping his daughter. One did not enter into deals with the spirits lightly, if he didn't consider all angles he could find himself trapped in a worse situation then he already was in.

:Ahh which body. That's where we run into trouble.: The Wyvern closed his eyes entirely and leaned his head back. :You must admit a dragon body would be the most appealing. Humans are short lived and I have always had an affinity for your kind. It's why I watched the fall of your race with such despair.:

:And why you hastened the Wyvern to his death.: The drake commented blandly and curled his talons into the sand. :I will agree to nothing that would put any of my kind at risk.: He thought for a moment before continuing, :Nor those that aid me. They are silly creatures, but if they were to topple I would find myself unable to keep the human Empire entertained as I take the capital. They are like ants. Singly I could take them all, yet as a mound they are troublesome.:

:Yes they are, aren't they?: Rogeth agreed amiably. :I concede I will not try for your body or your daughters or offspring. I wouldn't want them anyway. The world is out of skew with you gone from the skies. I'm sure you've noticed just how badly things have gone, at least in my own eyes. Humans claim things with lines and words such as town, city, land, crops, farms and neatly are arranging the world. They don't have anything to challenge them, you and your kind would balance the other half of things nicely I think.:

:The body?: The drake prompted refusing to let himself forget they were bargaining rather then simply talking together.

:Yes, the body. If I am to be forced into a human shape, I do not wish to find myself in a farmer's body or a beggar's body. They would be inconvenient. I want a body with enough magic that I will be able to slow down my own aging to make it worth my while and high enough up in status that I won't find myself tossed aside.: Rogeth paused for a moment to open his eyes with a merry grin on his draconic face. :I'll have to apologize, but I am fond of comfort on that plane.:

:And overfond of words to explain yourself. Which human?: He snarled out and wrinkled his lips backwards.

:The one who stole your...daughter. Tiamet.: At least the spirit took the hint to make it brief, but the name sent a rush of red rage through Sithen. He reared back and drew his lips away from his teeth as he hissed out.

:He is MINE!: He blasted the other with his thoughts, coating them with the rage and possessiveness of a drake with his prey.

:Yes he is. Now you see our bargain.: Rogeth seemed to barely respond to the rage in the storm dragon's mind voice. :You would waste him with a snap of your jaws, I will find much more use for him.:

:And leave him living!: The snarl rumbled in his throat and mind voice.

:The punishment I offer is far more lasting then you could give, drake. I must drive him mad before I can claim his body as my own and once he is so lost as to be unable to take reality well...: One of the wings stirred in a shrug, :I will move in and his spirit will be ripped to the winds to wander as I have.:

:What do you want with that particular man? What do you care of what I am trying to do?: Sithen let himself be mollified at least that the human would be getting a fitting punishment for what he'd done. :The last I knew, spirits of this plane cared nothing for worldly affairs save furthering their own goals and ambitions.:

:Ahh you see that's where you have me. I am furthering my own goals.: The spirit-Wyvern settled further in the sand and stretched out his form its full length. :The gods are not happy. Not with the Empire, nor with your precious pets. When this entire business started these men were men of the sea, yet they allowed themselves to be cowed. They bowed their heads when they should have fought or died for their beliefs and people.:

:Foolishness.: Sithen remarked dryly.

:Indeed.: Rogeth nodded as if the remark hadn't been sarcastic. :The gods exist on the beliefs and sacrifices of the living. A bit of history for you, Sithen. When the world was young and fresh, the gods brought forth creatures that they believed were a tribute to them. Each caste set about creating a being they believed was supremely superior to the others. The great beings of the ice and snow created the Wyverns as guardians of their hidden palaces and gave them life and long lives. They were designed to be at home in the blizzards and harsh conditions. The gods of the storms and skies cast forth and created your kind out of lightning and thunder to rule the air and rocky weather that hammered those of the earth in an effort to dominate the Wyverns place in the world.:

Sithen let out a frustrated growl. This story was an old one. He had heard it when he had been freshly hatched. Tidus and Fallon had been the name of his gods. They had been two brothers that created thunder and lightning and so they had desired children of their own. They had hammered out the shape and blessed the creations with tongues of lightning and the power to command the harshest winds and storms. They had given birth to the first of his kind. Anara, the great queen who had clutched a hundred children and spread them throughout the world so that they might claim any place that the skies darkened over. He lashed his tail back and forth against the sandy shore as he looked out over the waves and drew in a soft breath. Anara. Yet they did not worship their creators. Those that made them were looked upon as beloved patriarchs, not as gods the way that humans cowered before them and mumbled their prayers.

:The seas gave birth to great serpents that haunted them and lured their prey to be killed within their coils. Those creatures were made from the deepest sea water and the light that shown through it. And the dragons of the earth were wingless creatures, yet created the caverns and tunnels of the earth as they knew it secrets like no other being. Yet the gods were dissatisfied, weren't they Sithen?: Rogeth turned to give him a long mocking look. :You know the rest of the story, why don't you tell it to me and I'll correct you if I was wrong.: The beast looked as if he were going to take quite a lot of pleasure at watching the large drake shift restlessly.

:Aye, I know it.: He growled. :We never saw them as all powerful gods. They were spirits and had control of powers greater than our own, but they were not to be worshiped. As well we should worship the storms and seas or blizzards and earthquakes. We believed in ourselves.: He gave his head a shake and snorted. :I know I am the greatest power to myself, no god can control me or tame me. No god can hammer me down and forbid me to do as I please because they are spirit and I am flesh.:

:That isn't the ending of the story I wanted to hear about.: The voice murmured mockingly.

:Very well.: He snorted and stretched his wings out as if it was of no consequence to him. :The gods grew angry at us for not being as they created us to be. Instead of trying to create a new race like the four they made, they set about modeling funny creatures of the earth. They would have short lives so they could not grow...arrogant as we had. They would have no real magic so they could not believe themselves to be near equals to the gods. They were weak puny things that were as much our prey as the rest of the world.:

:What did they give them, Sithen?: The spirit-wyvern looked as if he were enjoying this entirely too much.

:They gave them the ability to breed quickly. They were animals! They swallowed the earth in their masses until they took up more space then we ever did.: His voice started to drop into a low growl of remembered anger. :They gave them knowledge of dragons and the weapons to bring us down. The gods waged war upon us for daring to see ourselves as equals to them and so we were left to die and fall from the skies in greater numbers then we could replace.:

:What did they do to you?: The voice turned avid and Sithen flexed his claws through the sand in remembered rage.

:They waged war on us with their creations.: He snarled out and snapped his jaws in the air. :They sentenced my people and the people of the Ice, Earth and Sea to death. They created mockeries of us to leave no the earth. Those green dragons that were beast instead of intelligent creature. They made jest at us!:

:Yessss...: The spirit tossed his Wyvern head back and bellowed laughter. :And you, my fine Storm Dragon, have become locked in their play things lives. You have become their protector and defender.:

:I am not their protector OR defender!: He roared the words out as he turned to face the spirit and snapped his jaws in the air, :I care only that I retrieve my daughter and then they will know terror at my wings and claws.:

:Why do you lie to me? I am naught but a bit of spirit and dreams made flesh. I see your concern for them. I know you heal the one called Baen with your own energies.: Rogeth made no move to defend himself, instead stretched insolently out. :As for your...daughter. Well, the less we say about her the better, mm?:

:What do you know of her?: Sithen forced his anger back and swallowed it down as if it were a lump of rotten flesh.

:Oh no, drake, I won't give away all my secrets. I will help you to ensure your success, but you must find out the rest on your own.: The Wyvern laughed low and long. :Go back to your body now, go and see what your compassion has wrought!:

Sithen snarled again before the world around him seemed to freeze. The mist grew sharp and icy as he drew in a breath before the waves crusted over with it. He gave a mental curse before reclaiming his dignity and left the barren place to the spirit who dwelled there. He knew better then to chatter with the half made sprites and spirits, they were tricksters at the best of times. He'd been lured in by the touch of another's strong mind voice until he had engaged the creature in chatter. It was not wasted time, if the thing could ensure his victory and give Timat the punishment he deserved then so much the better! It was one worry that was no longer in his hands at least. Rogeth's laughter chased him back to a world where the sun was hot on his back and the sounds and scents of humans assaulted his muzzle and ears.

He stirred slowly and pulled his mind back into the proper time, place and body before opening his eyes up. The ships were loaded, but many were still cleaning up camps that had been made in the night. The sun rose gloriously in the east casting rays of red and pink through the sky and warming his body back from the chill night. He moved his wing slowly until he felt the muscles responding to his control properly. At least he had been able to heal himself thoroughly through his long sleep, that was no bad thing. Though he would have to eat soon to make up for the reserves he had spent on himself and on the human. The thought of Baen made him turn his head to look at the man tucked against his side. What he had wrought? The creature was as small and weak as ever, he was even alive and if the brush of the drake's thoughts were accurate he was even healed to the point he should feel better then he even had when they first met.

:HUMAN!: He bellowed as he roared out in his mind voice and was amused to see the old man leap up and desperately feel around for his sword. :Get your foolish pack in the water, we have time to make up for this day.:

"Aye..." The voice came out hoarsely as Baen moved a hand up to rub his whiskered face. It was only when his face lifted that Sithen froze in a sort of macabre fascination at what he'd done to the man. One eye was piercing and sharp as ever, the other was swallowed in the swirling colors around the pupil just as his own was. The dragon had left his mark on the man through his magic.

:You cannot touch them without changing them, foolish drake, each day you grow closer to each other. He grows more like a dragon and you? You, my proud friend? You grow more human.: Rogeth's mind voice swirled through his mind like a curse.

====

Lashane slammed her head back against the chains again with a wailing cry of outrage and fear. Each one of the chains pushed down against her body forcing her down to the floor. She had to give the Mage's credit for the design. They wouldn't have to come near her to subdue her, all they had to do was turn the cranks to lower the chains from their position to pin her down against the earth. Her chest scraped against the stone heavily as she tried to free one of her forepaws to take a swipe at the people who were gathered near her head. They spoke of her as if she didn't truly exist to them. It was as if they thought she couldn't understand anything they said, instead the lecturing tone came from an older wizened man who she vaguely recognized from her days as a human. The others listened closely and avidly as he recounted history and mythology.

"She may look in form to be like the dragons we see on the coasts, but in color, size and even her mane shows that she's not their breed." The man gestured with one hand towards her. "Our histories teach us of a time when they ran rampant through our country. There were four groups that each seemed to be attracted to various elements. Time has muddied our knowledge of them, but we can make educated guesses on what breed this is. The Wyvern was one of the creatures that legend tells us of and you all saw that it was most certainly attracted to ice. Another group has been given the chore of dissecting what remains of it to see what we can learn."

The dragoness rumbled in outrage at that. No dragon, wyvern or storm, was a toy or a creature that could be experimented on! The very idea sent rage coursing through her and she strained forward against the chains again. The only reaction was a few students that moved closer to the wall and the mage lecturing them. Had she fallen so low that she was nothing more than a trapped animal? A gruff word and the scent of blood and old meat flooded her nose as the guard from before made his way carefully towards where her head was twisted to one side and offered a chunk of meat to quiet her. She wanted to seal her lips shut and refuse it. Would it be nobler to simply refuse food until she died? Or was there still hope? She cursed herself for the former thought and spread her jaws to let him drop the food into her muzzle as if she were a trained dog. There was always hope as long as there was life!

"Their bodies were said to yield many of the ingredients that our Alchemists claim were lost centuries ago. Their livers were said to purify wounds and clean the body, their scales could be ground up and used to carry any drug on the air it was mixed with, their hearts would grant near immortality to those that found it." The Mage paused for a moment, "We know now, though, that these are primitive beliefs. They do hold an affinity for certain elements, but that is no more magical then a fish that can breathe under water or the eel that creates electricity."

"Then what are we looking for?" One of the oldest asked. "If it's nothing more than an animal, then there's nothing to be gained here."

"You will bring me an understanding of what she is." The voice was sharp, deep and almost bland. There was no note of disapproval or approval, but she knew it. Her eyes rolled over to see the Emperor himself standing with Urso and a pair of guards.

"Highness." They were like puppets as they bowed to him, but he paid them no mind. His eyes locked with her own as he walked forward into the strange stall and stood at her head wisely to one side of her jaws.

"She may not be magical, but she is something new and something different. Why does she refuse to tame herself for us, but the Braan's beast serves them unswervingly?" He crouched down and she winced as she heard his knees crack slightly. "What is she that she mocks us with an almost human intelligence and has evaded our eyes since her kind went supposedly extinct."

"It may have been simply hidden in its natural habitat, my lord. Why should they invade human lands if they have enough prey and room to roam in the mountains?" Urso's voice sounded almost normal as he addressed his superior, but the Emperor gave his head a shake and stared into the one eye he could see.

He was old. The first thought was a shock to her. The man she had known had been a warrior. Hylar had led his people to war as often as he left it to his generals, he was renowned for it! Yet his hair was now a steel grey and there were wrinkles in the corners of his eyes. His breath was soft and sounded healthy, but her keen ears could detect a faint rattle from moisture in his lungs. Once he had been all she had wanted to please. His rewards and promises had led her on this journey, yet she had never once realized that he would age while she was gone. The scar that had been puckered and pink when she had left, was now faded into just another line on his features. How could this be her Emperor? For a moment the human part of her mourned him. He had been powerful and canny, now all she could see was the aging frame and the slight gauntness of lost weight. Her pity lasted only as long as his neck words.

"Do what needs to be done to find out what it is. I want it tamed, but I will not let that desire stand in the way of your magic." He looked back at Urso disapprovingly. "These creatures escaped our notice for centuries. We have had men in those mountains and in the north, but they were never seen until now. I refuse to believe that they are simply creatures that just happened to come back into our world by happenstance. Something larger is going on and I want to get to the root of it."

"Of course, Highness, we will strive to ensure we find all we can from it." Urso let doubt creep into his voice.

"I hear your doubt. Have the years proven nothing to you?" He shook his head. "The Kirin is missing, stolen from my own stables. This one's kin flies at the head of an army. The Wyvern was captured in the desolate ice lands that were its reputed home. Creatures of magic still exist. I would have expected a mage to realize it." He moved his hand down and for a moment she flinched as his hand rested against her cheek. "Do not make the mistake of frittering away the chance you've been given to find out about one that is still in our grasp. It would be last."

The aging Emperor stood up with a signal to his guards and left with that threat. It hovered over the gathering of students and even she shuddered in reaction. The man knew something. He didn't know that a human was trapped in this body, but he knew she was not a simple animal. Would he actually find out it was her? What would he do if he knew the body of a young mage was trapped in this scaled flesh? She knew what he would do. He would bargain, black mail or threaten her until he had her saddled and trying to fight Sithen out of the skies. She didn't know if the beast would slay her or simply tear her rider from her back and claim her again, but she would only know a few moments of freedom before he killed her. A few breaths that she would be allowed to fly free before chains of another sort were thrown around her. Anger and despair roiled inside of her. Was there no answer for her?

+++

Timat hunched himself as small as he could beside the camp fire. The dancing flames played over his face showing the weight he'd lost. He knew he'd lost weight. He'd never been fat, he'd never been plump, but he had enjoyed a slight softness of body that came with enjoying a luxurious life style afforded. Now he was nothing but skin and bones. His clothing hung on him badly and he knew he barely ate enough to keep himself from dying. The men he had been given 'command' over often spoke of it when they thought he couldn't hear. The man truly in charge was an older man by the name of Gar. He was weathered, but not quite old. He was just old enough to know how a unit ran and had kept things from boiling over into a full on riot. He rocked slightly as he stared at the face in the flames, his Emperor glared out of the mage born communication.

"Timat!" He roared out and the mage jerked his head up. "Are you listening to me? We've lost contact with the other squad and you're off the map!"

"Yes. Yes we are. We fell off." He mumbled to himself before gathering the frayed edges of his personality together. "We're not going to follow the river directly, Majesty, we're following farther out. They will pass us eventually, I'm sure of it, but if we approach too closely the dragon might see us."

The dragon. The dragon that haunted his nightmares and filled his soul with terror. The dragon had been in his dreams last night. He had tried to sleep, but instead two voices had spilled into his mind so that he had felt himself being drowned in them. They were too loud, too large, too demanding for him to exist before them. He had tried to hide, but the moment he did the Voice yanked him back and forced him to listen. He had listened, but he still didn't understand. It was as if they spoke in tongues he couldn't understand and had no firm grasp on. He tried to huddle away when one broke out in rage, but instead the anger had seared his soul and awoken him screaming like a child in his tent. He had stumbled out shaking and spent the rest of the night clinging to a bottle of brandy to force the voice to go away. His only peace was the brandy.

He knew he lied to his Emperor. He didn't even know why he lied. He wasn't going after the enemy, he was going where the enemy most decidedly was not. There was no way he could face that beast and still stand. A touch in his mind as fragile as spider webs laughed before whispering that Sithen was waiting for him. He should hurry to meet his destiny with open arms. It was the same voice that made him drink himself to near death, the same voice that whispered for him to kill Gar before the man could take any more control. He rocked slightly while he drew in his lower lip as he had when he was a child and nibbled on it. An unconscious reaction from his youth.

"That's not good enough! They're nearing the Capital. They're only a week away if they go slowly and that dragon could fly here who knows how fast!" The Emperor's voice was sharp with disgust. "You will turn west towards the Howar River and intercept them. I have dispatched three other mages to keep contact with the guerrilla troops we have gathered from the villages. Your job is to dispatch that blasted dragon before he can near our city or capture him!"

"Majesty, I would be most pleased to see this done in your name. I believe the Kleer River though is being travelled on by another group of them that I can more easily take. That would split their forces in half." Timat tried to still his tongue, but it ran on without him. For a moment he felt a blast of ice as he was forced away from even controlling his lips. "Surely the troops and mages you have called together will be able to take care of the smaller group despite the dragon. That beast would have to range far for food, they will be left alone a good portion of the time."

"I see.." The fire image of his Emperor seemed to consider the words even as Timat tried to get control of his tongue again. "This makes sense. I see that you are recovering from your...shock of meeting the dragon up close then?"

"Oh yes, my Emperor, I am recovering faster than you could ever dream. I will carry your messages to the troop and we will ensure that their force is halved before they even reach the canals." Why was he saying this? He didn't want to go to war! He wanted to tell the Emperor that he would go after Sithen and then run! Not this! Maybe he was just being cannier then normal. The mage had always been good with a lie.

:Oh yes, your liars tongue spills my words so swiftly and easily...: The Voice rang through his mind. :Aren't you glad we learned to lie so well and completely?:

"See that it is taken care of! Contact me as soon as you are within distance of the second group. Make an example of them." Hylar gave a movement of his hand before the the flames flickered and the image was lost.

"Stop it..stop it...get out of my head..." Timat regained control of his tongue as he moved his hands up to cover his head and started rocking again. His mind felt too full, as if it would burst at any moment with the knowledge that it had been forced to contain.

"...Sir..." The sound of a throat clearing made him jerk his head back up and saw Gar standing there with his face set in disapproving lines. "The men are at rest and tomorrow we go to the Kleer river?"

"What?" Timat's voice was roughened before the Voice started to laugh in his mind making him shake his head back and forth.

:..he must die, Timat. He heard your lie. He will tell the men now if you run away..: The Voice trickled through his mind like water falling on sand.

:No...no he doesn't. Stop it! GO AWAY!: He yelled at his own thoughts. Were they his thoughts? They sounded like his, but they weren't his. They couldn't be.

"Tell the men in the morning. Tonight they need to rest and we'll gather the brightest scouts to find the swiftest way to the river under the cover of thick trees at day break." The Voice used his mouth just as it had the Emperor and he watched as Gar narrowed his eyes.

"Aye, makes sense." The soldier stared for a long moment and then shrugged one of his shoulders as he turned to leave. "Bloody drunk.." The voice was so low Timat knew he wasn't meant to hear it.

The moment afterwards would always seem a blur to him, the mage couldn't quite decide if he had decided to make his move because of the name calling or if the Voice had used his own body against him. Whichever happened, Timat found himself leaping forward with his small belt knife drawn from his belt as the silver danced in front of him and then drew itself right across the rough shaven throat in a single smooth draw that parted the skin in a gaping red line. He could feel the scrape of bone beneath his blade as it bit into the vertebrae before severing the jugular. Gar made a wet coughing sound and his body jerked against him before the blood spilled out over his hands and the front of the unwashed uniform. The mage stepped back with his eyes bulging in shock as the body thudded to the ground and the blood started to pool over the silk that made up his own tents interior.

"Oh gods..oh gods..oh gods..." He breathed the words out over and over again in curse and prayer as he watched the man go still. He had killed the soldier. He'd killed him.

:Fool! Stop panicking! Wrap him in the silk and cut part of your tent wall! The body cannot be found.: The Voice exploded in his mind until he dropped down to his knees and fell forward on his hands with a whimpering groan.

"Leave me..alone. This isn't me. I didn't do this.." He panted. He'd never killed before. Not like this. Timat could count on one hand the times he'd been hunting and even then it had been a genteel sport of a falcon on his glove and his servants sent to fetch whatever was brought down. It hadn't been like this where he'd actually felt the hot blood racing down his hand or heard the wheezing bubbling sounds of death. Even thinking it he ended up to one side retching up the last of the wine he had indulged in earlier.

:Of course you did.: The Voice turned into a purr. :You know you had to do it. What else could you have done.:

"Go...away.." He panted and wrinkled his nose at the scent of bile.

:Shhh...you know you did what was right. He would have told the men and when you gave them other orders, well....you would be the one on the ground.: The voice turned even more mocking. :Unless you'd like to die? Are you saving yourself for the dragon to eat?:

"Had to do it..." He grasped onto the voice's logic while he huddled in on himself. "I had to...can't go fight that damned dragon. Oh gods what did he do to me!"

:...you think the dragon did this to you?: The Voice suddenly warmed in amusement. :I'm yourself, who else could make you speak? Foolish Timat, get up, I said GET UP!:

At the last words he heaved himself up as if he were being jerked on a string before lurching forward towards the dead soldier. The scent of blood was thick in the air, but he barely had control of his own limbs. The steady murmur of the voice in his ear kept him working as he pulled up the silk to wrap around Gar's lifeless body and he stripped off his own clothes to throw into the pile. Yes, that was it, pile it up so no one would find the blood. Then to haul it into the forest to let the wolves and large cats eat him. No one would find him. He'd get them up at the crack of dawn and force march them to the city. Yes the city! That's where he needed to go. He started hauling the body as a sweat broke over his nearly naked body. The city was where he needed to be, it was safe there. There were so many soldiers to protect him there, so many mages that would stop the dragon.

"Can't...Emperor...." He gasped out the words raggedly as he heaved the bundle harder and deeper into the bushes. Gar had been a large man in life, in death he was heavier.

:Timat...Timat...Timat...you are far too smart to let that stop you.: The Voice all but purred it's promises. Was it him? Was it something else? Oh god it was so hard to tell. At times it wanted him dead, at others it wanted him alive. Why wouldn't it stop? :You shall be safe and secure within the city.:

"He'll kill me!" He gasped out before dropping the bloody bundle in the darkened area beneath a low hanging tree.

:Really?: The Voice pushed itself against his mind until the mage swayed in the moonlight. It was so hard to think, there were too many things in his mind and the murmured voice wanted to make too much sense.

"The dragon will kill me!" He huddled half naked beneath the tree while a chill swept over him. Was he growing ill? Was the voice and all its promises just a dream caused by the fever? Perhaps he hadn't killed Gar, perhaps the soldier was alive and yelling at him to get up. That's why he dreamed that he had killed the man. Yet as he looked at the dark lump beneath the bush he felt again the hot rush of blood over his hands. Hands that were still tacky with blood that had congealed under his finger tips.

:I could save you, if you were worthy...: The Voice purred through his mind like a velvet carress.

"Y-you could save me? You're not real, only in my mind...only in my mind.." He started to rock back and forth slightly.

:I'm only as real as you let me be...: The Voice pushed harder against his mind. :If you were worthy I would save you from Sithen.:

"How can I be worthy?" He snarled the words out angrily even as he stopped his rocking and stiffly got up to his feet again.

:Go to the city and find out..: The breath of a whisper rocked through his body. :Only there can you show me you are worthy. If not, perhaps you should go to the river and find the dragon. His sharp teeth would crack through your bones and muscles as easily as you slew your comrade.:

"I didn't..I didn't mean..I didn't mean it." He sounded like a child even to his own ears, yelling that he didn't mean it when his parents caught him at something he shouldn't have been doing.

:Give me what I want...give us what we need.: He shuddered all over as the Other's thoughts grew and swelled in his mind until he thought that it would burst.

"Y-yes.." He whimpered out before half falling onto the ground again. "Please stop..I'll do it! I'LL DO IT!"

At dawn the troops were awakened by the Mage with his tent packed up and bundled onto the large pack horses. The sun made his eyes ache, but he hadn't had anything to drink after he had stumbled back to his tent. He didn't dare. He watched his fire die and waited for the sun to rise as if he were a man possessed. Every move he made was disjointed until he realized that he was only partially responsible for making them. Something else was pulling the strings behind him and forcing him to go through the hard labor of packing up his own equipment. He wanted to tell them they were going South. Deep south. Far far away from the Empire and all its troubles. Instead he gruffly informed those gathered that Gar had deserted to report to a nearby post and that they were going to hot foot it to the Capital.

The men grumbled, but they accepted the reasoning. It was sound from their point of view. The self centered Mage was obviously worried that word would reach the Emperor before he had a chance to redeem himself. Timat even half believed it himself and tried to forget the sound of the Voice in his mind. By the time he started to lead them inland he became aware of a distortion in his vision. To the left of him something large and wavering kept pace with his horse. It moved on four legs and its head reared up nearly three feet above his own even mounted. He tried to ignore it. The Voice in his mind only purred laughter. Rogeth knew his prey was coming into his hands, it was only a matter of time until Timat was tipped too far off the scales to be redeemed.

= = =

Lashane had been forced to listen through the teacher talk to them about 'animal' husbandry. She had even tolerated his hands sliding over her neck to point out the large muscles that held her wings, not magic. It had been humiliating to have them look her over as if she were a project they had been given to study, but at least they had done no more than talk and occasionally touch. It wasn't until the older man had limped out of the room leaving the young Mage's behind did she realize that it had only been the start. She looked at what they had rolled out with eyes that swirled in sparks of yellow and orange with anxiety. Some were harmless. She knew what the metal syringe was for and even what the black smith clamps could be used for, but others looked like strange curved clamps, but when the ends were pulled down they spread apart, not together.

"Brody, you and Mihall take the haunches, I'll take the forequarters. Don't forget what Urso wished to have done and taken for samples." One smaller woman piped up brightly as if it were a chore they were going to enjoy.

"Alright, Reena, you sure you can handle the front yourself?" One of the men started to step over the taut chains one at a time.

"Yes, I just need to get a scale and some trimmings and blood." She tilted her head to one side, "Saliva as well. I don't want to remove a tooth yet, but we'll see what the saliva tells us first. Easy Brody!" She yelped out as the man who had just stepped over the chains tripped over one. Lashane snarled out and tried to lunge her head to side, but barely moved then a few inches before the chains stopped her. Brody, the large smith like man stood back up laughing.

"I wonder if they'll find a better set up later." Mihall commented as he picked his way back. She wanted to keep an eye on them, but her attention was forced into the view of the woman in front of her.

"She's got pretty eyes. They keep changing color." The lass leaned in until the dragoness lost view of her face while she tried to focus. "It'd be interesting to find out if that's an effect we can make happen outside of the dragon."

"Just like a girl, thinking about how to make things pretty!" Mihall's voice called back before Brody laughed uproariously. "Keep your mind on your task. We're watched." His voice lost the teasing edge.

Reena picked up the clamps first and moved out of Lashane's view as the hand smoothed down along the curve of her neck. She could feel the small hand teasing against the scales before her finger nails tried to pry one up one at a time. The sensation wasn't painful, but it was disconcerting as she tried to flex the muscles beneath to force the hand away. Behind her a far more dramatic touch was felt as a ripple of energy ran through the small space and the chains fell limp around her tail for barely enough time for her to recognize what was happening. They wrapped like a snake around her tail and then yanked it upwards into the air while she tensed her haunches up and lunged against the chains again. She could feel them biting against her scales and hide as she let out a low threatening growl.

"She must be a lady." Brody chortled to himself and she felt a hand pat the underside of her tail. "Easy there, dragon, the way the Wyvern was after you, you'll probably enjoy a bit of attention."

The last part of the sentence made her go hot and then cold with humiliation. Did they assume she was in heat and so desperate for attention she'd welcome their touch? There was nothing she could do to avoid it! Her embarrassment and outrage were washed away in a sudden eruption of pain from her neck as Reena let out a short cry and fell backwards. The pain came when a scale that was firmly joined to her body was ripped out of place tearing flesh and skin with it. It wouldn't have bothered her so much if it had happened while flying or hunting, the pain was negligible, but it was only thing she had to concentrate on at the moment. It throbbed slightly before the girl walked forward with the blacksmithing tool in her hand. A scale the size of a human's hand was gripped carefully in it.

"Be careful with that, Reena, they may not believe in those old tales, but I'd still be careful with handling things you've pulled off!" Brody's voice was concerned as the girl dropped the scale into a heavy glass car and pushed the cork home.

The men behind her were busy, she knew it, but she didn't realize with what until she heard the sudden clatter of metal running over metal. She tried to shift her head to look, but all she could see was her bound wings and legs to the side of her. Something cold pushed up against the underside of her tail before she shuddered. It felt almost round, but was metal and hard as it started to push up against the scales that lined her vent and wedged inwards. The outer lips were pushed along with them until she muffled a soft noise in her throat as it inched and wriggled its way in. One of the men was grunting slightly as she felt the pressure increase as he lunged forward and pushed against whatever it was that was trying to penetrate her body. She clenched her muscles down in an attempt to hold him at bay as her eyes swirled red with growing panic.

Reena didn't even give her a clue as to what was going on. Instead the girl clambered over the chains and then stepped onto the broad sweep of the dragoness' scaled neck for all the world as if she were just furniture. She tried to flex her wings and neck to tumble the girl off, but she held her ground as she moved to straddle the very base of the neck and brushed through the long furs of her mane. The sensation wasn't all together unpleasant, but when coupled with the sudden cold stab of pain it made her hiss out and spread her jaws as far as she could. The metal felt rough and pitted, much like the cannon balls had when they had been forced inside of her. They were smaller than that, but the rounded tips pinched the sensitive skin of her tunnel as there was another grunt and shove that sent a spike of pain through her. The rough metal left her silken passage achingly sore before she twitched her hind legs.

"Be careful back there!" Reena's voice called out just as something wet and cold splashed against her mane.

"We are, she's fighting it though. Never had a horse this difficult." Mihall's voice was rough as he gave another thrust and she felt the inches driving inwards. Her own body started to try and grow slicker in self defense even as she clenched around the odd thing that was going inwards.

"Well don't hurt yourselves trying, we can get someone else to help too if you need it." The girls voice had a note of concern. Not about the dragon, no she was worried about the men penetrating her with the gods knew what!

"Got it!" Brody's voice was jubilant as another fiery stab forced the thing inwards and she shuddered at the sensation of the foreign object being lodged inside of her. "Open it up!"

Mihall gave a strained sound before she felt something entirely knew and she let out a muted cry as the thing inside of her spread open. It was a spread bar of sorts. It pushed against her inner muscles and forced them to spread open as she curled her toes and the talons on her paws dug in against the stone in front of her leaving white marks behind. It was slow, torturously slow as the metal spread and two rounded edges at the top of each seemed to bite into her flesh and bruise it. Each inch they forced her open wider there was a click as whatever they had seemed to catch to hold her open rather than rely on their own strength to keep it spread. She tried to clench her walls, but the first time she did something stabbed against her inner passage until she shrieked out and was forced to relax again.

"That'll teach you, you damn big monster." Brody growled breathlessly before the spreaders clicked again and she was forced open lewdly wide. "Keep yer dagger ready in case we need it again."

They'd stabbed her? They'd stabbed her THERE with a dagger? Lashane felt the humiliation sharply enough that she felt as if she were going to be sick. Only the hunger that still gnawed in her stomach kept her from making a mess in the floor in front of her. It was humiliating and degrading that these people would do this to her, but she couldn't do anything else. The next time her body tried to squeeze herself closed in self defense she was already squealing before the dagger stabbed right at the apex of her passage and made her relax again. In the midst of that the pinch of a needle on her neck was lost to her, she only realized it had been done when the girl slid from her neck to land near a foreleg. The metal and glass syringe gleamed with ruby red blood while her other hand held a hands width of her mane where it had been trimmed.

Each clack of metal as the spread opened up wider was a new source of dread. She ached, but when it reached a point that she thought she couldn't take anymore she expected them to stop. She was wrong. They kept going until even shifting against the chains made her stomach turn in pain, her walls were drawn so tightly stretched that they threatened to tear if she breathed wrong. The girl in front of her didn't even seem to care or worry that they were violating her. Instead she was more concerned with sitting on one forepaw and forcing a toe backwards so that she could trim the claw on it. Had she been this callous to animals when she had been a young mage? Would she have done this to any creature?

Her stomach churned unhappily as she realized she would have, she probably had when she'd been given chores with beasts that had been created rather than born and needed explored. The mages were always inventing new things and animals, most of those died, but those that didn't and didn't prove immediately useful were often examined as thoroughly as this and then 'disposed' of. She knew from the Emperor that they wouldn't until it was a last resort, but the idea that anything thinking had suffered through this when she had been younger made her stomach clench down in despair. No living thing should be forced to live through this!

"Well it's not working, so what do you want to do?" She realized that they had stopped stretching her open. She could only imagine the sickening sight of her mound spread open would look like, she didn't want to know.

"A lady wouldn't just get eager because we were back here." Mihall's voice was mocking, "You need to seduce her."

"That's disgusting." Brody's voice was flat. "The hell if I'm doing it just for a sample."

"Then go after any residual semen, and I hope you enjoy being some mage on a street corner. I'll get the other fluid we need." Mihall's voice was scornful, but firm. Semen? Oh gods no...

She didn't have to worry about that part, she was treated first to what felt like the palm of a leathery hand pressing down against the tip of her folds and started to rub. At first it was annoying and degrading, but soon it turned into something worse. The palm of the hand found her clit and scrubbed over it before rubbing back and forth. She tensed up and snarled out her rage as she realized what 'sample' they must have wanted. While she had enjoyed the touches in the past from men, this was nothing like being seduced and stroked by eager fingers. Instead it was the feel of them brushing back and forth along her clit and forced her body to shudder. The sensitive bundle of nerves was swirled and pinched by what she realized must be leather gloves. She almost keened out her humiliation and shame at that moment. She was so much of a beast that they wouldn't even touch her without gloves.

Lashane's walls twitched against the metal as the fingers kept teasing her and at times it went from simply sensitive to almost pleasurable. It wasn't the pleasure she wanted, the pleasure just made her feel dirty. Even as she thought that something started to push inside of her. At first she thought it was another tool, but she realized that it shifted and moved wrong. It was obviously Brody's arm, but it too felt as if it was wrapped in something that wasn't clothing. They didn't want to sully themselves with the fluids of a mere animal, she realized. She rolled her eyes upwards slightly and then closed them to block out the sight of movement in an upper cut out window. They were watching their apprentices work, watching her being defiled. Her humiliation wasn't even private. It was nothing she could control or get away from.

Something cold and hard stabbed her deep inside of her stomach until she snarled out a warning sound. The hand on her clit only worked harder and faster. The mingling of pain and pleasure made her stomach tense up and her breathing start to grow faster through her partially spread muzzle. Even the sensations of the arm, as humiliating as it was, added to some sick arousal as it moved along her inner passage and brushed along her tunnel lightly. The stab was felt again as something thin and metal was forced up against her cervix and then slowly pierced its way inwards. Her walls cramped down until she let out a whimpering sound that sent her half writhing against the chains. The horror started to grow as she realized that she almost felt herself growing flushed with need from the forced masturbation.

"Got 'er...told you, you just have to treat a lady right." The voice was mocking and she squeezed her eyes shut as she felt something cold scrape against the inside of her passage. She knew that she was slick and wet, her passage glittering with need right in front of them. There was no hiding what they'd made her body do.

"Heh...you'll never guess what I got.." The other man's voice was smug as she felt a sudden tug against her cervix. She tried to twist as it pulled against that tight opening and then yanked again.

The dragoness opened her eyes to find Reena standing a bit away watching with an avid look in her eyes as the two behind her worked. The tug grew harder and she finally let out a shrill sound as her cervix pulled outwards and finally peeled open around something. It wasn't large, it was no where near as large as the cannon ball, but it ached. Her entire body was pulsing in time with her heart beat she realized. She hovered on that edge of pleasure that they had forced her into. A hand pushed against her haunch as the arm pulled out of her opened passage and there was a slight crow of victory coming from one of them. She didn't know, nor did she care which one it was. She wanted them to just go away and leave her alone. She wanted to be left to her sins in silence away from prying eyes and being treated like a beast.

"Get Urso, NOW." Brody yelled back at the girl. "We have an egg! There have to be more and if they're viable..." The words trailed off but the excitement was still there.

Reena shot off like a rabbit and slammed the door open. The dragoness rolled her eyes up slightly to try and peer at the window at the top of the stall as she digested that knowledge. An egg, would there be more? They wouldn't be Sithen's. Her stomach cramped down with fear. The Wyvern's. What use would they possibly have for eggs? What would Urso use them for? She knew with a sudden sinking certainty that the mage would have use for them. He wouldn't even be the first mage to come up with the idea of taking the eggs from a pregnant dragon to raise up tame. Urso was powerful, more powerful than she ever was as well. Her mind started to travel faster and forced away the lingering feel of need with fear. Would they truly leave her alone to carry the eggs to term? Or would she find herself enduring their theft more intimately.

:Gods above...please...please...: Lashane sent the prayer up with a desperation she hadn't experienced since she was a child.

:They aren't listening, Lashane...but I am.: The Voice answered in a satiny voice like the demons that legend told her of. :Why don't we come up with a deal to get you out of this?: What choice did she have?