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"I'm sorry," Motungo said after a pregnant moment, "I need to think for a moment."

He stood and walked out the tunnel and into the night. He sat at the ledge that looked over the mine below. In the distance he could still hear some of the miners carrying on and throwing their earnings into bottles and mugs.

First, breath. Motungo looked up at the edges of the peaks far behind the mine. The stars glittered down at him as he fought the growing sense of panic that festered in his chest. Mercy just told me that she loved me. What by all the gods does anyone do when a goddess tells you that she loves you? She really is trying to ruin my life. Do I say no? What could she do if I told her that she was the most repulsive thing in the world and that I can't return what she says she feels for me? She'd tear my head off I'm sure.

Motungo stretched his head to the heavens, "Oh gods," he moaned, "What do I do? Oh right, you don't like the Virtues and you'll do anything you want to ruin their day. Which means you're going to ruin mine too. I'm so dead."

"Motungo?"

The voice felt like a nightmare. The voice of his race's enemy with a touch of concern and compassion directed at him. He turned and found Mercy stepping back out of his den. She walked slowly to is side and sat next to him, far enough away he didn't feel the need to move.

"I think I can understand how you feel." Mercy looked out into he stars. Motungo noticed that she seemed to look through them as if they were only a wing span away, rather that higher than any dragon could hope to fly. The thought added to his feeling of panic. "Let me explain though, before you think about this too much.

"By the nature of what I am, I watch the Covenant. That also means I have been watching you, for most of your life in fact. There are others in your Covenant that I feel a sort of kinship with, but I've always had my eye on you." She grinned as she tore her eyes from the stars long enough to give him a lustful glance, "You are a set of wings I would love to fly with.

"Though," She turned back to the stars, "I know that right now all I can do is change your life. When I first met you, it was through Mixcoatl's influence. I had no choice in the matter, and I dreaded what I was about to do to you. Now though, I can act freely of my own will. Because I care about you, I want to make things right.

"Right now you feel repulsed by what I am. You hate what I have done. If you could you would extinguish me. I will give you a chance to be with the one you love and care about though. Because I know how much it hurts to pine for someone like that. Because I know I can never have the one that I want, I want him to have the one he wants."

"Alright," Motungo said, "how do you propose to do this?"

"I would take you to a friend of mine." She held up a wing to stop him from interrupting, "No, he is flesh and blood like you. A human in fact. One with some skills that few are very familiar with, and that can help you get to Cellista."

"What do I have to do for you? There will be some sort of snare won't there?"

"No, this wouldn't be an apology if there were negotiations and plots involved would there? No snares, no surprises, only me offering to undo some of what has been done through me."

"I'd like to think about this more," He looked her in the eyes, a momentous task of bravery for him, "If you don't mind. I don't get many beings like you coming and talking frankly with me, or offering apologies, or trying to interfere with my life."

"Yes, you're right. I can remember a time when I felt like you do now I suppose." Mercy's gaze seemed to draw inward, "That was a long time ago. Maybe I can come back tomorrow night? Then we can begin a journey together."

Motungo shivered. The idea of going anywhere, willingly, with this creature grated against his very nature. To see Cellista though, she had always been in his nature. He didn't know what to do for certain now.

"Mercy," Motungo caught Mercy's depthless gaze again, catching himself from turning away from the piecing eyes, "I'll wait for you tomorrow."

She laughed quietly and leaned slightly closer to him. "Motungo, I can't wait. I'll be here as the last rays of the sun vanish. Until then." Before he could raw away, she touched his shoulder with a wing. Her touch felt very nearly like a wisp, a tingling numbing sensation. She turned away from him and leaped into the air, impossibly fast and high. With a snap, her wings opened and without even a single flap, she sped off into the night.

"Oh gods what do I do?"

***

Thoradin wished he could have slept the entire day, but when the Covenant's council summoned him just after mid-day, Thoradin reluctantly accepted. The flight to the zigaurat that held the council took most of the morning, and his energy. Each wing beat burned as he flew closer to his destination. His shoulders, wings, and back were all bruised from the encounter with the Virtue the day before. He wished that Cellista knew some healing magic, but that skill was a rare one even to dragons.

The council zigaurat sat at one end of a large rectangular grass clearing. It was carefully maintained, only grass was allowed to grow in the space since it was used for several small gatherings, religious ceremonies, and just for things in general. Thoradin used to remember who kept the grounds, but the knowledge had slipped his mind over the past couple years. Around the clearing were the largest zigaurats. Four of them were used as storehouses. Of the last two, the smaller held the Covenant's council, and the larger was the depository.

The clearing seemed pretty busy today, at least busier than he remembered as being normal. At one end there was a large gathering of dragons, and Thoradin guessed it might be some sort of trading event. It might even be a class, though usually the classes and tutoring were held at the edges of the Covenant. At the other end, a much smaller group of dragons seemed to be standing around talking. This suited Thoradin, since the smaller group was near the council zigaurat, where he intended to land.

"Thoradin," He heard Cellista call out to him as he landed, "how are you feeling? Are you going to be able to handle this?"

"I'll be fine. I just feel sore all over." He folded his wings slowly, each motion seemed to twang with pain. "After we're done here I think I'll give a wisp or two to have someone lift the soreness out of me."

Another dragon, easily Thoradin's size maybe larger and definitely much stronger turned away from the small group Cellista had been a part of and walked towards them. His bright red scales and thick yellow face plate shone brightly in the sun. Thoradin guessed the dragon had to be one of the Covenant border hunters.

"So this is Thoradin, Cellista?" The dragon's voice was deep. Despite the friendly tone, Thoradin could tell this voice could be a strong leader's voice as well.

"Yes Father, this is Thoradin. Thoradin, I don't think you've met my father, this is Vardelan, leader of the border hunters."

Thoradin bowed his head in a respectful greeting, "Hello sir, Cellista has told me a lot about you."

"I think I've heard just as much about you." He returned the bow, "Cellista told me about yesterday, I can't tell you how grateful I am for you. If you hadn't have been there I wouldn't have a daughter right now."

"I only did what came naturally."

Cellista pushed his shoulder, which made him wince, "Oh you don't have to be so modest. He really caught a boulder with his face for me, then got himself buried in the process."

"Well, I suppose I did. I still did what I thought-"

"You thought only of me, I know." Cellista nuzzled his cheek quickly as she turned to stand next to him. "Because of yesterday, Father was telling me that the hunters and the prismers have been working on some sort of new device that may be used to protect the land more from the boneweavers."

"What is it?" Thoradin asked.

"Well," Vardelan said, "the best way I can describe it, is that we're building a new kind of border tower. This one we keep in the lands and use when a boneweaver is close. It would act like a sort of trap. We still don't have one we think will work, but now that we've had a Virtue sighting, I think we'll find a way to make it work, and soon.

"Anyway, I think the council should be just about ready to hear you two now. So let's get you both in there. There are a lot of curious dragons that want to hear every little detail of what happened. Then after that maybe the three of us could stop at a feast house and talk a bit."

"Alright." Thoradin nodded. Today would be just as terrible as yesterday. First a meeting with the council, and then a meeting with Cellista's father. He'd hoped to be a little better prepared for meeting either of them than he felt. Now there was no avoiding it.