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He had been told to pledge his life to Her Magnificence. The Serpant Queen Misra of Syssas had few enemies, but dissident groups did grow emboldened from time to time, did try to infiltrate the Temple. Isiat had proven himself as a pup on one such occasion. They had come through the gates as if they owned the place. They ascended every tier of the pyramidal city like aristocracy and entered the temple without a fuss.

The guards inside barely repelled the would-be assassins and they fled. Back through the streets. Three of them made it to the merchant quarter and disappeared into the hustle and bustle of the afternoon rush. When the guards finally found them, the dissidents were laying in an alley, their throats slit and their pockets emptied. The vigilante who killed them was never found.

It was not hard for the young vulpine to disappear.

The following morning, Isiat woke up in a dark cellar. He had no idea how he'd gotten there. Most frightening of all were the golden eyes staring at him through the darkness.

She called herself The Guild. She never gave him her name, always spoke in the third person. The Guild gave him a task and when he completed it, The Guild gave him another. They grew progressively harder. Sneak here, steal that.

And then The Guild told him to kill a man. He had little trouble. The Guild was surprised and the woman that spoke for them was impressed. Members of The Guild take lifetimes to learn how to be as quick, as quiet, and as precise as he was with his dirks.

Then The Guild gave him the hardest task yet. They placed him as one of Misra's closest bodyguards. He was sure they promptly forgot about him after that. He had been there ever since. He never saw the long eared, fluffy tailed woman ever again, never even heard the word 'guild' mentioned. But he had been given a task, to serve Her Magnificence in every way she required, to protect her with his very life. And so he did.

It had been complicated in recent years, though. He had fallen for one of Her Magnificence's many young dancers. She kept only the sleekest, most nimble in the Temple to dance for her, to sing for her, anything she desired. One such was a lithe young feline. She looked just like the woman who gave him his missions: long pointed ears, unnecessarily lengthy tail with so much fluff. Her eyes truly stood out. She had one green and one brown. They weren't the glowing gold gems that pierced his soul every time he awoke in the cellar. She might look similar to his mentor, but she was far more beautiful and far less threatening.

They never spoke when in the main audience chamber. To speak to Her Magnificence's dancers was death. For a dancer to show any kind of interest or attention to any but Her Magnificence was death. But he got to see her every day. After a while, he learned her name was Shadi. She was one dancer Isiat could never take his eyes off of. Misra knew that, he was sure. She always brought Shadi into the audience chamber when he was posted on duty there. He liked to see it as his reward for serving her.

Then there were times like tonight. He had followed at Her Magnificence's side as she slithered through the stone halls. He glanced along her scaled form, watching as the torchlight danced across her black and green scales. He looked toward her tail only just coming around the far corner as they turned and entered her bedchamber. Nothing lurked in the dark and only a fool would attack her so far back along her body. It was a quiet night.

Except that Shadi walked obediently at Misra's side, silently listening to their queen whisper dark promises. Normally she was unattended, but whenever Her Magnificence chose Shadi to take to bed, she insisted that Isiat stand guard. She was a cruel as she was possessive.

There were no sounds coming from behind the door. There never were. That was far harder than any moan, or any scream could have been. He bore the silence as a far greater burden. At least if he heard a moan, or a yelp, it would have been clear what was happening within the bedchamber. Now, the silence spun the wheel of creativity in his head and he imagined all manner of debauchery.

Each time the faintest whisper echoed throughout the stone corridors, his multiple tails twitched and his ears perked. A servant or a guard, even a lowly mouse looking for a bit of cheese. It was never from within the room, but there was always a hope. Anything would be better than not knowing.

It was nearly morning when the door opened and Isiat squared his shoulders. The dry hiss of scales sliding along the stone floor filled his sensitive ears, as did the gentle footfalls of the felinesque dancer's tender step.

Misra slithered her torso into the hall and considered him for several moments. He stared ahead at the wall, as unmoving as the statues that decorated the temple. He didn't need to see her to hear the wicked grin on her thin lips.

"Take my pet to the bathsss, Isssiat," she said as she doubled back on herself to return to her chamber. "And sssee to it ssshe getsss sssome ressst. Ssshe won't be able to danccce ssstraight for a few daysss."

She didn't see him grimace as the door closed. Slowly he turned his eyes on the lithe dancer. Her fur was disheveled and matted, her eyes downcast. He wished he could wash the shame away as easily as the grime.

Silently he turned and began to lead her away from Her Magnificence's chamber. He spoke not a word as they walked. To speak to Her Magnificence's dancers was death. For both of them. And yet as they entered the steamy, empty bath chamber, Isiat turned and offered a sad smile to the beautiful young woman. His tails began to sway gentle from side to side and a hand lifted to her cheek.

"It is an honor that Her Magnificence has taken such a liking to you and chosen to take you into her bed," he said stiffly. Truly it was considered so, but he knew neither of them felt that way.

She lifted her dichromic eyes mournfully into his own. She shook her head almost imperceptibly and stepped past him to wade into the large pool of clear water. "You do not understand the extent of how she honored me this time, Isiat." Her voice was naught but a whisper.

His brow met and he stared after her for several moments. Finally he strode into the water and drew her against himself. His hands glided over her form, gently rubbing the filth from her sand colored coat. "It was not enjoyable?" He flinched visibly. What kind of question is that? No matter how much of an honor it is considered to be, rape by a god-queen is still rape.

"It was. At first."

The words caught him off guard and stung him deeper than he had thought it would. They rarely talked. Only small words here or there. But there was no one he felt closer to in this world. Not even his mentor, the woman who called herself The Guild. The jealousy that sprang up at the idea she had enjoyed laying with another was altogether unexpected.

"At first?" he asked in a small voice.

"She started gently. Touching me. Pleasing me." Shadi sighed lightly and her pointed ears drooped. "She is magnificent indeed, Isiat. She has a hemipene And she uses it in ways you cannot even begin to imagine. For hours." Her dichromic eyes lifted to his again and she rested a hand on his chest over his beating heart. "She knows about us. About how we feel for one another."

Ice filled his veins. His heart skipped a beat and the world drained of its color. This was never a good thing, when it became known that two of the Temple's inhabitants were fraternizing. It never ended well for anyone involved.

"She asked me if we spoke. I told her the truth, that we only speak when you are directing me," Shadi continued. "She asked if we touched. I told her all contact was accidental. She asked if I wanted you to..." She averted her eyes. "I wasn't thinking. I was too lost in lust. I told her yes."

The ice began to melt and the blood rushed through his veins as elation (and then panic) cascaded throughout his body. She wanted him. In the worst way! And he wanted to give her what she wanted in the worst way. And there they stood, holding one another in the steaming bath water.

"What did she say?" he asked hesitantly.

"It isn't what she said, Isiat," Shadi responded, her eyes tearing even as she took one of his hands and guided it to the faintest bulge in her usually taut belly. "Did you know she lays eggs? She had been laying the entire night. All of them will bear no life. All but one. She took one and put it into me before she took me again." Her eyes slowly lifted. "Before she let me out, she told me..." Her voice wavered and she averted her eyes again.

Lifting a finger gently to her chin, Isiat lifted her eyes back to his own pleading hues and asked "She told you what?"

"She said 'Let's see how much he loves you when your belly begins to swell with offspring not his own.' Then she took me out into the hall."

His brow furrowed and he slowly drew her against himself.

She wept against his chest for several minutes and curled her fingers in his fur.

His tails stirred a frothy torrent behind them and his blood began to flow with a fiery rage. He knew Her Magnificence was taking Shadi to bed, but to defile her in this way to spite him? He wanted to plunge his dagger into her serpentine heart. He wanted to hold it out for her to see while it thrummed its last beat. But he couldn't. It was forbidden to take an unsanctioned target.

When he looked down to Shadi again, she was staring up to him with pleading dichromic eyes.

"What are we going to do, Isiat?" she asked in a small voice.

"There's not a damn thing we can do," he said. "She controls everything in Syssath. She has eyes everywhere. If we leave, she'll hunt us down and make an example of us. If we stay-..."

"We'll live a life of torment for her amusement," she finished.

"If it means keeping you safe," he said after a moment, "then I will bear anything she does to drive a wedge between us, and the child..." He shrugged his shoulders and returned his hand to the lump of her belly. "I will help you raise it in any way that I can as though it were my own."

She gave a happy sob and threw her arms around his shoulders. Her muzzle pressed to his own for the first time and his body lit with a warmth the likes of which he had never imagined. His arms wrapped more tightly about her form and he melted into the kiss.

One after the other, Shadi wrapped her legs around his waist and gave herself completely to him.

******

After they had dried off, Isiat led Shadi back to the dancer's chambers; a large room that resembled a harem lounge more than anything. He urged her to rest and left to return to his post. With each step back toward Her Magnificence's chamber, he could only imagine what tortures lay in store for him when he arrived. What would she do to him now that the truth of his relationship with Shadi had become known?

His thoughts were interrupted by the long tailed woman who strode at his side. When did she get here? The Guild, as she referred to herself, considered him with hard gold hues. "Visitors have come to the city."

He quirked a brow at that and considered her curiously. Visitors were nothing new. People came from all over Syssath to pay their respects to the god-queen, or ask for her blessings.

"Visitors from The North," she finished.

Isiat nearly tripped and his eyes widened. "From The North!? Beyond the Relward!?" he asked, then shook his head as if to clear away the nightmare this morning was clearly turning out to be.

The woman nodded, glancing to him. "Indeed. The reason they have come is reason enough to indoctrinate your little lover back there." She levelled her hard gold eyes on him. "Their visit will not end well. When it does end, fetch your mate and leave through the kitchen exit." She held up a finger. "Do. Not. Be. Seen."

"You want to bring Shadi into The Guild!?" he asked in shock. And how does she know we mated? On the other hand, she always seemed to know everything about him.

"Do not interrupt!" she snapped. "Take her through the garden's drainage and into the second tier. Go to the house at the corner of the tier nearest the drainage, the one nestled against the third tier's wall. Go into the cellar and into the passage behind the bolts of silk. Follow the passages down to the wharf. A boat will be waiting for you called The North Wind. Board it and disembark when next she makes port."

Isiat rolled his eyes and glanced around to make sure nobody had overheard. Of course nobody had. She only came to him when they were truly alone. "And just where might-..." When he looked back, she was gone.

He stopped in his tracks and glanced about. She was nowhere to be seen. I hate it when she does that. A moment later, a large, fat alligator rounded the corner and pointed at him.

"Isiat! Visitors have sought an audience with Her Magnificence. You are to stand guard beside her dais throughout the proceeding." The alligator didn't stop to make sure he complied. He spun on his heels and left the vulpine alone once again.

*****

After Isiat had taken his place beside the dais where Misra languished, he made every effort to ignore her winks and suggestive gestures. The hardest to disregard were when she rubbed the smooth scales of her taut belly and hissed mockingly in his direction.

Soon enough, a sufficient distraction was led into the main audience chamber. Twin iguanas led a quartet of the most disgusting creatures Isiat had ever seen before the dais. His fur bristled at the sight of the four northerners genuflecting on the jade aisle before the dais.

The creature in the front of the four was a furless, skinny thing with blue hair atop his head and long pointed ears. He was adorned in blue fabric that shimmered in the torchlight as though it were a fluid-like metal. In fact, all of their clothes shone in the exact same fashion.

Beside the blue thing was a female dressed in white (he knew she was female for the modest breast he saw concealed beneath the white fabric) with pristine white wings. At least she had a little more syssan to her instead of completely furless and lacking in all normal features!

Behind the blue one was another odd male creature with only a little more fur. Adorned in purple, the second male was rather wrinkled and frail. His head was covered in long white hair, as was much of the lower half of his face. What odd creatures.

The only one with a tail was the one beside the old thing and behind the winged one! This one was dressed all in red. The hair atop his head was as red as his clothing, and the scales adorning his tail and his wings...

Oh my, Isiat thought.I have never seen any creature with wings like that except the pictures in-...

Then the young red thing looked up with brilliant blue eyes and Isiat smirked. None too clever, is he? Her Magnificence will captivate him with ease.

"Queen Misra," one of the iguanas (who was smart enough not to look her in the eye) said shakily, "these northerners have come to-..."

"I know why they have come," the snake queen said. "I have dreamt they would come. Leave usss."

The iguanas turned and left, hastily shuffling out of the temple and back to their posts. The servants fanning Misra kept fanning, Her Magnificence kept staring into the boy's eyes and he kept staring back. Isiat smirked lightly and imperceptibly shook his head. Such fools, northerners. It's no wonder they're afraid to come south of the Relward.

"The Goddesssss hasss given me visssionsss of your coming. You are here to ssspeak of atrosssitiesss committed by an emperor beyond the Relward." The queen's hand slithered through the air in much the same way her entire body moved as she slithered through the halls. "I have ssseen what is to come. War. Death. Sssuffering. But it will not reach Syssath." She paused, her eyes never blinking or averting from their target.

The male thing dressed in blue shook his head and without being prompted began to speak. "It will surely come to your land if Darius-..."

"I have not ssseen thisss!" she hissed, turning an angry glare on the blue thing. Only then was the red one able to avert his gaze.

In the next moment, the idiot lifted his eyes back to Misra's and she recaptured his attention with practiced ease. She inclined her head toward him and quirked a browridge curiously.

"Only you may ssspeak. I would hear your voiccce. I would hear with my waking earsss. They did not ssspeak in my visssionsss." She waved dismissively at his companions.

The red thing lifted a hand and rubbed at his chest. Isiat's brow creased as he saw surprise and relief flash over the boy's expression in a brief instant. Indeed, there seemed to be the outline of something concealed in the boy's tunic and to Isiat's shock, each of them still possessed their weapons! He wanted to question Her Magnificence about it, but knew better. Perhaps she truly did see them in a vision. Regardless, his muscles rippled beneath his fur as he readied to leap to the Snake Queen's defense.

He was tempted to let them slip past and kill her in such an event, but he had taken an oath. Not to Her Magnificence, but to the Guild. They had tasked him with Her defense and he was bound to comply.

"Tell me what it isss you are here to sssay!" she hissed impatiently.

"B-but you already know what I'm going to say, don't you?" the boy asked shakily.

"I like to hear what I have ssseen. It confirmsss what the Goddessss hasss gifted me."

The young red northerner glanced nervously at his companions and Isiat thought the boy would be smart enough not to look up again for sure. He was mistaken.

"What did I begin with in your dream?"

"You ssstarted at the beginning," Misra hissed flatly.

The boy gulped and nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving her own. "I had been given a book, a history of Aslennor by my aunt, as I am every year. She wants me to read it because-..."

"Thisss isss not important to the ssstory!" Misra snapped.

The young thing flinched back and nodded. "We were celebrating the solstice when soldiers from Ken-qi came and began passing out armbands. They said it was for our protection as nonhumans, but we never needed protection before. After that, Merolmas-" he indicated the blue thing, "-showed up and refused to take one of the armbands. The soldiers attacked him and he chased them off.

"After that, he left to tell the Doujin what had happened. The next morning, Knights came into the town to Merolmas and my aunt for attacking the soldiers. My aunt stood up to them and..." His voice trailed off and Isiat saw more pain play out over the boy's bland features than he had ever seen in his life. "They killed her and Manawyhn and I fled to the Doujin. They sent us back home, but the knights had already moved the humans into one section of the town and the nonhumans into the other.

"They tried to arrest the four of us, but we fled. When we got back to the Doujin to relay what happened, a massive fleet attacked the tower and... killed all of the Wardens. They were using weapons on their ships no one has ever seen before. They spew thunder and fire, flinging boulders that tore through the tower like stacks of hay.

"We fled with a band of pirates to Syssas because we knew they wouldn't follow. We were wrong. One clipper chased us and attacked us. We were winning, but they scuttled their own ship. I think they expected to take us down with it, but we managed to escape. Then your patrol found us and arrested the crew and brought us here. After they burned the Sapphire."

Finally the boy finished his story and was silent again. Isiat quirked his brow inquisitively at the northerners and tilted his head. Quite the story.

Finally the queen spoke. "And you want what from me? Thisss hasss been happening for an eternity. Your northern peoplesss fight over the time of day. Thisss will passs, asss it has every time before."

The boy seemed genuinely surprised by her words. "It isn't like before!" he protested. As he spread his arms to either side, his wings mirrored the movements. "Humanity is united against the rest of the world! They attacked a neutral party and-..."

Her Magnificence shook her head slowly. "And you think they will dare to sssail ships passst the Relward? Our fleet is vassst and our watersss deep." She waved her hand dismissively and leaned back, draping her torso over her serpentine body lazily.

The boy gave a start. "But their new weapons will leave your fleet in ruin." He stood up and immediately regretted it.

The music staggered to a halt and the dancers stopped, staring in fear. Misra lifted her torso, towering over him as her body coiled and twisted about itself. She was a viper sizing up her next meal. "Your piratesss were victoriousss in a battle. My warshipssss will meet with more sssuccesss than your Wardensss," she said coldly as she began to slither from her dais. The dry hiss of her scales against the stone chilled Isiat to the bone.

She finally lowered her torso to his level so her shoulders were even with his own. She stopped only when her breast brushed against the front of his tunic and her breath washed over him like the kiss of death. Her forked tongue lanced out, dancing over his red hair and wings each in turn.

"You are young, but I tassste the power that dwellsss within you," she hissed softly. Her eyes flashed gleefully, relishing the discomfort she forced on him. Even Isiat had to admit it was most amusing to watch the young northerner squirm.

"Sssurely there are more like you beyond the Relward. Sssurely your 'evil empire' cannot consssume the people of the world. He will be ssstopped without Ssyssan asssissstanccce."

She turned her head to the other three northerners who shrank away from her like mice beneath her hungry gaze. "Their racccesss have outlasssted the asssaultsss of men countlesss timesss. Thisss will be no different."

"This time," he protested, "men are united against all races. When they're finished with the north, they will come for you. You can help us prevent that. You can help us keep the non-humans safe." The quivering in his voice betrayed his fear.

Isiat smirked again, sure that if anything but his mouth moved, Misra would swallow him whole. He almost hoped she would.

"Then we will be ready for them." She smiled at the red northerner, a gesture that frightened him even more than her coiled body had. "If it isss sssafety you ssseek," she said, caressing his cheek with the back of her hand, "You are welcome to ssstay and danccce for me, here." She quirked a brow ridge and tilted her head to look him over. "Perhapsss in time you could become sssomething more..."

"N-no," he whimpered. "I m-mean you no disrespect, Y-your Magnificence..." He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "I cannot abandon the north to Darius."

She clicked her tongue and pressed herself against him. Her hands danced over his body and he whimpered once again in discomfort. "If you change your mind, you will remember my invitation." She leaned over and whispered to the guard standing on the opposite of the dais as Isiat. The jaguar turned and rushed out of the hall without another word.

"I will give you passsage back around the Relward. You may help your people." As the serpent queen laid herself lazily against the cushions, she gave the red one another smile, her lustful eyes looking him over once more. "I hope you will reconsssider my invitation. The eggsss we could make..."

Somehow, Isiat knew that last bit was spoken specifically for him. His fur bristled and his muscles tightened. He wanted to lash out, wanted to challenge the queen. With his speed and finesse, he could dispatch her with relative ease, but he was sure he wouldn't make it halfway across the audience chamber before he was turned into an oversized pin cushion.

As the four northerners stood and left the audience chamber, the red one looked back. Misra waved at him and then let her hand dance suggestively over her supple curves, making the young northerner blush.

When they were gone, Misra leaned over to Isiat and hissed "Leave me in peaccce."

He bowed slowly and turned on his heel to walk back the way he had come.

Now he needed to find Shadi.

*****

He rounded the corner toward the dancer's chambers and his heart leapt into his throat. There stood two of the guards tasked specifically to guard the dancers. Of course, why wouldn't they be? They were mutes, he knew. Guards whose tongues had been cut out so they couldn't speak to the dancers. They had other things cut off of their person to ensure the dancer's safety too, but Isiat didn't want to think about that.

He squared his shoulders and puffed his chest out as he approached them. Two parrots. They had quite the physiques; they had to in order to protect the beautiful dancers. A knife in the right one's neck. Slam him into his twin and break that one's neck. It would be no problem if they denied him.

"Her Magnificence wants Shadi to come and dance for her in the main audience chamber," he said as he came to a stop between the brightly colored guards.

They exchanged a glance and one of them turned, venturing into the cushion filled chamber to fetch the dancer in question. Isiat stood firm and still, waiting for the parrot to return with the woman who had stolen his heart. And his safety, but he wasn't about to hold that against her.

When the parrot returned with Shadi in tow, the feline dancer gave a surprised gasp. He could see her stop herself mid-stride from jumping onto him. Instead, she stopped just before him and offered a small smile.

"Her Magnificence demands your presence," he said stiffly and turned on his heel to start walking back the way he had come with her at his side.

As they rounded the corner, Shadi leaned in close and whispered "She said I could rest for a few days! Why is she being so cruel!?"

Isiat turned to her and gripped her shoulders firmly. "My mentor has arranged for us to escape Syssas aboard a ship-..."

"Your mentor?" she interrupted.

"There is a lot you don't know about me, but you have to trust me!"

"I do trust you, Isiat."

He offered a small smile and gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze. "Good. Follow my lead and do as I do. We'll be out of this soon enough." He straightened his shoulders again and turned to walk down the hall at the same even pace he had been trained to maintain as a guard of the Temple.

They passed many guards and servants, but none paid them any mind. Not even when they came to the kitchens. The cooks were busy as always, preparing a feast for their rather large bodied sovereign. They ignored Isiat and Shadi as they came to the doorway to the warm outside air.

Between the Temple and the wall separating it from the rest of the city there were rows and rows of obelisks. Between every other row of spires was little patches of grass and flowers and exotic trees, each of them from different parts of Syssath. Between each garden row was a bare sandstone paveway one could traverse to admire the greenery. And directly across one of the paveways was shallow arch of the garden drainage culvert.

Isiat turned to ensure no one was watching them then leaned down to whisper into one of Shadi's large ears. "Run as fast as you can to the garden's drainage. We'll going under the wall then to a house at the corner against the third tier's wall. Inside the house's cellar there's a secret passage we'll take down to the docks." He leaned down to kiss her quickly then stared into her eyes. She practically trembled with what he assumed was fear. "Are you ready?"

She had been staring across the courtyard at the drain in question all the while. When he queried her, she blinked at him and hummed inquisitively. "Hm? To do what?"

"Go," he answered simply.

Shadi bolted, sprinting as fast as she could toward the drain.

Isiat yipped a little in surprise then bolted after her. The heat from the golden sandstone beating up at him was as intense as the hot son beating down. Normally they wet the paveway to cool it off for the Snake Queen, but Misra had not planned to visit her gardens that day.

As they came into the shade of the drainage culvert, he hissed "I didn't mean go right that second!"

"I'm sorry!" she whispered in return. "You said go, so I went!"

He rolled his eyes and pushed past her. "I said do as I do, Shadi! Not do before I do!"

As they emerged on the other side of the thick sandstone wall, Isiat peered down either direction of the street that ran along the wall, separated only by the slim gutter that ran the entire length of the wall.

As he looked toward the gate, his heart leapt into his throat again. The four northerners stood huddled against one another in a defensive posture while dozens of guards rushed at them. Knives flew from the shadows around them, killing each of the guards who tried to attack.

He caught fleeting glimpses of his mentor dancing among the shadows, flinging knives quickly.

"Now's our chance!" Isiat said and bolted down an alleyway that conveniently led straight to the house his mentor indicated. The Guild seemed to have all these things planned out in advance, didn't they? _The ancient architects of the city must have been members of The Guild when they were designing the city._He skidded to a halt at the stone pyramid-like home's back entrance and yanked the door open. Thankful it was unlocked, he urged Shadi through.

All of her fur stood on end, making her look very much larger and fluffier than he knew her to be. Any other time, he would have found the fluffy-kitty appearance of the frightened dancer humorous. "Inside, quick!"

He ignored the lavish furnishings of the house as the two of them rushed into the cellar. Just as was promised, a large wrack of bolts of silk cloth sat against the back wall. It slid open with little effort to reveal a dark passage beyond.

When he pulled the secret door closed and they were plunged in darkness, only then did the world begin to slow down. His heartbeat calmed and his nerves began to relax. I'm never this anxious on an assignment! he thought, then looked to the silhouette of his secret lover and mate. I've never had to worry about the safety of anyone else before, much less someone I care about.

"Now what?" Shadi asked.

"Shh," he hissed. "We don't know how well sound carries down here." He gently took her hand and began to lead her along. As his eyes adjusted, it became easier to see the walls and floor they walked on. It was all smoothly carved, unravished by the elements or the passing of time. How ancient are these passageways?

They strode in silence for a long while, always travelling downhill toward the docks at the water-side base of the pyramid city. Eventually they came upon a dead end and Shadi started to whine.

Before she could complain out loud, though, he rested his hand on the stone wall and gave it a firm push. It swung outward and they found themselves bathed in hot sunlight once again.

When they stepped out onto the docks, many people stood staring at them perplexedly. Isiat just smiled at them like nothing was out of the ordinary and pushed the stone closed. It shut with ease, flush with the slanted wall and disappeared without so much as a seam. He smiled in pleasant surprise at that then turned to consider all of the ships in the port and their oddly shaped sails.

As luck would have it, the nearest ship was already preparing to head out to sea and on her stern read The North Wind.

"Come on, hurry!" He bolted and ran along the stone pier, tugging Shadi along behind him. He didn't hear her loud protests at being yanked along. All that mattered was getting to the ship before it left the port.

It was already in motion when they reached the lowest point of the upper deck. "Wait!" Isiat called out to the crew.

A large eagle ran down from the helm to the railing near where they ran to keep up. He held out a feathered hand and yelled back "Hurry Isiat, take my hand!"

"Shadi first!" he answered, not caring in that moment how the captain knew his name. He turned to look over his shoulder at his nimble lover and yelled "Jump!"

She yowled and leapt with impressive ease up onto the railing. Stumbling as she landed, she toppled over the railing and onto the ship. Suddenly Isiat wished he had some cat in him. There was no way he could mimic that jump.

Just as the ship reached the end of the dock, he leapt with all his might and landed just above the waterline. He yelped and scrambled up the side of the ship, using the portholes and barnacles and anything else he could find to haul himself out and take the eagle's hand.

When the captain grabbed him and hauled him up on deck, the big eagle laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Well done, lad! We were starting to think you wouldn't make it!"

Isiat straightened up and brushed his gray fur off. It was only then that he noticed that several members of the crew were not Syssans at all, but more creatures like the four who he had seen in the Temple earlier. The all looked like Syssans at a glance, but closer inspection reveals the illusion shrouding them in translucent fur or feathers.

The eagle followed his gaze and smirked. "Don't mind them, lad. We're all part of The Guild, here."

Isiat gave a start and Shadi queried "Who?"

He looked to his lover and gave a nervous smile. "It's all part of the things about me you don't know." He pulled her gently against himself and wrapped her in a warm embrace. "I'll explain everything."

Shadi relaxed against him and he breathed a relieved sigh. "Where are we going?" he asked the eagle.

The avian's visage shimmered in the air for a moment then melted away, revealing a large male that looked remarkably like the blue pointy-eared creature from before. This one had dark chocolate colored skin and black hair and his cloth adornments looked more like rough spun wool.

"We're heading north of the Relward. In a roundabout sort of way. We'll head south then loop up and around the fleet so we don't arouse suspicion."

Isiat and Shadi exchanged a shocked glance and the dark skinned male gave a hearty laugh. "Don't worry, Mentor says you'll be safe where we're going." He turned away from them and made his way back to the helm. "Unfurl mains! Prep the gallants and royals!"

Isiat looked down into Shadi's eyes and gave a nervous smile. "She can't hurt us anymore."

Shadi gave him a gentle kiss and curled her fingers in his dark fur. "What is this 'guild' he mentioned?"

Giving a small smile, he turned and led her toward a shaded part of the deck. "Well, it's a long story. I don't know where to begin."

She leaned against him and began to purr loudly. "From the beginning."