Chapter 39: ... And the Devil You Don’t

I now have an editor, so you all shouldn’t need to put up with my typos and poor/dyslexic editing skills anymore. :)

“No way.” Ethan shook his head as he considered the possibility that his redheaded wife was the direct daughter of a dragon, making Lord Delmar that dragon. “No, no there’s not a chance in hell.”

“Why?” Beth asked.

“Because he would’ve had to use a disguise gem for ... for forever.” He replied. “Anyone who wants to can see through mine. And even if he had a better one, someone would’ve seen through it by now.”

“What about Elder Goman though?” Kendra countered. “Right before he sent me back with the weapons, we talked about his disguise-- well, it’s not a gem; it’s a piece of dragon steel. A large piece.”

“How big?” Alana asked.

“About like this.” Kendra indicated a three inch circle with her hands. “And maybe half an inch thick.”

The wood elf whistled. “That’s enough dragon steel to take a major enchantment.”

The dragon huntress nodded. “And he said that no one had seen through his disguise so far, and he socializes with some of the most powerful magic-users of our age.”

Ethan looked at Rachel, who looked frozen.

He stepped over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

She looked at him with wide eyes and worked her mouth for several seconds before she finally got a single word out. “Speed.”

“What about it?” He asked.

She worked her jaw soundlessly for several seconds until Alana came up and took her hand.

“Hey, it’s okay. We’re all here for you.”

The redhead nodded, then took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Speed. The day I first heard of you two--” She indicated Ethan and Alana. “--he was so fast.”

“Who was?” Ethan asked.

“My father.” She nearly whispered. “He encircled me in a ring of fire and I air-rammed my way out. But before I could take a step he’d already...” She covered her mouth. “He was already in front of me. He moved faster than the air-ram; faster than anything I’ve ever seen except...”

“Except...?” Ethan prompted, but he was pretty sure he knew what she was going to say.

He was right.

“Except Kyrupto.” Rachel finished. “My father moved as fast as a...” She shook her head. “I always wondered how he did it, but I never thought that ... how could he...?” She looked at her husband, eyes wide and looking like a lost, scared little girl. “Help.”

He pulled her into a hug, though he made sure the redhead could still hold Alana’s hand as he did so.

She did.

He could actually see the wood elf’s hand turning slightly white from the pressure and a slight grimace of pain on the brunette’s face, but Alana made no effort to extricate her hand. On the contrary, she introduced her other hand to hold her best friend’s hand more closely.

“The black dragon.” Kendra breathed.

“What?” Ethan looked at her.

“The black dragon.” The dragon huntress repeated. “Dragons don’t usually work together. A Drago might force a weaker dragon to work for him, but dragons of similar power levels don’t usually work together for long. Well, not closely anyway; they just don’t. The black dragon has been working closely with Lord Delmar for years. If Lord Delmar is a dragon, and dragons don’t work together long term, then logically...”

She let that hang in the air.

“Holy shit.” Ethan breathed, still holding the woman who he now realized was almost certainly the black dragon’s daughter. “Holy fucking shit.”

For almost a whole minute, he held Rachel while everyone else just stared wordlessly at each other.

No one moved.

No one spoke.

No one even closed their mouths, which were universally all hanging open.

“I ... I don’t ... wow.” Ethan finally managed to get out, but he wasn’t sure how to finish the sentence. He looked down at the mass of red hair that slowly faded to blonde at the tips.

Wow.

That was just...

Wow.

“Hey beautiful.” He whispered into her ear once he’d collected himself. “How you holdin’ up?”

She lifted her head to look into his eyes. She had such big, beautiful, blue eyes. They were absolutely captivating, and right now looked like a deer in the headlights mixed with a sad, lost, and frightened little puppy.

“Hey, how’s my wise redhead?” He asked again, reaching up and cupping her face in his hands. “How’s she doing?”

“She’s ... uh, she’s ... um...” Rachel blinked several times.

“In shock?” He offered.

She nodded, her lip quivering slightly. He leaned in and planted a tender kiss on her forehead.

“Hey, I’ve got you.” He said softly as he drew her into a hug again. He caught Alana’s eye, and tilted his head to indicate that she should come closer. The wood elf did, and made Rachel the center of a ‘hug sandwich’. The redhead seemed to let out a sigh of relief at his first wife’s closeness. He didn’t say anything about the revelation because he didn’t know what to say.

He just held her.

He held her close, gently stroked her hair, and let everything he felt for her leak across their bond so she could feel it.

After several seconds, she spoke. “I’m the daughter of your mortal enemy.”

“And I love you very much.” He replied.

“I’m the daughter of a dragon.” She whispered.

“Yes you are, the baby in Alana’s womb is too, and Alana herself if you go back far enough.” He said softly. “And I still love you all very much.”

She pulled back slightly to look at him, searching his eyes. After several seconds, she spoke. “None of this changes how you feel about me, does it?”

“No.” He said gently, but firmly. “Not one bit. And even if it did -- which it doesn’t -- it still wouldn’t change the fact that I married you. That means I stick around in good times and bad; for better or worse. I would be here for you even if it did change the way I felt about you, which again it doesn’t.”

She gave him a half smile. “It changes how I feel about myself though.”

“Oh?”

“I ... I don’t...” Her breath hitched and she swallowed hard before continuing. “I don’t have the words to explain right now.”

“Okay.” He nodded, then gently stroked her face with the back of his hand. “I won’t push, but let me know when you’re ready to talk about it.”

He looked at her for a long moment, recognizing that she was easily both the strongest and weakest of his wives at the same time. She had a profound strength of will that rivaled Alana’s; perhaps even exceeded it. However, underneath that tough exterior she was still a nineteen year old girl who’d never been properly loved as a child, leading to emotional scars and the walls she had built to protect herself.

She nodded, then thought to him: Thank you my lord, for not pushing, for letting me... She swallowed. I really appreciate it.

I’ll always be here for you. He smiled back. Always.

She gave him a smile as her face twisted slightly like she was about to cry. He pulled her close again and just held her.

He didn’t know what else to do.

Sarah winced slightly as the old woman carefully made a tiny slice in her skin with a small, razor sharp knife, then held a glass vial under it to catch the tiny trickle of blood.

“What’s that for?” The innkeeper’s daughter asked, trying not to fight too hard; the old woman had promised that it would hurt much worse if she fought.

“Drawing blood.” She replied. “I can’t figure out what powers those muscles without examining you.” Something about her tone was excited, and her eyes twinkled as she looked at the tablespoon or so of Sarah’s blood in the glass vial.

“It’s...” Sarah faltered, wanting to explain but having trouble admitting it out loud.

“Yes I know you think it’s a demon.” The old woman laughed mirthlessly. “I’ll forgive your backwards thinking since you clearly don’t know better. Ah, that should do it.” She removed the glass vial which was now mostly full with perhaps two tablespoons of blood, then put her hand over the cut mark. Sarah’s skin tingled for a moment, then the flow of blood slowed, and then stopped altogether.

The old woman had healed her.

“Thank you.” Sarah said, relieved that she wouldn’t be bleeding until the wound healed naturally.

The old woman gave her a strange look, then shook her head and carried the vial over to one of the tables covered with strange instruments. Sarah craned her neck to watch since she didn’t have anything else to do. The old woman dropped a single drop of blood onto a small piece of glass, then set another piece of glass over the first one, making the drop of blood spread. Then she slid the pieces of glass under a strange contraption.

The contraption had a dozen different magnifying glasses in successively smaller and smaller sizes. They were arranged all in a row, and Sarah couldn’t even imagine how magnified they could make things. The glass with the blood was slid into a slot under the final lens, and the old woman looked through the top lens.

“Hmm, seems normal to me...” The old woman mused.

“It does?” The Innkeeper’s daughter asked.

“Oh dear.” The old woman looked at her. “What little secrets are you hiding? Best to tell me now because I will find them.”

Sarah gulped.

Ethan flopped down on the bed in the captain’s cabin, hoping that Rachel would be okay. He figured she would be eventually, but right now she was a hot mess. He almost smiled at the accidental double entendre, then he shook his head. She’d wandered away to the front of the Argo with Alana in tow. He felt like he should be there for her, but she seemed to want some space right now.

Hey, is Rachel okay? He asked his first wife.

I think she will be eventually. Alana replied. I think it’s just shock now, so I’ll watch over her for a bit. Relax, I know you’re worried, but she’ll talk when she’s ready.

Okay, thanks. He laid his head back and closed his eyes.

What a day.

Hell, what a week ... or month ... or at this point, basically three months.

Master, could I join you? Taloni’s voice was tentative, and he was pretty sure she was still hanging around on the weather deck.

You never need to ask honey. He thought back smiling.

Moments later, the captain’s cabin door opened and he looked up -- since he was laying on his back with his head towards the door -- to see the Fey teen slip into the room and close the door behind her. It was slightly odd from that perspective, since visually she appeared to be upside down.

“May I take off my clothes and snuggle with you master?” She asked with a shy smile.

How could she be so shy after being married to him and sharing a bed with him and his other wives for so long? There was something innocent about her shyness though, and a part of him hoped it would never fully fade.

“Oh honey, you literally never need to ask that; the answer is always yes.”

She beamed, then reached back and untied her halter-top dress, letting it fall and then slipping out of the matching lilac shorts that Alana had so wisely made to protect the Fey’s modesty when she flew. She padded over to the bed, hopped up and her wings were a blur for a moment as she used them to get herself into position so she could lay next to him, and then she snuggled up against his side. He put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head, which was resting on his chest.

“I miss this.” He sighed.

“Miss what master?”

“This; snuggling like this.” He sighed. “Do you remember the night ... nights? When it was just you and Alana, and I held you on either side like this?”

“Of course master, it was so wonderful.”

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then shook his head. “I have too many wives.”

“What?” She looked alarmed.

“Sorry, I don’t mean I want fewer, and if anyone tried to take any of my wives from me I’d rip them--”

“--limb from limb.” Taloni finished quickly as she winced, but looked relieved. “I know you will protect us master, I just don’t know what you mean about having too many wives.”

“Take you for example.” He replied, looking down into her beautiful lilac eyes. “We spent a bunch of time on you when we freed you and afterward, but then it was about bringing Beth back, then Kyrupto attacked which brought out some things with Rachel, there was everything with Alana’s family in Nalatia, everything with Rachel afterward while we were captured, Alana’s family again, then Beth’s dad summons us, then Sarah, and then everything in Gralden. I only just realized it, but I feel like I’ve ignored you a bit.”

“You haven’t master.” She snuggled closer to him. “Your other wives just needed more of your time lately, that’s all.”

He shook his head. “That’s actually my point; time. I literally don’t have the time to spend enough time with each of you. I’d never give any of you up. Ever. But...” He sighed.

“But you’re saying that time-wise, you have too many wives.” She made a thoughtful sound.

“Yeah.” He sighed again, feeling a bit exhausted from the day, and his mind drifted to the earlier conversation with Drousin, which led to a rabbit trail about his dragon problems, which naturally led his mind to thinking about the one woman he’d met who could sympathize with them. He felt an ironic grin form on his face as he realized that rather a lot of his mind’s rabbit trails led to the innkeeper’s daughter.

“Sarah?” Taloni asked as she affectionately rubbed her cheek on the smooth scales of his chest and snuggled closer.

“How did you know?”

“You aren’t nearly as hard to read as you think you are master.” She gave him a sly grin. “Besides, she’ll make a great wife for you.”

He shook his head. “She’s betrothed. But even if she wasn’t, what in God’s name am I thinking even considering another wife when I don’t have time for the ones I currently have.”

“Actually, isn’t ‘in God’s name’ appropriate?” The Fey teen countered.

“Come again?”

“Didn’t Illuminar say that you would have seven wives master?”

“Don’t remind me.” He groaned. “I can barely keep up with four.”

“Pardon me for disagreeing master, but isn’t it a good thing that you’re reminded?”

“You never need to apologize for disagreeing, and maybe?” He tapped one of his fingers on his scales. It made a satisfying ‘clicking’ sound, but didn’t actually help him think better. “I suppose I see Kendra being wife number five. And I imagine that if we’re really going to beat Smithbond, then I’ll have to marry Selene too so we can communicate while she’s on Earth. Still, I just don’t have enough time for you, Alana, Beth, and Rachel now; how the hell will I cope with Kendra, Selene, and whoever the last wife is?”

Taloni made a thoughtful sound, then thought to everyone. Ladies, do you feel like master doesn’t give you enough time?

No, why? Alana replied.

I’ve never felt like that. Beth added.

Nor I. Rachel agreed, though she seemed distracted and it took her several seconds longer to reply.

Kendra didn’t say anything.

Thank you. The Fey teen thought to them, then looked at her husband and beamed. “You’re doing just fine master. I know I’m happy. All I wanted my whole life was to not be a slave and to travel on an airship. You not only freed me, but now I’m learning to become an airship pilot and I have the best sisters--” she cocked her head to one side. “--well, fellow wives but they seem more like sisters; but they’re the best fellow wives I could ask for, and a wonderful husband who loves me very much.”

“I do.” He smiled at her.

She smiled back. “I’m very happy master, and I think the rest of your wives are too, even if you feel like you don’t give us enough time.”

He made a noncommittal grunt, but wasn’t convinced.

Not by a long shot.

Kendra leaned up against the Argo’s railing on the quarterdeck, thinking back to the revealing conversation about Rachel’s father. Oddly, she found that the redhead’s parentage didn’t bother her much, if at all. It wasn’t Rachel’s fault. And other than a bit of jealousy that the teen mage could resist Ethan’s compulsion because of her ancestry, it just didn’t matter to her.

“You decided to stay.” Anthiel commented from the ship’s wheel.

She turned to face the high elf. “Yeah, I kind of made the Argo my home.”

“Even with what’s likely to happen between you and Ethan?”

She hesitated, then nodded. “I hate it, but there’s nothing for it.”

The high elf raised an eyebrow.

“What?” She raised her hands, palms up. “There isn’t.”

The pilot got a knowing smile on her face and nodded slowly, but somehow the dragon huntress didn’t think she was convinced.

“What?”

“I didn’t say anything.” Anthiel replied with an amused smile.

“Well, you were ‘not saying it’ very loudly.”

“I just think it’s interesting that you’ve finally decided to marry him, that’s all.”

“I did not.”

Anthiel gave Kendra a look that a parent might give a child who was insisting that he hadn’t taken a sweet roll while his face and fingers were covered in the icing. “You knew that if you stayed on the Argo, Ethan will take you to bed; yet you remained on the Argo.”

“That’s not marriage though, not really.”

Anthiel raised her eyebrow.

“It’s not; no vows.”

“Ah, because binding your soul to someone and then sharing the most physically intimate experience that a man and woman can share to cement that bond is less of a commitment than vows.” She nodded slowly, that annoyingly amused smile still on her face. “I see now.”

Kendra gave her a look.

Rachel stared out across the plains in front of the Argo, trying to collect her thoughts. It was harder than normal, which was saying something. They hadn’t passed into Ivernia yet, so the ground beneath them was green, but not quite the vibrant, verdant green that she’d recently learned to associate with the place. The ground beneath them was soothing as it scrolled by, but it didn’t change the facts.

Her father was a dragon.

Not just any dragon, but almost certainly the black dragon.

How?

She slowly shook her head for the ... Dozenth time? Hundredth time? It would’ve been unbelievable if it didn’t make so much sense. The speed her father had moved the day he’d tasked her with tracking down Ethan and Alana, the lack of dragon problems in her father’s lands, the fact that the black dragon seemingly only worked to increase her father’s standing; everything. It all fit perfectly together. It all made sense...

And yet...

She shook her head.

“Rachel?” A tentative voice came from behind her.

The redhead smiled; it was Alana. The mage turned to see her best friend standing there looking a bit unsure. She was biting her lip and her hands were clasped in front of her.

“Are you okay?” The wood elf asked.

Rachel took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I will be, eventually ... I think”

“I’m glad.” She smiled. “Mind if I join you?”

“Please.” Rachel stepped to one side to make room for Alana at the front of the Argo, where the ship’s port and starboard railings met in the center.

Somehow, completely naturally, they ended up with their arms touching. Rachel liked that. She liked Alana. The wood elf was easily the best woman she’d ever known, and that was saying something when you considered all the incredible women she’d met since joining Ethan; his other wives especially.

There was just something about her that was so attractive.

Rachel knew that some women were romantically attracted to other women of course, but she wasn’t. But if she was ever going to be, it would be to Alana. There was just something about her spirit that was captivating. She was so strong and yet so kind; so tender and yet so fierce. She cared so much, and yet wasn’t overbearing in her caring. The combination was just so...

So...

Captivating.

Plus, she had these gorgeous, rich hazel eyes. Eyes that looked at her like she was something incredibly valuable that she treasured deeply. Rachel felt the same way about her.

“What?” Alana asked after several seconds.

“Sorry.” Rachel averted her eyes slightly after realizing that she’d been staring.

“I don’t mind.” The wood elf smiled, and for some reason Rachel got the impression that she truly didn’t mind being stared at by her.

It was strange.

Nice, but strange.

That of course triggered her brain into thinking about other recent revelations that were strange.

It must’ve shown on her face, because Alana spoke softly. “Does your father being a dragon bother you that much?”

“That’s not really it.” She shook her head. “I mean, I’m married to a dragon, and when I have kids their father will be a dragon.” She glanced at the wood elf’s womb. “Besides, the best woman I know is already carrying a dragon’s daughter, and I could never hold that against her; mother or daughter.”

The smile on Alana’s face slowly grew into being the widest she’d yet seen. “I’m the best woman you know?”

“By far.” Rachel nodded. “Beth and Taloni are incredible too, and I really like Kendra and Selene, and Anthiel is great. But you’re just ... I don’t know, you’re you.”

“Thank you.” The brunette wrapped her arms around the redhead and gave her a hug. It was slightly awkward since the wood elf was about six inches shorter than she herself was, but she didn’t mind. In fact, there was something quite pleasant about her best friend’s head resting on her upper chest. She could feel the elf’s sun-kissed cheeks against her cleavage, and something about that felt just...

Just...

She sighed.

Then she noticed a slight itch forming in her loins.

That was strange. Why would Alana hugging her -- okay, Alana’s cheeks pressing into the area just above her breasts -- but why would that trigger an itch? That would only make sense if she was attracted to other women, which of course she wasn’t. She was attracted to Ethan, not Alana, so why...?

“So what is bothering you then?” The wood elf asked as the hug broke.

Rachel froze for a split second, thinking that somehow her best friend knew what she was thinking. However, her brain informed her that it was more likely that Alana was resuming the previous topic of discussion, not commenting on her incredibly strange reaction to feeling the wood elf’s silky skin pressed against her bare upper chest.

No matter how wonderful it felt...

“Um...” She scrambled to put her thoughts in order. “It’s less about the fact that my father is a dragon, and more about the fact that I didn’t know. But it’s much more than that.”

“Oh?”

She took a deep breath. “Yeah, I feel like my entire childhood was a lie. There was this enormous part of my life that I didn’t know about; what else didn’t I know?”

“Oh.” Alana nodded with a grimace. “Yeah I can see that.”

“But it’s more than just that.” She shook her head and leaned on the railing again. “I always ‘knew’ my father was a man. I never questioned it, no one did. It makes me wonder...”

“Wonder what?”

She turned to look at the wood elf, partially to see the caring expression that she knew would be in her gorgeous hazel eyes. It was there, and it made her feel better. Not good, but better. Alana always made her feel much better, just exactly like Ethan did.

“I wonder: what else was a lie that I’ve never considered questioning?” She finally replied. “I mean, I know my father is the black dragon and he’s certainly been hunting us. But is he really as bad as I thought he was? Is he worse? Could he be better? I never actually saw any of the worst things that I’ve been told he’s done, so maybe they happened differently?”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, one of my handmaidens kept me caught up on the gossip, and I learned most of it from her.” Rachel explained. “Maybe she was keeping some details back and he was worse. Maybe she got carried away, or had bad information and he wasn’t as bad as I thought he was.”

“You think it’s possible?” Alana sounded skeptical.

“Maybe?” She sighed. “That’s just it; I don’t know. I know my father hates slavers.” She said, thinking back to how even Gonorran had known that from as far away as north of Arcanum. “Further, you don’t find his people complaining about him, not the way that -- for example -- Ivernians complain about Lord Farbrottan. They mostly like my father as a lord.”

“Really?” Alana asked.

“Yes, but then again he’s been hunting Ethan since he arrived. What possible reason could he have for that?” She shook her head. “I don’t know and that’s the problem. I apparently don’t know so much. I didn’t know he was a dragon, and that’s such a fundamental thing too; the species of my father. He lied to everyone, does that include my mother? Did she know before she died? What if she found out and that’s why she died?”

Alana sucked her breath in sharply. “You don’t think that Lord Delmar ... Do you?”

“That’s the problem; I don’t know.” She raised her hands, palms up. “Everyone seems to think that he loved her, but then again everyone also thinks he’s human.”

“How did he get to be a lord if he wasn’t human though?” The wood elf asked.

“The military.” She replied. “He distinguished himself in service, became the personal bodyguard of the previous lord -- my grandfather -- who I’ve been told regarded my father like the son he never had. He even let him wed my mother when they fell in love. My grandfather had no sons and my mother was his only daughter, so he official proclaimed my father as his heir. He died not long after.”

“Not long after?” The brunette grimaced.

“It’s not like that.” The redhead said hastily. “My grandfather was already very old and sickly by the time he chose my father as his heir. My grandfather really took a liking to him, and from what I hear they were actually friends ... at least that’s what I’ve been told. But is it true?”

“I don’t know.”

“Exactly.” Rachel nodded. “That’s the exact problem: I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s true. I don’t know if my father is what I’ve always thought; is he better? Is he worse? I don’t know if there are some other grand secrets out there that I’ve never questioned because it never occurred to me to question them.”

“Like your father being a dragon instead of a man.” Alana nodded. “I’m sorry Rachel, I’d really love to help.”

“Actually, you are: you’re helping just by being here and I really appreciate it.”

“Anything for you.” The elf smiled.

Rachel wasn’t sure why, but she put her arm around her best friend who was standing next to her. It just seemed like the right thing to do. She was aware at the edge of her mind that Ethan often put his arm around his wives the same way that she had put her arm around Alana, but that was just coincidence. It really couldn’t be anything more, since she obviously didn’t like Alana the way Ethan liked his wives.

That would just be weird.

After several seconds, the wood elf made a thoughtful sound.

“What?” Rachel asked.

“It just occurred to me...” Alana cocked her head to one side, then turned to face her. However, she moved in such a way that she didn’t slip out from under Rachel’s arm, but rather was closer to her. They were positioned much like how Ethan’s wives would cuddle up to his side while lying down.

“What?”

The elf grinned. “Let’s take the worst case scenario.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, let’s pretend for a moment that nothing you saw growing up was what it seemed.” Alana continued. “Let’s pretend that your father, the castle staff, and most of the people you met had a secret agenda and weren’t who they seemed to be. So what?”

“So what?” The redhead frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t mean that it doesn’t matter.” The brunette hastily clarified. “And I understand that you want to find the truth about all this, which is good, but it doesn’t change who you are as a person. I know you Rachel; if you haven’t already, you’re going to question who you are a person because you’re questioning your childhood, but you don’t need to.”

The redhead bit her lip.

How had Alana known? How could the wood elf know her so well?

The brunette continued. “You don’t need to question who you are because the experiences you had while growing up -- whether based on lies or not -- still formed you into the incredible woman that you are today. The experiences were real, even if someone was lying to you.”

Rachel couldn’t help but smile at being described as an ‘incredible woman’, especially by Alana. It made her heart go all gooey and she felt a comforting warmth rise in her chest ... at the same time that she felt a slight itch forming in her nether regions.

Damn.

Why did that keep happening around Alana?