Chapter 4: It’s always darkest before dawn

I self-edit and admit editing isn’t my greatest skill. I apologize in advance for anything I missed.

Beth skipped down the corridor, which was no small feat considering she was carrying an armful of books. She hummed a joyous tune as she went; she was engaged to a good man! Finally! In the months since she’d become eligible, her suitors had been of increasingly questionable character.

It was ironic. She had always dreamed of being rescued from an evil dragon by a gallant knight. Instead, she had been rescued from an evil knight by a gallant dragon. And despite being a dragon, Ethan seemed as wonderful as any man.

And — if the stories were true — she was in for quite a treat on their wedding night. She felt a familiar sensation in her loins at the thought. Her fingers were nice, but her maids were clear that fingers were no match for a man who knew what he was doing. She hoped Ethan knew, but she was more than willing to let him practice on her after they were married.

She imagined lying in bed as her gallant dragon lay on top of her, kissing her and telling her how much he adored her and how beautiful she was. She wasn’t quite sure what the kiss would feel like, but she imagined it would be wonderful. Then he would remove her dress and make sweet love to her in the candlelight.

Beth stopped at the door to her room and juggled the books around so she could open it. Two near book drops later, she was inside and nestled in her favorite reading corner. The sun had just come up, and she could barely believe that only a few hours before she had been riding Ethan as he soared through the sky. She grabbed the top book on the pile — entitled “A complete history of dragons” — and started to read.

She was nearly halfway through the book when a knock at the door broke her concentration.

“Who is it?” Beth called.

“Alana Staff-Maker to see you my lady.” The butler called

“Let her in.”

The door opened and Alana walked in and the door closed behind her. She looked ... odd. She was wearing the same knee-length green dress and her hair looked brushed. However, her face looked decidedly the worse for wear. Her eyes were slightly red and oddly sad.

“Hi.” Beth jumped up, ran to her and held out her arms. “You look like you could use a hug.”

Alana gave her a half smile before accepting Beth’s hug. Beth wasn’t sure what else to do, so she gave Alana the best hug she could manage. After almost a minute, Alana pulled back.

“Thanks.” Alana said. “I needed that.”

“Any time. But what’s wrong? You look like your favorite pet just died.”

Alana tried to laugh but failed miserably, which made Beth clap her hands over her mouth. “It didn’t ... did it? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to...”

“No one died.” Alana said, and this time she managed a small but genuine smile. “I just came to say something and then I’m off to your father’s enchanting shop, which enchants things for the bank. He offered me a job since I helped rescue your brother.” She added at Beth’s quizzical expression.

“I just wanted to ask you to be the best wife you can possibly be to Ethan. He’s really a wonderful person and deserves...” She stopped and seemed to get choked up. “I’m sorry, I’m not ... I have a scratchy throat.”

“Did you want some tea with honey?” Beth asked, unsure as to what was really going on.

“No I’m fine. Just ... Just take care of him for me, would you?”

“It would be my honor, but why...” Beth started to say, and then it clicked in her mind. “Wait, you two aren’t ... I mean you’re not ... Are you?”

“It’s complicated.” Alana said.

“You’re in love with him.” Beth covered her mouth with her hand.

“No I’m not.” Alana said flatly, but there was no conviction behind her voice. “I mean, of course he’s a good man and I like him as a friend. And he saved my life a few times, but that doesn’t mean I’m ... you know ... interested.”

“I won’t tell a soul.” Beth promised.

“Thank you.”

“So, why are you asking me to take care of him if you...” Beth started to say, and then it dawned on her. “Oh. Because I’m going to marry ... and you want to ... I’m so sorry Alana.” Her face fell as she realized the position that the wonderful wood elf was in.

“It’s not your fault.” Alana said. “Ironically, I have only myself to blame. I was the one who suggested we try and rescue you and your brother in the first place.”

“But still.”

“Playing the ‘what if’ game won’t help.” Alana said. “What’s done is done. While we can learn from it and do better in the future, we still have to live with it.”

“I’ll be the best wife to Ethan I possibly can.” Beth said. “I promise.”

Alana’s eyes grew watery again. “Thank you. I ... I have to go.”

She gave the blonde a half-hearted smile and then left the room.

Beth returned to her reading corner but — for the first time in her life — she didn’t have the heart to pick up a book. It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water on her fantasies of a romantic wedding and passionate wedding night. Alana had saved her life, and here she was stealing her man-- err, dragon.

It didn’t seem right to Beth, but she didn’t see a way around it. She briefly considered refusing to marry Ethan, but then remembered her promise to Alana. She couldn’t keep her promise without marrying Ethan, which would make the wood elf miserable.

When did life get so complicated?

Rachel Delmar was in a truly foul mood, or at least she thought she was. It was getting hard to tell these days.

She was saddle-sore from riding non-stop for way too long. She had stopped only to switch between the several horses she’d taken from Wurven’s men. Changing mounts and riding hard had allowed her to travel from the forest to Gralden in less than a day.

She was glad that the dragon and his companions had escaped. She also hated them for escaping. They needed to be tortured for daring to fight against Lord Delmar because ... because...

She didn’t know why.

Rachel shook her head trying to clear it. She needed to find and kill them. Slowly. She needed to make an example out of them for anyone who would challenge her father.

But what had they done that was so bad?

Despite her best efforts, thoughts of revenge and gruesome death flitted through her mind.

She rode into the city and sold all but one of the horses, which she boarded at a stable for a few days. She was almost positive that the dragon would have returned here. The town gossip about the banker’s daughter and son returning the previous night confirmed it. The town crier let everyone know Lord Borden was planning an announcement for late that afternoon.

Rachel hoped the dragon would be there so she could kill him, but there would be guards — some of which might be mages — and she wasn’t very good with a bow. She figured she’d wait until the announcement and plan from there.

Noon couldn’t come soon enough.

Several hours of conflicted brooding later, Rachel was in the town square with hundreds of other people. Lord Borden stood on a raised platform, flanked by his wife, children, guards, and a man Rachel didn’t recognize.

“Thank you all for coming.” Lord Borden said. “As you all probably know by now, we have a hero in our midst.”

Lord Borden waved the man forward. The man looked ordinary in every way; almost too ordinary. He was the average height, average build, and was wearing the most average clothing, with the average hair color, length and style. Rachel would’ve bet her right arm it was the dragon using a disguise gem. She used a drop of mana to look deeper and could indeed see that his current form was magically generated.

Lord Borden continued. “This man saved my children from the bandits that have plagued our city for many months. Furthermore, he slaughtered them to a man. You no longer need to fear them thanks to this man!”

At this pronouncement, the entire town square erupted into wild cheers and applause.

The applause died down when Lord Borden raised his hand. “True to my word, he shall receive an honorable position at The Bank for his services. Further, he has captured the heart and hand of my daughter Elizabeth. They shall be married within a fortnight.”

Rachel swore under her breath as the whole square erupted into wild cheers and applause again.

Two weeks.

She had only had two weeks before the wedding — when security would be strained because of extra guests — to plan an infiltration. Worse, the dragon would have two weeks of access to a massive pile of gold, which could make him harder to kill. She mulled this over as the applause died down.

Lord Borden motioned the disguised dragon and Beth forward so they were standing in front of him facing each other, and then he turned to the disguised dragon. “Will you promise to marry my daughter and treat her with honor until your marriage?”

“I will.” The dragon replied after a deep breath several seconds and. Rachel couldn’t help noticing he didn’t look very excited for a man about to marry a beautiful and extremely wealthy woman.

Lord Borden turned to Beth. “Will you promise to marry this man and treat him with honor until your marriage?”

“I will.” Beth replied. There was a wide smile on her face, though she too didn’t look perfectly contented.

“According to our ancient customs, betrothal binds two souls to be married by sacred contract.” Lord Borden continued. “A contract so sacred only divorce may break their betrothal. Therefore, to make the betrothal complete, it willbe sealed with a proclamation of love.”

Lord Borden nodded to the dragon. Ethan took a deep breath, and then leaned forward to kiss Beth on the lips. Rachel had been expecting a typical betrothal kiss where the couple usually dragged it out, as they wouldn’t be allowed another kiss until the wedding ceremony.

But this was subtly different.

The dragon kissed her tenderly, but very briefly. It was long enough to be a proper sealing of the betrothal, but stopped short of a couple in love. Rachel could see a flicker of disappointment on Beth’s face. While their lips had been joined she had worn a look of bliss though.

“The betrothal is complete.” Lord Borden announced. The crowd erupted into cheers and applause again. He waited until they died down before continuing.

“Please join me in wishing them the best. May Illuminar watch over you both and bless your marriage with wealth, health, and many children.”

After that, everyone on the platform bowed and left, while the crowd slowly dispersed to go about their day.

Rachel was conflicted. Her heart went out to Beth for that kiss. It was clear to her that although the dragon liked her, he wasn’t in love with her. However she was clearly smitten with him with the man she would marry.

Then something inside of her clicked.

The dragon would marry Beth.

Instantly, Rachel felt an overwhelming urge to maim and kill her. She fought the urge harder than any impulse she had felt before. Her mind went back and forth, as the skin under her ring began to itch.

She fought silently with herself for an hour before the compulsion began to gain ground. Lord Delmar would want her to kill Beth. She knew that. She’d seen him do the same to countless enemies over the years. Killing someone intimately close made a rival sloppy, which Lord Delmar always exploited.

But to hurt Beth...

Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. She couldn’t put her finger on it though. It was like something in her head diverted her attention every time she tried to figure it out. A few years ago she had found it hard to kill spiders because she didn’t want to hurt them. Now she was planning murder...

Something was definitely wrong.

Anthiel found herself getting lost in the flow of the music. She let her fingers flit over the harp’s strings and allowed the tune take her wherever it willed. She had lost count of the time she’d been playing when some thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the town square outside.

Anthiel sighed. Lord Borden must be announcing Beth’s engagement. She waited until the noise subsided and began to play again.

Not long after, she stopped because of a less deafening, but equally intrusive sound, and perked up her pointy ears to listen. It sounded like someone was crying. She stepped away from her harp and followed the sound. It took her several minutes to find the source.

It was a wood elf dressed in a knee length green dress that resembled leaves. She was short but pretty, with rich, chocolate brown hair. She was seated on the floor of an out-of-the-way closet with her arms wrapped around her legs. Her eyes were puffy and red, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. There was a large wet spot on her dress, and she had clearly been crying for some time.

“Hello dear.” Anthiel said.

The wood elf looked up and tried to hide her face, but instead burst into another round of sobs. Anthiel squeezed into the closet and sat down beside her.

“Let it out.” She said comfortingly as she put her arm around the wood elf. “Anything that feels so bad shouldn’t be kept inside.”

The wood elf cried into her shoulder for a whole minute before she composed herself.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what? You’ve done nothing wrong.” Anthiel replied kindly. “What’s your name?”

“Alana.” The wood elf said between sobs.

“Alana. That’s a pretty name. Now what could be so wrong?”

“It’s nothing. It’s stupid.”

“Anything that would make a woman cry like this while hiding in a closet is hardly stupid.”

“It’s just...” Alana said through the tears. “There’s a ... I haven’t known him a whole fortnight, but he just ... he saved my life and I thought that I-- I mean that we ... and he loves me but he got betrothed today and ... It wasn’t his fault and I’m just ... I don’t know what to do. It’s just so stupid. We just met.”

Anthiel pulled her closer. “At least you’re not bonded with him. That would be...” she trailed off at the sudden look of fresh pain on Alana’s face.

“Oh no. You are bonded to him, aren’t you?”

Alana nodded again. Her tears, which had stopped flowing, began to trickle down her cheek again.

“Wine.” Anthiel said. “You need wine, lots of strong wine. Fortunately, ship-masters get a huge discount at Lord Borden’s pub.”

“You’re a ship master?” Alana asked.

“Yes, Anthiel Cloud-Song at your service. I captain Lord Borden’s personal airship, or I will when it finally launches. Now, what do you say to that drink?”

After some gentle coaxing, the heartbroken elf consented to leave the closet and join her at the nearest tavern. She pushed around her mulled mead while they talked, barely drinking any of it. Anthiel was on her fourth tankard of mead before she managed to draw a genuine smile from the distraught wood elf, mostly by telling stories about her children when they were little.

“Your family sounds lovely.” Alana said after taking another sip of the mead.

“They are.” She eyed Alana’s still mostly full mug. “You know, drinking to drown your sorrows only works if you actually drink?”

“So you keeps telling me.”

“It’s been true every time.”

The little wood elf took another sip of her mead. “I wish could find a family like that.” she shook her head.

“Maybe you’re not looking in the right place?”

“I didn’t mean starting a family, I meant the way you talk about your family. I never had siblings and I always wanted some sisters. I always thought being one of seven sisters would be really neat.”

“Oh?” Anthiel said, hoping to keep her talking.

“My parents didn’t have any other children at home when they raised me, but I always wanted...” she got a faraway look in her eye. “It’s funny, the day I met Ethan I was wishing for a few sisters and a good man. I guess you don’t always get what you want.”

“One of my daughters is about your age; I can introduce you the next time she visits me.”

Alana appeared to get very choked up and her eyes became watery. “Thank you. That would be ... that would be great.”

They talked long into the night. The more they talked, the more Anthiel was impressed by the young elf. She was very mature for her age, had a sharp mind and a very big heart. She was truly one of the most delightful women the airship captain had met in her long life.

If both her sons weren’t already married, she might have tried to set one of them up with the wood elf. She almost wanted to anyway since they lived outside Lord Borden’s lands where polygyny was more accepted by the lords. Lord Borden had a particular disliking of it, but no other lord did. She knew the wood elf would never be happy with anyone but Ethan though.

By the time Alana wanted to turn in, Anthiel was ready to find this dragon who had broken her heart and deck him; hard. Sadly, that wouldn’t help anything and she wasn’t given to needless violence anyway. She did resolve to put the fear of Illuminar in him if he ever set foot on her airship. Not that she’d hurt him, but a little intimidation and a few threats might serve the idiot whelp good, and hopefully teach him a lesson in the process.

Ethan thought there was something surreal in having dinner with Beth’s family. She was a wonderful woman and he liked her a lot. But he missed Alana. How he’d fallen for her so completely in the short time they known each other, he’d never know. When he thought about life without her, it was just...

He couldn’t believe it.

Seriously.

Some part of him refused to believe she would be out of his life forever. Something about the idea sounded so completely impossible. It felt blatantly and categorically untrue, like someone saying the sky was red, the grass was blue, and rocks were made of cheese. He had this certainty that she wouldn’t be gone from his life forever. Despite all evidence to the contrary, he just couldn’t believe they wouldn’t end up together.

It just didn’t feel true, even though it looked true right now.

It just didn’t.

After the betrothal ceremony, he had spent the evening with Beth and her parents. She had been cautiously cheerful the whole time and did her best to keep his spirits up. He really appreciated it and genuinely enjoyed her company. She was a lovely girl, but he wasn’t feeling very cheerful.

Her parents had peppered him with questions as to where he came from, but Ethan answered half-heartedly and with few details. They were very nice and welcoming however, her mother especially. Her father was more reserved, and eyed Ethan occasionally in a manner that was a bit unsettling.

They showed him around their impressive mansion before setting out a lavish feast before him at dinner, served by some of their many servants. The food was exquisite, but just felt ‘blah’ in his mouth. He would’ve preferred dry bread and water with Alana to a feast without her. Though, having Beth at this imaginary feast would be nice too.

He missed the wood elf so much already and she hadn’t been gone a whole day. He knew it was strange, but assumed it was partially because of their bond. Quite beside his own pain, he could feel sadness and grief coming from Alana. He hadn’t looked at their bond — he had respected her request — but the emotions were so strong they were hard to miss.

Oddly, she seemed more upset about his absence than his marriage to Beth.

“Ethan.” Beth touched his arm.

“Huh, what?” he looked around the table to see everyone staring at him. “Sorry, my mind wandered.”

“Do try to keep your mind on what’s in front of you.” Lord Borden said significantly with a glance toward Beth.

“I will sir.”

“Daddy was just asking when you wanted to start at The Bank.” Beth said.

“Is there any chance I could start tonight?” he asked, thinking gold would be a welcome distraction from missing Alana.

Lord Borden nodded. “Absolutely. I have great plans for you in The Bank, assuming your nature stays under control. I can hardly think of anyone who would guard the gold more diligently; can you?”

“No, I don’t think anyone would.”

“Good. As requested, you’ll start as a night guard in the vault. Eventually, you’ll need to learn the other positions if you are to manage The Bank effectively. Understood?”

“Yes sir.”

“Good, then follow me.” Lord Borden stood. Ethan and Beth followed the older man out of the dining room through the house and into the night air. The town was mostly silent apart from the sounds of drinking and singing coming from the pubs.

To his left, Ethan saw the mast of a sailing ship poking up in the distance. He thought that was strange as there weren’t any large bodies of water nearby.

“What’s that?”

“That’s daddy’s new airship.” Beth replied. “I can show you in the morning, if you’d like.”

“An airship? Yes please!”

Lord Borden led the way up the long flight of steps to The Bank. The stairs had no railings and were only six feet across. They were wide enough to be comfortable but narrow enough to prevent a lot of men from attacking at once. The stairs ended and leveled out to a twenty-foot wooden drawbridge.

Up close, the defenses were quite impressive.

Spread atop the impressive wall were several sets of small ballistae which could probably mow down half a dozen people on the narrow walk at once. The drawbridge — when raised — would form part of the wall, which was crenellated for archers. If attackers managed to survive all that, there would be a few dozen pike men ready to skewer any invaders.

Behind the outer fortifications was a solid steel door set into the side of the mountain. The door was open and Ethan could see a long stone hallway beyond it. Lord Borden walked past the impressive defenses with barely a glance. The guards nodded respectfully as he and Beth passed. They mostly just gave Ethan a curious look.

Beyond the massive steel door was a long corridor six feet wide and seven feet tall. Lining the wall were torch sconces cut out of the stone itself. Once they were through the massive steel door, Lord Borden turned into a small office hollowed out of the rock.

Inside was a young man who seemed quite surly despite his obvious high position, or perhaps because of it.

He looked to be in his mid-twenties, although he was sporting a full beard. A sword was fastened at his side and he wore chainmail from head to toe, partially concealed by a surcoat which carried the emblem of a gold coin. He was also huge at over six feet and — even taking into account the extra bulk added by the chainmail — it looked like he could wrestle an ox and win.

“Heinrich.” Lord Borden said with a respectful nod.

“Lord Borden.” The armored man stood and gave a bow. There was obviously a great deal of trust between the two men.

“This is the dragon then?” Heinrich asked. Ethan noticed he glanced at Beth then clenched his fists.

“He is. I put his equipping and training in your hands.” Lord Borden turned to Ethan. “Heinrich is true as dragon steel and the best man I know. Trust him. He won’t let you down.”

“I will.”

“One more thing.” Lord Borden said. “Pay very close attention while in the vault. Because of thieves, it’s rigged with several lethal traps. There are none on the main pathway, so that is safe. Please, don’t venture off that pathway if you value your life. I spared no expense on them, so pay attention when Heinrich shows them to you.”

“I definitely will.”

“Then good evening.” And with that, Lord Borden strode out of the room leaving Beth, Ethan, and Heinrich standing there.

“Come with me.” Heinrich said without preamble.

He led Ethan and Beth down the hall a short way, and then turned into what was clearly an armory. In one half of the room, weapons were neatly arranged on racks. On the other half, there was a large collection of various kinds of armor. Ethan noticed there was plenty of chainmail, but almost no plate armor.

“Use the gem to make it appear you’re wearing armor.” Heinrich ordered none-too-politely.

“Do you have a problem with me?” Ethan asked.

“Yes.” Heinrich replied curtly. “Now do as you’re told or I’ll find another job for you that won’t be as pleasant.”

Ethan briefly considered arguing, but a look from Beth dissuaded him of that notion. He pushed a little mana into the disguise gem and the transparent outline around him changed. It now looked like he was dressed like the other guards.

“What weapon are you most proficient with?” Heinrich asked.

“Glock 19.” Ethan replied without thinking.

The guard captain was not amused.

“A spear, I guess.”

Heinrich grabbed a seven-foot short spear and handed it to him. “Come with me.”

Heinrich started walking down the stone hall and that’s when the feeling truly hit Ethan.

Gold

Lots of gold.

He opened up his dragon senses and his jaw dropped. He could feel the power of the gold. It was lifeless now, but it had potential ... so much potential. He could actually feel his mouth watering at the thought of being near all of it.

They walked for about a minute before they came to what looked like a primitive elevator. There was a stone counterweight next to the elevator cage and a large spoked wheel — like on an old sailing ship — connected to a crank.

Heinrich lead the way into the elevator cage. It seemed stable when he and Ethan stepped in, but the moment Beth stepped in the cage began to slowly sink. The guard at the crank spun the ship’s wheel hastening their descent. The elevator cage dropped for twenty feet before bottoming out.

At the bottom, a short hallway ended at yet another large steel door. Ethan could feel the gold beyond. It was dead — lifeless — but he could feel it. As he got closer it started responding to his presence, as if to its master. Very slowly, it was starting to come alive. Well, not really alive, but Ethan couldn’t think of another way to describe it.

In a strange way, it reminded him of how it felt to be near Alana.

Heinrich produced a key and unlocked the large steel door. When it swung open, the contents within took Ethan’s breath away.

It was the vault, and it was filled with gold.

Straight ahead were large stacks of gold bars and mountains of gold coins all neatly arranged. To one side was a large collection of silver and to the other side more precious gems than Ethan had ever seen. A steel chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling provided flickering light to the entire room. The ceiling was also almost twenty feet; much higher than the adjoining passages and rooms. The vault was perhaps fifty feet square, though most of that was taken up with gold, silver and precious stones.

“I think I’m in love.” He murmured aloud.

Beth sighed and Heinrich scowled. It occurred to Ethan that saying that in front of your betrothed and the man who was in love with her was probably a bad idea.

“I just mean...” Ethan started to say, and then realized there was no way he could pull his foot out of his mouth.

“I know exactly what you meant, dragon.” The other man snapped. “Now, notice the floor.”

Ethan looked down. There was a clearly defined, ten foot wide central walkway down the center of the vault. It was decorated with a mosaic of tiles while the rest of the floor was completely unadorned.

“Stay on the pathway if you value your life.” Heinrich indicated the walls

Ethan could see what looked like small cutouts — about the size of a man’s hand — opening into blackness. His dragon eyes could just see the tip of a crossbow bolt in the darkness.

“They are activated by stepping off the main walkway, unless you know how to avoid them.” Heinrich explained gruffly.

“But why traps in here with all the security outside?” Ethan asked.

Heinrich gestured to the ceiling. There were several round holes in the ceiling that lookedjust barely large enough for someone of Alana’s size to fit through. Or at least, she could’ve fit if they weren’t blocked by iron bars. He could feel a very slight breeze coming from them, and realized they must be how they changed the air in the vault.

“Every year someone their gets the idea to go through the damn vents.” Heinrich said. “They use magic or acid to cut through the bars and try to rob the vault. They don’t live long so watch your step; I’m tired of ordering the cleaners down here to wipe blood off the gold.”

“I’ll be careful.”

Heinrich muttered something before saying “Your shift ends at dawn. I would leave when asked, or I might get in some dragon hunting practice.”

“Hermy!” Beth exclaimed. It was funny to see a 300lb plus man rebuked by a woman perhaps a third of his size. Heinrich grunted, virtually ignoring her rebuke and then left the vault.

The blonde girl turned to Ethan. “Sorry about him, He’s very protective of The Bank because of my father, but he’s a good man when you get to know him.”

“I’m sure.” Ethan replied, realizing that she must be ignorant of Heinrich’s obvious attraction to her. Then he turned his eyes back to the gold. The sight was captivating in a way he had never felt before. Nothing had ever captured his attention like this before.