Chapter 5: You are cordially invited to ... an ambush

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

The ice cold water hit Ethan like ... well, a bucket of ice cold water.

“Get up boy!” a voice said.

He snapped awake and leap out of bed. It took almost a second for him to get his bearings, and when he did he realized it was still dark outside. He had been sleeping in the trainee barracks of The Bank. It looked like a medieval version of every barracks he’d ever seen in a movie.

“We’re burning daylight, now stop wasting time.” Heinrich said.

Ethan shivered and instinctively shook much of the water off like a dog or cat would. The action peppered the entire room in water, much to the consternation of those who hadn’t been woken by the commotion.

“It’s time for training.” Heinrich said.

“But it’s still dark outside.” Ethan yawned.

WHACK!

Heinrich’s fist smashed into the side of his face and knocked Ethan clean off his feet because he wasn’t ready for it.

“What was that for!?” he shouted as he bristled on all fours.

“Your enemies won’t wait for dawn to attack, so neither will I.” Heinrich replied. “Come, training awaits.”

And train they did.

Every.

Single.

Day.

For almost two weeks, the routine was the same. Heinrich would wake Ethan up before dawn, drag him out to the training grounds and drill him hard. Ethan was occasionally given a few moments to wolf down some food and drink, but Heinrich kept him training every second he wasn’t eating, drinking, sleeping, or relieving himself.

He was a harsh teacher, but fair.

He never belittled Ethan, but constantly pointed out the flaws in his technique and pushed him to improve. For sixteen hours every day, he pushed him to become a better fighter. Despite his cold attitude, he was there every minute of training and Ethan developed a healthy respect for him. For two weeks Ethan ate, and then Heinrich ate. Ethan drank, and then Heinrich drank. Ethan slept, and then Heinrich slept.

After a whole week of non-stop practice, Ethan’s short spear was beginning to feel like an extension of his body. Despite the 7 foot length, Ethan could strike a target nearly ten feet away in a single move. Heinrich also taught Ethan to be accurate when throwing it. He didn’t hit the bull’s eye every time, but he was getting better.

He wasn’t getting better at the sparring sessions though.

He finally won a single sparring match at the end of the first week, but not with Heinrich. It was against one of the other guards and Ethan was pretty sure he’d only won because the other guard had become distracted. It took almost the whole two weeks before Ethan won his second sparring match.

He longed to heal up the hundreds of small bruises he could feel under his scales. The scales didn’t bruise of course, but the flesh under them was a different story. Unfortunately, he’d burned up all his Mana trying — and failing — to heal Alana in the vault and had barely recovered any of it, as he was rarely near any gold.

Occasionally, he could feel Alana’s presence near the training grounds. He never saw her and she was never around long enough for his mana to regenerate much, but he was pretty sure she watched him now and then. He would occasionally feel a strong flicker of emotion over their bond whenever he would get particularly badly hit on these occasions. He was true to her request and didn’t look at their bond to see her emotions, but sometimes they were too obvious to miss.

Finally, after nearly two weeks of constant training, Heinrich lowered his weapon mid-afternoon.

“Practice is over for today.” He announced. “You have a wedding tomorrow and should get a good night’s sleep. Go see Madam Hygea, she’ll tend to your wounds.”

“But what about my...” Ethan trailed off. He was a dragon and Madam Hygea would probably be able to tell if she healed him.

“She knows and she can be trusted.” Heinrich interrupted. “Don’t worry about it.”

Ethan nodded, put his training spear back on a rack and headed outside. It took a few moments for him to realize he hadn’t been anywhere except the training grounds, barracks, or mess hall in almost two weeks. He breathed in the fresh air; he’d almost forgotten what it smelled like.

“Hello.” A sweet voice came from his right. He turned to see Beth standing there in a royal blue dress. The dress accentuated all of her curves while still being modest and covering everything. It was designed to allure and attract while remaining modest; it did its job perfectly.

“Hi, you look great.”

Beth blushed slightly. “Thank you. Father wouldn’t let me see you while you were in training so I wanted to look my best for you.”

“I can honestly say you’ve never looked prettier.” He couldn’t help but smile at her.

Beth beamed. “We only have the rest of the day, so let’s hurry and get you patched up by Madam Hygea. We have a week’s worth of preparations for you and only a few hours to do them.”

“Lead on.” Ethan said. He thought he felt Alana’s presence nearby, but didn’t look at their bond to see. His mind drifted back to just after they’d rescued Beth. The three of them had all gotten along perfectly, and he wished things could be like that again.

Despite how impossible it seemed, somewhere deep down inside, a part of him felt like that might be the case eventually. His dragon instincts told him it would be the case; that they would all be happy at some point in the future. For some reason, he felt like it would be sooner rather than later.

Alana watched Ethan and Beth leave the training area through the window of her apartment.

“You need to stop torturing yourself.” Anthiel said.

“I know.” She replied, but didn’t look away.

“This isn’t healthy.” Anthiel said. “You’ve been slaving away on those things ever since you got out of the hospital. You should’ve been resting, not working on a wedding present for your bonded; especially when he’s marrying another woman and Lord Borden is so against that.”

“It’s not that he’s marrying another woman, it’s...”

“It’s...?” Anthiel prompted

Alana finally turned from the window as Ethan and Beth disappeared out of sight. “It’s being away from him. I don’t mind Beth; she a wonderful person and good company it’s just...” She sighed. “I don’t mind her being around Ethan; I just mind that I can’t be around him.”

Anthiel didn’t reply, but she did look amused.

“I know, it doesn’t make any sense.” The wood elf shook her head and flopped down on a chair.

“The heart wants what the heart wants.” Anthiel said with a kind smile. “What doesn’t make sense is you killing yourself working on his wedding present.”

“But I’m almost done and he needs something to protect himself. Lord Delmar will find him eventually and I want him to survive when that happens.”

“But you’ve been pushing your mana to the edge.” Anthiel countered. “How you aren’t already dead I’ll never know.”

“When Ethan and I bonded, it changed the way I collect magic. I collect it fastest when he’s around. But I can still collect it faster than I used to, even when he’s far away.”

“Look, I can’t stop you from enchanting your life away. However, you need to get away from Ethan. That man is trouble with a capital T.”

“I know.” Alana replied with a sigh. “I sent a rider to my Uncle Garth. He has a traveling caravan and I’ll be joining them in a few weeks when they swing by Gralden again.”

Alana felt her eyes get a little watery and blinked to try and hide it. She knew her attraction to Ethan was partially because of the bond. However, that didn’t mean she would miss him less; quite the opposite in fact.

“You’re sure?” Anthiel asked

“I’m not going to let my personal feelings get in the way of doing what’s right.” Alana said. “Ethan is going to marry Beth. As much as I’d love to...” Alana trailed off. She knew exactly what she wanted; she just couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud.

“You’re a good friend.” Antheil said.

“Thank you.” Alana replied, and she even managed a half smile. “Now, I need to get these finished before the wedding tomorrow.”

Anthiel nodded and they sat together in companionable silence for quite a while. Alana would never admit it, but being away from Ethan was killing her. She only hoped time and distance would make it easier.

Rachel watched the ceremony from the balcony as everyone in the temple below rose to their feet. The building was constructed entirely of whitewashed stone and adorned with gold implements, including candle stands and torch sconces. The many massive windows bathed the entire room in the light of the afternoon sun. A single massive stained glass window depicting the great God Illuminar radiating light dominated the head of the temple.

The wealthiest members of the town occupied most of the sanctuary. They sat on comfortable padded pews while the few commoners lucky enough to be inside were crammed into the back, which was standing room only.

Moments later, the music began and Beth came walking down the aisle in a long white dress. Her face was beaming and there seemed to be a spring in her step. Rachel couldn’t help but smile at the joy on Beth’s face ... but she was utterly disgusted by her too.

The cognitive dissonance was overwhelming.

She started absent-mindedly turning her ring and scratching the skin under it. She knew something was wrong, but every time she tried to figure out what it was her brain fogged over.

Beth reached the end of the aisle where a man — well, dragon wearing a disguise gem — waited for her. They joined hands and the priest started the wedding ceremony.

Rachel wished them a long and happy marriage, while at the same time thinking they should be burned alive for displeasing Lord Delmar. There were enough candles and the room was warm enough that it would only take a few seconds to pull all the heat, form it into an enormous fireball and incinerate both Beth and the dragon where they stood. She would have no chance to escape afterward though. The compulsion was telling her that sacrificing herself to please her father was the right thing to do.

She had enough willpower to resist, but barely. She would certainly be caught and killed. Her instinct for self-preservation stayed her hand, but only just.

“I can wait until tonight.” She reasoned with herself. “I’ll slip into their room, kill them both and escape unnoticed.”

You had better. The compulsion responded.

Rachel smiled to herself. Just a few more hours and she would rid the world of the dragon that had so troubled Lord Delmar, and his associates too. Despite herself, the redhead hoped they would somehow escape her clutches.

Ethan took a deep breath and let it out slowly as everyone in the temple waited for him to say those two words. Just two little words. He looked at his bride and knew he had to, if only to keep the delightful blonde safe. Unfortunately, saying those two words to Beth meant he wouldn’t be able to say them to Alana. That was his only regret as he spoke.

“I do.”

The priest turned toward Beth and she recited her own wedding vows. Oddly enough, the vows included a promise that Beth would obey him. Ethan barely had time to wonder if it was a cultural thing before the priest — who they called a ‘Luminar’ — turned to Beth to administer her vows.

“I absolutely do.” Beth said when the priest had finished. Her eyes were shining like a full moon on a cloudless night and her face radiated bliss. He couldn’t help but smile back at her.

“This couple wishes to exchange more than vows.” The priest said. “They wish to become permanently bonded through the linking of their deep mana.”

At this pronouncement, faint whispers erupted throughout the hall.

“They have the necessary skill.” The priest said. “Now if you will join hands, then please exchange your deep mana.”

Ethan took Beth’s hand and closed his eyes. He could see the slushy pool of mana in his mind’s eye. But under the slush was something else. Like water and oil, they were both liquid, but different, and refused to mix. He pushed his will toward the oil-like deep mana and started to move it toward Beth.

It took several seconds for him to push a few drops out of his body and into his wife. Moments later, he felt Beth take hold of his mana and accept it, at the same time as she offered her deep mana to him and he accepted it.

He could feel his mana mixing with hers.

It was like each was mixing a little of their very identity into the other. He wasn’t a religious man, but he almost wanted to use the word soul. Their bond flared up in strength for the briefest moment as it finished. During that second, he caught a glimpse of ... there was no other way to say it; her soul.

She was laid completely bare before him.

All of her life experiences, all of her emotions, the entire essence of her being and who she was flashed through his mind and heart in an instant. She was a truly good person. She had a streak of jealousy that she wasn’t proud of, but otherwise she was truly good and without guile. He could almost see the sweet innocence in her soul that made her so joyful all the time, and the burning curiosity that drove her to constantly learn.

Ethan opened his eyes and it was like he was seeing Beth for the first time. For some reason, her eyes looked brighter, her face more attractive, and her scent more alluring. She was at once captivating, innocent, beautiful, and sensual. Her feminine curves leapt out at his eyes; the fall of her hair, the curve of her hips, the roundness of her breasts...

He could feel the blood rushing to his loins and his cock had already emerged and was growing quickly. Ethan had never been so glad for his disguise gem because it was protecting his modesty in front of the crowd. If they weren’t in a room full of people, he would’ve taken her right there.

“The bond is complete.” The Luminar said. “May Illuminar bless your union with gold in your purse, children in your house and allies at your side. You are now joined as husband and wife. Ethan, you may kiss your bride.”

Ethan stepped towards Beth, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her full on the lips. She collapsed slightly and kissed him back with all her might. Her tongue even played at the entrance of his mouth, though given his sharp teeth he didn’t let her enter.

“That was some kiss.” Beth whispered when they stopped

“Yeah.”

“I hope there will be more tonight.” Beth said with a wink, then added so quietly only Ethan could hear her. “I can see through your disguise now.”

Beth looked down and blanched when she saw his cock and her eyes went wide. Ethan opened his mouth to reassure her, but the Luminar interrupted.

The man cleared his throat. “If the happy couple will lead the way to the banquet hall, the celebrations shall begin.”

Ethan soon learned that Beth was a master of guiding while appearing to follow. She steered him outside and down the main street, smiling and waving at the adoring townsfolk all the while. She was clearly a bit of a local celebrity.

She guided him through the massive double doors of the correct building, which was a massive dining hall. The hall itself was richly furnished and covered in festive decorations. A full orchestra occupied one corner of the room, although Ethan didn’t recognize many of the instruments.

The food was delicious.

His dragon stomach loved meat more than anything else, but many of the non-meat dishes were good enough that he had seconds. Beth ate a full meal, but he noticed she spent a lot more time stealing glances at him than eating. Unless he mistook the look in her eye, she was impatient for the evening.

Once the meal was over, the center of the room was cleared and dancing commenced. Ethan managed not to make too big a fool of himself, thanks to Beth’s instruction the previous day. Much to his surprise, he found himself enjoying it immensely.

His mood was much improved, even without Alana there. He didn’t miss her any less, but he felt better since bonding to Beth.

The bond with Alana...

Ethan checked his bond with the wood elf and discovered it was still there and as strong as ever. He felt a strange combination of sadness and happiness coming from her, and he guessed it was because she missed him but was happy for them as a couple.

“My bond with Alana didn’t break.” Ethan said to Beth when they had a quiet moment alone.

“Oh.” Beth said, her disappointment evident despite her attempts to conceal it. “You’re bonded with me though, right?”

Ethan closed his eyes and searched around for any trace of the presence of Beth’s bond. It was there, but small and faint; like a shadow in a bright room you can’t quite see, but you know is there.

“Absolutely.” He replied, but didn’t add that he couldn’t feel her emotions the way he could feel Alana’s. Perhaps that’s just because the bond was so new?

“Okay.” Beth bit her lip and nodded, after which an official whisked them away to shake hands with some very wealthy looking people.

After an hour, Lord Borden called on the guests to present their gifts to the couple. Most of the gifts were fine clothes, expensive trinkets, or refined luxuries. There was a long line, and Lord Borden had his servants take the gifts as they were presented to prevent them piling up around the newlyweds.

Ethan noticed that Antheil was standing in the line of people with two gifts. One of them was very thin and at least seven feet long. The other was about two feet long with a wider section near the top. Anthiel was glaring daggers at him. If looks could kill, Ethan would have needed an undertaker.

Then it happened.

The massive double doors to the banquet hall opened.

There was a slightly booming echo followed by the creak of the hinges as they opened and the sound drew all eyes to the doors. Anthiel was nearing the head of the line when everyone turned to look at the newcomers.

Half a dozen men walked in, arrayed in ceremonial dress armor and carrying weapons too ornate to be used on any battlefield. Their chainmail was painted black and clinked as they walked. A surcoat covered most of their chainmail, and the surcoats were emblazoned with stylized black dragon on a red background. The soldiers were arrayed in perfect formation around their leader.

Ethan shivered when he saw him.

The leader was at least six and a half feet tall and was built like a champion body builder. His robes were regal, elegant, and looked like they cost a year’s wages. Covering his chest was the same stylized dragon. His hair was short and jet black, and his eyes were predatory with no trace of warmth in them; they were as cold and unfeeling as death itself.

The man was truly, deeply scary.

Ethan had never felt pure dread from merely seeing a man before, but somehow this man managed it. There was something predatory about his walk and gaze. He moved with a fluidity that was at once graceful and terrifying; he looked like he could pounce at any moment. It was like watching an apex predator sizing up potential prey as the man looked around the room.

Ethan felt the scales on the back of his neck stand up slightly. There was something deeply wrong with this man.

“Lord Delmar.” Lord Borden said as he stood. “You didn’t send word you were coming.”

The man — Lord Delmar — bowed to Lord Borden, but it didn’t come off as respectful. Somehow, it conveyed disdain instead.

“Forgive me Lord Borden.” Lord Delmar said without a hint of remorse. “I was not informed of your daughter’s wedding, nor did I receive an invitation.”

“My deepest apologies Lord Delmar.” Lord Borden said. “I shall have my steward flogged for the oversight.”

Ethan was about to open his mouth to protest when Beth whispered in his ear. “He’s just placating him; he wasn’t invited on purpose.”

“I have also heard rumors of a dragon roar near the bank a fortnight ago.” Lord Delmar said. “Naturally, I gathered my best dragon slayers to assist should you fall under attack. They are outside the city as we speak and stand ready to defend your city should the dragon return.”

“You are most kind and gracious, and we are grateful for the assistance.” Lord Borden replied, although he didn’t look remotely grateful.

“You would do the same for me.” Lord Delmar said. “Now, I’m afraid I didn’t have time to prepare a proper gift, given the lack of invitation. However, I do have something that any young couple starting out should need, and would like to present my gift.”

At the words “my gift”, the entire gift line almost ran out of the way to make room for Lord Delmar. Judging from the looks of fear and panic on the people in the line, they weren’t doing it just to be nice.

Lord Delmar waved his hand and one of the soldiers stepped forward. He carried a box that looked like it weighed seventy or eighty pounds, even though it was quite small. Ethan didn’t need to open the box to know what was inside.

It was gold.

A lot of gold.

The soldier walked up to Ethan and Beth, set the box down, and then opened the lid so they could see inside. It was a cube of solid gold. It was just under 5 inches on a side and glinted in the candlelight from the chandeliers. He reached a finger out and brushed the surface. He felt a small shock — probably static electricity — arc to his hand as he touched it.

Somewhere in the back of Ethan’s mind, it registered that Lord Delmar — the man who was trying to kill him — had just given him a lot of gold. He knew it didn’t make sense, but at that moment he truly didn’t care. His mouth was literally watering at the sight.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Beth beat him to it. “Thank you Lord Delmar, your generosity overwhelms us.”

He simply nodded in agreement and Lord Delmar looked at him right in the eye. Somehow, Ethan knew he could see right through the disguise gem. As they locked eyes, it somehow felt like it was a contest of wills. He could almost feel the full force of Lord Delmar’s astounding intellect and primal cunning boring into his soul. It took all of Ethan’s willpower to meet his gaze.

Lord Delmar smiled, but it was devoid of mirth. “Rest assured, if that dragon tries to take your gold — or even shows his hide — my dragon slayers will pin him to the wall.”

Ethan didn’t miss the veiled threat. Neither did Beth, who shivered at his side.

“Thank you.” Ethan managed to get out, mostly because it seemed like the only thing he could say.

“I shall take my leave of you.” Lord Delmar said. “Enjoy your festivities and know you are safe from dragons while my men are outside the city.”

“Must you leave? There’s a place at my table for you.” Lord Borden offered, but Ethan could tell he was only asking as a formality to avoid offense.

“I beg your pardon, but I must take my leave.” Lord Delmar replied with another disdainful bow. “I have pressing business elsewhere.”

And with that, he turned on his heel and walked out of the room, taking his entourage with him. Ethan slowly let out the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.

“What are we going to do?” Beth whispered to him.

“Right now we should finish the reception.” Ethan replied. “It might look odd, even suspicious if we leave now.”

“Good point.” She agreed.

After the commotion had died down, her father suggested the guests finish presenting their gifts. A couple of expensive trinkets later, Anthiel brought her two gifts up to them. She still looked at him with suspicion, but after Lord Delmar’s visit she looked less so.

“These aren’t from me.” Anthiel said, then handed Ethan a letter. Ethan opened it and he and Beth read it.

Dear Ethan,

I’m sorry I couldn’t attend your wedding. Please know I wish you and Beth only the best in life. However, you have enemies and I wanted to make sure you could defend yourself and your new bride from them. Please take these and use them well.

I enchanted the shafts to be extremely strong, cut resistant, and self-healing. Further, I put a summoning spell on them. If you feed only a drop of your deep mana into the wood, they will bond to you. Then you will be able to call them to your hand whenever you need them. I hope this means you will never be without a weapon.

May Illuminar bless you both, Alana

When Ethan finished reading, Anthiel pulled the fabric off of the long gift to reveal a stunningly beautiful and deadly-looking spear. The shaft was carved with strange runes, symbols, and shapes that looked vaguely Celtic. The spearhead was about ten inches long and had a long raised rib down the center. At the opposite end was an eight-inch triangular steel spike. The spike had a wicked looking point, which slowly thickened at a long angle. Ethan wasn’t sure, but he thought that with enough force behind it, that spike would punch through chainmail.

The second gift was a war hammer. It looked like a large framing hammer, only with a wicked looking strike face and a sharp, slightly curved spike on the opposite side. The handle was adorned with the same Celtic looking runes, symbols, and shapes as the spear.

“Wow.” Ethan said.

“Yes.” Beth agreed.

Anthiel gave Ethan a dirty look, and then turned on her heel and walked away.

The rest of the reception went smoothly, though Ethan wouldn’t let anyone touch the cube of gold or the weapons from Alana. After a few hours, the guests started leaving

“We need to talk.” Lord Borden said when most of the guests had left. He led them to a side room and closed the door behind them.

“He knows doesn’t he?” Lord Borden said to Ethan.

Ethan nodded. “I’m pretty sure he does, we need to leave.”

Lord Borden nodded. “You need to leave town; tonight.”

“I suppose I could take Beth and fly somewhere, but where?”

“Not with the dragon slayers outside you can’t.” Beth said. “They can see through disguise gems and their bows are enchanted to release arrows at a few hundred pounds. They can hit a bird on the wing from a hundred yards. I don’t think you can fly high enough or fast enough to avoid their arrows.”

“Then how?” Ethan asked.

“My airship.” Lord Borden replied. “I’ve already given the order to make it ready to sail.”

“But where will we go?” Beth asked.

“I don’t know my love.” Lord Borden wrapped his daughter in a hug. “Lord Delmar surely knows that I’m helping you, so he’ll be watching all of our associates, even the clandestine ones. You can’t go to anyone you know, or he’ll find you.”

“But what about you, mother, and Charlie?” Beth asked, and Ethan could see tears forming in her eyes. “When will I see you again?”

“I don’t know.” Lord Borden replied. “Unfortunately, probably not for some time.”

“But...” Beth seemed to have gained some composure and stepped back from her father. “But what about you? Will he attack you?”

“I doubt it.” Lord Borden replied. “I have much of the Emperor’s gold in the vault, and a private army to defend it. He’s interested in you two, not me.”

“This is all my fault.” Ethan said. “If I hadn’t roared that day in the vault...”

Lord Borden slapped Ethan across the face.

“Hey! What was that for?”

“You listen to me young man.” Lord Borden replied in a quiet, deadly tone that brooked no argument. “Lord Delmar would’ve found out eventually. Living in the past will do you no good. I’m entrusting my only daughter into your care. To keep her alive, you need your wits about you. Learn from your mistakes, but don’t dwell on them. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes sir.” Ethan replied.

“Now.” Lord Borden said. “The airship won’t be ready for a few hours yet. You should take Ethan to your room, pack your things, and get changed into traveling clothes.”

“Can I at least say goodbye to mother and Charlie?” Beth asked.

“Of course.” Lord Borden replied. “I’ll bring them to the dock before you set sail, but right now you need to get ready.”

Beth bit her lips and nodded.

“Take care of my girl Ethan.”

“I’ll do my best sir.”

“Good, I have a few arrangements to make for the airship. Excuse me.” Lord Borden said before turning to leave the room.

“Wait.” Ethan called after him. “One thing is bothering me. Why would Lord Delmar give gold to a dragon he’s trying to kill? It just doesn’t make any sense.”

A dark shadow crossed over Lord Borden’s face as he answered. “Lord Delmar does not give gifts to enemies; he gives snares, traps. Dragons have a peculiar reaction to gold as you well know.”

Ethan swallowed as he remembered what happened with Alana in the vault.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if that cube ends up being your downfall.” Lord Borden finished ominously.

Ethan closed the door behind them as they entered Beth’s room. It was larger than most of the other rooms he’d seen, but still a reasonable size. The dominant feature was a large and overly full bookcase adjacent to the oversize bed. Otherwise, it looked like a medieval version of any modern teenager’s bedroom.