Story (c) 2000 by Hikaru Katayamma/Keith Dickinson. All rights reserved. The character Sheila Vixen (c) Eric W Schwartz. Throckmorton P Ruddygore, Poqua, Lakash (c) Jack L Chalker. All other characters are (c) Hikaru Katayamma.  This story contains adult situations and language. By reading it the viewer agrees not to hold this or any other person responsible for any content they may find objectionable. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Sheila and Hecate both jumped at the sound of hammering on the barn door. "Open up in there!" came a loud, angry shout. They both recognized it as the man who owned the farm. "Damn it, I said open up!" he shouted again, continuing to bang on the door with some hard object.

Hecate hefted a nearby block of rock salt and threw it at the door, shattering the white projectile while also achieving her immediate goal: Getting the farmer to stop his incessant banging. Hecate unbarred the door and opened it. Before she could say anything, the farmer pushed past her.

"Where is she?" he demanded, looking around. "What did you do with her?" The infuriated farmer pointed the axe he was holding at Hecate and repeated his demand. "What did you people do with her?"

Hecate rolled her eyes and leaned against the door. "Do with who?" she asked in a bored tone of voice.

"Don't play the fool with me," the man responded angrily. "My daughter, Teyah. What did you people do with her?" He took a step towards Hecate and raised the axe threateningly. His expression changed from anger to surprise as the axe was suddenly yanked from his hands and turned in the air as if held by an unseen person, menacing him.

Hecate gestured slightly with her fingers, controlling the axe, using it to herd the man against the main barn doors, which were still closed and barred. "Look, asshole. We didn't do anything with your girl."

"Maybe you didn't," the man conceded then nodded at the sleeping dragon, "but what's to say it didn't do something?"

"You best be careful," Hecate stated in a low, dangerous voice. She moved closer until she was almost touching the man and leaned over to whisper into his ear. "Dragons can be cranky when they don't get their beauty rest. You wouldn't like him if he was cranky." She glanced over at the dragon before smiling at the man. "No, I wouldn't want to be the one who wakes him up."

"Enough of this shit," Sheila growled as she picked up a pitchfork. "HEY! Asshole! Wake up!" Seeing no reaction from the dragon, Sheila hefted the pitchfork and threw it like a spear. Nobody was more surprised than she was when it passed through the dragon and hit something unseen on the other side. "What the fuck?" The confused vixen started to move towards the dragon but froze when its eyes opened. The lips moved in an unnatural way, creating the image of a smile as the body faded away, leaving nothing but a toothy Cheshire cat's grin behind which faded a few seconds later as the last remnants of the spell disappeared. "That son of a bitch snuck out on us."

The farmer snarled at Hecate. "Where's my daughter?"

All three heads turned towards the side door at the sound of a new voice. "I'm right here." Teyah stood just inside the doorway and frowned at her father. "Why are you bothering these people?"

The father's anger shifted towards his errant daughter. "Where the hell were you? Do you have any idea how worried your mother and I have been?"

Teyah rolled her eyes and let out an exaggerated sigh. " Daddy," she drawled, "I was just checking the wards on the north pasture. It looks like they may be back."

The expression on her father changed from anger to concern. "The wolves are back? Did they get any of the herd?"

"Nope. It looks like the wards held." She moved over to her father and took his arm in one hand while gesturing with the other. "Now let's stop bothering these nice people and go get you some breakfast, ok?"

Her father blinked a couple of times and smiled. "You're right. Breakfast sounds like a good idea right about now." The two of them walked to the man sized door. Teyah whispered something to her father who nodded in reply before he left. She then turned to the two other females in the barn. "Arden asked me to tell you that he'll be back in a little while."

Sheila scowled at the girl. "You were out last night with Arden, weren't you?" She sniffed a few times and pursed her lips. "Don't try to deny it. I can smell his stench on you."

"Why should I deny it?" the young apprentice asked, somewhat confused. "We had a nice time last night." She smiled and twirled a strand of hair around her finger absently as she remembered the night. "He's certainly not what I expected from a dragon."

Sheila's paw gripped the handle of the sword so hard the leather creaked. "What the hell were you two doing out there last night?" she demanded in a low, growling voice.

Teyah took a step back, startled at the vixen's hostility. "Nothing. We just talked, that's all."

"Yah, right," Sheila growled. "You listen to me and you listen close. Stay away from him or you're going to have more trouble than you could ever imagine."

Hecate stepped between Sheila and the girl. "Take it easy," she said, trying to calm the vixen down. "Think about it; what the hell could he do with her anyway?"

Sheila glowered at the Imir. "Stay out of this," she hissed between clinched fangs. Her armor, sensing her anger, began to glow slightly as combat spells came alive. Both Hecate and Teyah backed away from Sheila as an unspoken fear hit them. "You don't know him. He's trouble. If either of you have the sense God gave a rock, you'll stay away from him." Teyah dodged to the side as the vixen stormed past her and out of the barn.

The young woman looked over at the shaken Imir and shivered. "Whoa," she whispered under her breath.

Hecate moved next to Teyah to watch Sheila's retreating form. "Yah, whoa."

Dawn rose behind the eight dragons and their riders, illuminating their backs and the ocean that they were currently flying over. On the horizon was a sinister mist that blanketed the tall cliffs, marking the boundary between land and sea. Within the hour the eight made land fall. Rather than land and rest, they pushed inland for several more hours until a large city could be seen in the distance, scaling the side of a mountain and covering it completely. Around the mountain flew a large number of dragons, wyverns, rocs and other creatures of ill temper. They made their way to a large landing area just on the outskirts of town and set down. People rushed out from the buildings surrounding the mews as if waiting for those very riders and began to tend to the dragons' needs as their weary riders dismounted and made their way slowly into the buildings.

The lead dwarf was greeted by a squat, fat human who was almost short enough to be considered a dwarf himself in human terms. "Ahh, my friends. You have returned. What may Pasqual do for you today?"

"We need transport to Hypborea," the exhausted dwarf said as he dropped into a well- padded chair.

"But what could you possibly need transport for" the fat human asked. "You have dragons. Simply fly there."

The dwarf shook his head and waved off the question. "We're pursuing a prey who moves almost as fast as we do, and he's got a good head start." He accepted a goblet of wine from a servant and knocked it back. "That's why we need transport. I think you know what kind of transport I'm talking about, too."

The fat human frowned and nodded. "That will take a most powerful ally to accomplish and it won't be without its price."

"I know the price," the dwarf grumbled. "You just get someone strong enough to send eight full grown dragons half way across Husaquahr and I'll work the deal with him." A glance at the hesitant Pasqual made the dwarf chuckle. "Don't worry. You'll get a hefty finders fee for hooking me up with him."

Reassured of a profit, the fat man smiled. "Excellent. When would you like to leave?"

"Tonight," the dwarf said, downing another flagon of wine. "Tomorrow at the latest. We just need to give our mounts a bit of rest before we transit. After we're in Hypborea they can get the proper rest they need."

"Very well," Pasqual agreed. "I'll see to it. When you're ready, the servants will show you to your rooms." The trader bowed several times as he backed out of the room, closing the door behind him. As he made his way down the hall, his form shifted as he grew to his full height. He paused at a window that looked out at the courtyard where the dragons sat, and he smiled. His perfect physical beauty was only slightly marred by the two, small horns that protruded from his forehead. "Yes," he thought, "they'll bargain and get more than they ever expected. Of course one must expect such things when dealing with a prince of hell."

A small chuckle echoed down the hallway as the demon who called himself Pasqual went to prepare for the evenings casting.

Teyah walked towards the barn, fingering a silver bracelet in her hand as she went. The double doors were wide open allowing her to walk right in. One quick glance showed that nobody was in the barn. She turned to leave when she heard a familiar voice in her head. Hey, Snack. What's up? Confused, she looked around, only this time she spotted the dragon sitting in the middle of the barn with a smug look on it's face.

"How did you do that?" she asked in awe. "I've never seen an invisibility spell that worked so flawlessly."

Why to you say it was an invisibility spell? the dragon asked in a smug fashion as he rest his chin on his palms and smiled.

"Because I couldn't see you. The barn was completely empty," Teyah replied, somewhat annoyed at the smug tone to the dragon's voice.

Arden chuckled. But I wasn't invisible. Invisibility is a hard thing to accomplish. I used a much betters spell. One that a rather brilliant mind from my world thought up.

Before Teyah could answer, she was interrupted by Sheila's voice as the vixen came around the corner. "Hey, you!" the vixen barked. "Where is he?"

Teyah glanced into the barn only to see the dragon waving one true hand and both hand-feet as he held a finger of his other true hand in front of his mouth to signal that Teyah shouldn't say anything about him. "How should I know?" she fired back. "I'm not your dragon's keeper."

Sheila glanced into the barn then back at the girl. "Oh yah? Then why are you out here?" she interrogated, scowling at the girl suspiciously.

"Mother sent me," she replied flatly. "She's made up a pot of stew and said to tell you and your friend that you can come have some any time you feel hungry."

"Oh," the vixen replied somewhat sheepishly. "Umm… Thanks." Sheila glanced into the barn the back at the girl before walking towards the house. Several times she stopped, and looked at the barn before shaking her head and continuing inside.

Teyah smiled and laughed as she went into the barn. "How did you do that? You were in plain sight!"

The dragon smiled for a second and considered letting the girl sweat but decided not to. It's a simple spell. It works on the fact that people really don't pay attention to things around them.

"Huh?" the girl grunted. "I don't get it."

Arden lowered his head down and turned his head so he could see the girl easier with one eye. When you go into town, do you pay attention to every little thing that everyone is doing? Can you tell me exactly what everyone was wearing, carrying or doing at the time?

"Not really," she replied, considering what he had said. "I can think of a few people that I talked to, but other than them, I can't say.."

Exactly! the dragon replied. Anything that you aren't currently interacting with isn't your problem. It's someone else's problem. That's what my spell does. It simply sends a very strong message to the person's subconscious that I'm not what they're looking for, and that they don't need to be bothered with me any more than you'd worry about a frog by the roadside.

Teyah's brows furrowed as she considered his explanation. "But she was looking for you. Why did it still work?"

It almost didn't, Arden replied. You notice how she kept looking back? Her subconscious kept saying "Yes, there's a dragon there, but it's not the one you care about" while another part of her mind said, "That's not right!" That's why she kept looking back. The spell isn't invisibility, but it's almost as good.

"Somebody else's problem," Teyah repeated with a smile. "That's a neat concept. Can you teach it to me? I could sure use a spell like that."

Arden frowned and shook his head. Our magics aren't compatible. I'm afraid that it would be decades if not longer before you ever got to the level where you could manipulate the kind of magic I do. However, if you think about it, I'm sure you'll come up with your own version of the spell sooner or later.

Teyah nodded and forced a smile. "I suppose so," she replied. It was then she remembered the bracelet that she had brought him and pulled out the silver band. "Oh, here's what you asked for. Daddy gave me this when I became an apprentice."

Arden took the tiny hoop as she slipped it over the end of a proffered claw. Excellent. I'll give it back to you in the morning.

"What do you want it for, anyway?" she asked as she watched the dragon examine the circlet.

You'll find out. Just a little something for an up and coming apprentice. He smiled and nodded towards the house. You'd better get back before Sheila gets curious about why you didn't come back for dinner.

"What's the deal with her?" Teyah asked, glancing towards the house to make sure nobody was around. "She's got some serious problems where you're concerned."

The dragon closed his eyes and sighed. It's a long story. The short of it is that she's not from this world, the child she's carrying is mine and she's had a pretty rough time of it in this world for the last six months while I was dead.

Teyah stared at the dragon slack jawed for several seconds before she shook her head. "You're going to have to give me ALL the details. You obviously left some of the finer points out last night."

We'll see. Now go eat and I'll see you again tonight.

Arden watched the girl head back to he house. He then looked down at the tiny circlet on the end of one claw tip. He gestured with a free hand and the band of silver floated up into the air and hovered there. Using both hands, he began casting an intricate spell that had separate threads coming from each hand creating a synchronous spell that slowly reshaped the band. It would take some time to complete the spell he had conceived for her, and then a little more to add the new spell he had thought of during their conversation. Once he was done, it would be a keepsake that should ensure that she fulfilled the destiny he had foreseen in his meditations last night.