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NEEDING TO COME UP for air, feeling a deep pain suddenly in my chest, I came out of the archives where Father and I had been working diligently, looking for loopholes and connections to the Otherkind families, hoping to find an easy fix to the split between the Vampires and the Fey. Since the Teague Family was now the Patriarchy the only fix was to marry Keegan off to one of the Fey. That wasn’t going to happen, unless there was another suitable male heir. We had found a passage that stated Herlihy could name knights to his house, as well as Lords, and other higher officials, and that these people could be considered family. This could well be the in we had been looking for, but who would he appoint? Who, from the Fey Hierarchy would they marry to seal the rift?
“You okay there, son?” Father asked as I rubbed my chest harder, the pain was getting worse and I felt it like nothing I had ever felt before. My scales were coming to the surface and I noticed these splotches of discoloration on me.
“I- um, I don’t rightly know, Father.”
He came over to me, and looked at my chest, wide eyed. “You, son, are bonded to that lovely little hatchling of a Dragonborn.”
“Huh? No, how do you figure? I’ve sworn no fealty to her, made no proclamations to her.”
“Do you have anything on your person from her?” I shook my head. “Did you take anything from her of great value? A bauble? A lock of hair, perhaps, it could be something so tiny you wouldn’t even realize it meant anything to her, but if it does and you have it...”
“Her virginity... I took her virginity, Father.”
“Well, that- uh... that would certainly do it.” He half-laughed. “But that, what you are seeing there, that’s distress. She’s in trouble, boy.” The look on his face said there was more, but I didn’t have time to hear it.
I stood up, slamming the chair backward, my heart leaping out of my chest. “I can’t stay here, I need to go, I can’t- if she’s hurt or worse...” I moved to the left and my phone went off. I looked down, realizing I still had the damned thing. It hadn’t made a peep in days. Days. I’d been here for days, so wrapped up in all this craziness that I had stayed away from her, from everyone, who knows what had been going on. I saw I had a voice mail from Ryane.
I clicked that first.
“Sig, you fuck where are you, you go AWOL on us and the world goes to ashes! Grigori is on fucking Defcon one! The whole place is up in smoke! The Deviant Class has been attacked by the Campus Security Squad and the Local PD has gotten into it! It’s all over the news! We can’t get within six blocks of it! Babe, I don’t know where Aella is! She’s in there somewhere! You gotta find her!”
I hung up, then saw the text from Aella, marked only ten minutes ago.
At Grigori, I need you. They need you. I’ll do what I can till you get here. Hurry. I love you...
I dropped my phone, rubbing my chest, looking at my father. “What could do this to her, to me through her?”
“Not much, my best guest? A Dragon’s Poison. It causes paralysis, hallucinations, mental disfigurations and in Human’s, immediate pain and death. For one of us, it’s a lot of pain and possible paralysis, depending on the potency and locations, a certain amount of confusion. Acts of Valor, or cowardice depending on the Dragon.”
“Knowing my girl, she’s about to do something really stupid, ultimately brave, but completely bonkers.” I hugged my father, who then grabbed me, pulling me in tighter. “If you wait a God damned moment you won’t have to go at this alone. I’m coming with you.”
“You don’t even have your weapon.”
“Do you think I would hide it somewhere I couldn’t retrieve it when I needed it?” He eyed me with a smirk.
“Just follow me out and we’ll retrieve yours first.”
***
ONCE OUTSIDE, WE CLOAKED and flew about twenty kilometers west towards the College, then landed in a field devoid of any life except a few crows.
“What, is this where your weapon is?”
“Sort of and no. My weapon has been many places, but never here until this very moment.” He put his hand on my forehead.
“Father?” I questioned him as my stomach lurched, and he tilted my head all the way back.
“Gral delshcked Ulshek,” he chanted as his fingers worked into my forced opened mouth, stretching past my teeth, “Gral delshcked Ulshek, Inferinm Rlman!” As we stood there, I felt my Dragon release and as it did so the tightness in my jaw laxed and from my now loosened muzzle, he pulled a sword of bursting flames. He stood back, blowing out the fire, revealing a snake blade of about two feet in length with a hand and a half handle made of bone.
“You my son, have been my sheath, since you were but a babe. You have been my chosen Master, my immortal tie to this realm. You two boys are the cause for which I will forever fight.” He smiled as I regained my Human shape. Dropping to the ground.
I looked up at him with tears in my pained eyes. “I had no idea we could house a second weapon.”
“You can house the weapon of your father, or the weapon of your own forging, so long as it comes from your flesh or blood. The magics will bring it to you in time. You are young yet, you will see, once you have had your first hatchlings.”
I laughed. “I doubt that will happen, especially if we do not get a move on. Father, there is urgency to this issue of mine. We must move.”
“Aye. I understand.” He leaned forward, thrusting his sword into his back, and unfurling his flame touched wings once more. We cloaked and took back to the air, Hell bent on retrieving my woman.