CHAPTER ONE

Raykim was bored. The clouds had nothing interesting to say. The gray sky seemed to loom over land and sea, but he wasn't worried. Perched atop the mountains, he looked down at the ocean and the little towns of the Humans, so close and yet so far.

Sometimes he wished he could fly there and actually mingle with them. Watching from afar wasn't fun! Raykim was bored and lonely. But he still remembered what had happened the first time he had tried to set foot in a Human town.

People had screamed, and if at first they'd run away, soon they'd gathered weapons and had marched on him, determined to kill him. It had been much worse than being chased from the Nest, that was for sure! At least the Sila didn't have pointed sticks that ripped his skin apart.

Thank the Immortals none of the blades had touched his bat-like wings, or he'd be crippled and locked in one of their cages by now. He was still free to roam the skies – alone. Not Sila, not Fajrulo, and certainly not Human.

Nobody wanted him. Nobody loved him. Nobody wanted to be near him! What had he done to be so feared, hated, rejected? Would he ever find someone to be with?

He missed his mother's warm body, her feathered wings, her soothing tone. She had raised him for as long as she could, but then the rest of the Home Nest had wanted him out, and she had kissed him good-bye.

"You're old enough to survive on your own, Raykim," she'd told him. "You will have a very long life, and I'd rather you didn't see me grow old and die. You are my last offspring and you will outlive me by centuries."

Raykim didn't think he was old enough. He wanted back into the Nest, but there was no way they'd let him. Even hiding in a corner wasn't enough – they didn't want him because he had bat-like wings and blue hair and yellow eyes and pointed ears and he was so un-Sila that none of them could accept him for who he was.

A wretched half-blood. Unwanted by Sila and Humans. And he wasn't sure where he could find the others – the Waiora or the Genn. Who knew where his father was, but then, his mother had told him Fajrulo had no feelings anyway.

He couldn't shift form to hide his strange looks, so he could only watch the lives of others from afar. Humans were more interesting than Sila, and since there were at least six towns and several smaller castles he could observe from the top of the mountains, he spent his time keeping an eye on Earth's children.

Currently he was looking at a coastal town that had a gladiator ring. It was a day of fights, and he usually enjoyed watching Humans fight against each other. But the day was cloudy and the ring was still half-empty, as if even the fighters weren't sure they could have a go before rain ruined everything.

Raykim snorted. The towel he used as a loincloth scratched his skin. He pushed away some clouds so the gladiators could start. It must be still early, though, and they might decide to postpone the championship because of the muddy terrain.

Raykim manipulated the wind from the sea to dry up the ring a little. Now he was hungry, though, so he went looking for some form of breakfast. Unlike the Sila, he didn't eat Clouds Nectar and preferred meat – a Fajrulo trait that horrified his mother's people.

He opened his wings and went hunting, finding only a hare. It would do for now. He went back to his perch – a rock protruding towards the town – and ate the animal raw, without skinning it. He might have no fangs, but he didn't care about Human subtleties, although he had to admit the cooked food smelled delicious.

Sometimes he tried to cook things, since he manipulated fire as easily as he manipulated air, but there was obviously something missing in his recipes. He often burned the meat and it became inedible.

There, the gladiators were gathering at last. Raykim threw away the rest of his breakfast and settled to watch the show. His powerful sight, better than that of an eagle, meant he could see the fights as if he were sitting in the stands.

The men lined up and started fighting. There were even two women, muscled and bulky. Raykim cheered for his favorite, a big Human warrior who had already won many of the fights. He was almost certain he'd win again.

Sometimes he wished his hearing was as good as his eyes, so he could know the man's name. But even if they chanted it after the games, he was too far up to hear it.

Let's spice up the fight! he thought with a chuckle.

He called back the clouds and covered the ring with them. He squeezed water out of them, and the downpour flooded the arena.

And then something weird happened. One of the fighters, who had lost his armor and helmet, suddenly rose and attacked the few men standing.

Raykim's eyes widened in wonder at the sight. He had never seen that young man before, but soon he was the only one who hadn't slipped or fallen to the muddy ground.

The new champion raised his arms to the sky and seemed to enjoy the rain so much, Raykim couldn't believe his eyes. Who was he, what had just happened? Who was that man who had robbed his champion of victory?

Talk about spicing up things! Raykim started giggling.

He focused on the champion's face and saw unusual turquoise eyes. A stranger had won the championship.

Raykim was very curious to learn more about the new champion, so he kept watching the town. He even flew over it to be able to follow the young man wherever he went.

The morning after, he saw the Champion sell his repaired armor, buy a wagon and a draft horse with two friends and leave the town on horseback. More and more curious, Raykim decided to follow them.

***

Keneith had been traveling with Hinrik for only three months and already he was growing fond of the young man. When they'd found him near Moriana, naked and bruised, Keneith hadn't been too happy. The half-Waiora was too much of a wimp for his tastes.

Hinrik had the warrior's muscles and training, but he spent too much time bemoaning his fate. He hadn't been completely aware of his mixed blood until he'd met them, although his turquoise eyes gave his heritage away, but as the only child of an unmarried woman he had never fit in his hometown.

But now Hinrik was proving to be a very good fighter – and had earned him a purse of gold coins, which fed his Fajrulo greed. Not that he was as greedy as a full-blooded Fajrulo would be, he was half-Human after all, but he sure hoped Hinrik would win more mock battles so he could keep betting on him.

They had given up their riding horses for the wagon and draft horse because Bellinda was sick of the saddle. Keneith was happy to move to the front of the wagon with her, since he had to admit that the saddle was quite uncomfortable – especially for him. So he was glad that a woman had raised the issue and wondered how Hinrik could stick to his gelding, but whatever.

It's his family jewels that get crushed by the saddle. And he hasn't been using them much since we met him – except for last night, of course.

After his victory, apparently Hinrik had entertained the whole brothel of Flean by himself. Not bad for someone who had been raped three months earlier. Obviously Bellinda's healing skills were getting better with time.

Of course they were getting better. All of them. With age they became more powerful, especially if someone told them how to deal with their mixed blood. He hadn't learned much until the Genn had finally explained some things to him – years wasted trying to fit into Human schools of magic where nobody knew how to deal with him and his innate powers...

And now here he was, with two other half-bloods, exploring the north. A warrior, a healer and a magic user. Not that he'd used his magic much, except when bandits had tried to rob them or when juggling with balls of fire in Flean.

"My, aren't we quiet, oh champion!" Bellinda said, breaking the thoughtful silence. "Still thinking about your victory? Or still tired from the night that followed?"

The half-Genn healer had dark-blond hair and sky-blue eyes. She hadn't inherited the pointed ears of her Genn father, but had a Genn-framed body with small breasts. If she cut her hair, she could pass off as a boy. She had worn breeches to ride, but now she was back to her gowns.

"I've been thinking," Hinrik answered. "I think I found my calling. I mean, I felt so alive under the rain... it was invigorating!"

I bet it was. Your element gives you strength. It's like trying to burn me alive, I'd destroy you in a heartbeat.

"And then you sold your armor, which means you won't do it again," she said with a chuckle.

"No, I don't want to fight anymore, whether in war or in an arena. I've been thinking about manipulating water instead. You know, like Keneith's tricks with fire."

Yes, call them tricks, since you're not scared of me – not anymore. Maybe I should scare you into respecting me again.

Bellinda raised her eyebrows, skeptical. "So you want to be an entertainer instead of a warrior?"

"Why not? If it pays for food and shelter..."

"I'm not sure I want to play the jester," Keneith said. "But I'll be glad to keep betting on your victories."

He shook his still jingling purse with a grin. He liked the fact that Hinrik was a warrior and that in spite of defeat he had bounced back. Hinrik had won the armor in Baes, but then he'd sold it in Flean – not a good sign.

Hinrik rolled his eyes. "No, I don't want to fight anymore," he grumbled. "I joined the Salamar army because I thought I had no other option. But it wasn't my true calling. Now, you don't have to do what I do, I just thought I'd try something different to make a living."

"We'll think about it," Bellinda promised. "I'm not too keen on shows myself, but if I can find a deck of divination cards that I like, I can try to read people's future. Probably by reading their body's health, I can predict how long they have to live."

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Bellinda the fortune teller," Keneith proclaimed.

Bellinda rolled her eyes and Hinrik smiled.

"It was just an idea," he said. "We can think about it, of course."

Keneith scoffed and shook his head, but Bellinda nodded, thoughtful. Of course she'd back him up. She had a soft spot for Hinrik, and not because she had healed him. He was handsome, young and sweet in a charming way. If he let his guard down a little, women would line up to get him.

Keneith wondered if she had realized yet she was falling in love with the youngest member of their small group. Not that he cared, just wondered.

That night they camped in the wild. Not having to set up a tent was a welcome novelty, but they still had two horses to take care of. Inside the wagon there was barely room to lie down side by side. Actually Bellinda lay on a long chest that could also be used as a bench and contained all their things.

Keneith didn't like cramped bedding, but he wasn't going to complain. He slept a lot less than the "dormice" he traveled with, and wouldn't lie in the wagon much. He'd rather sleep under the stars, like he'd done when he'd left home.

"I kind of like this house on wheels," Bellinda said as they sat around the fire.

The sun had set and Keneith's fire was the only thing that gave them light and warmth. They had found a small clearing and the bulk of the wagon protected them from the gale that came from the sea.

"If it rains tonight, Hinrik can sleep outside," Keneith said.

Hinrik smiled but shook his head.

"We have dried meat and dried vegetables," Bellinda said, rummaging in their supply pack. "And some herbs to season everything."

"Can you teach me how to cook these? I'll happily share!"

The voice startled all three.

Keneith stared at the being that stepped forward, holding two dead hares by their ears. A frail teenage body with bat-like wings, the newcomer had brown skin, pointed ears and showed no fangs in his propitiatory smile. He wore a loincloth and was barefooted.

Hinrik's hand went to the hilt of his sword, but this time he waited for Keneith to make the first move. Bellinda was still and stared at the newcomer with a confused look on her face.

Another half-blood, who, in spite of his obvious youth, had felt kinship with them and had dared to show up with a peace offering.

That face and the dancing shadows over it reminded Keneith of his younger self, although he never had wings. And the strange half-blood spoke the Old Tongue, as if he weren't used to dealing with Humans.

Keneith mentally thanked the Genn for teaching him the Magical Races' language even though he wasn't one of them.

"How long have you been watching us?" he asked bluntly. He had a very bad feeling. Not of something threatening, more of something that would disturb his peace of mind.

"Since yesterday." The other grinned. "Someone made quite a show under the rain." He glanced at Hinrik. "That was something new! Usually when I bring on the rain, I spoil all the fun!"

"You made the rain fall?" Bellinda asked.

"My Sila blood allows me to control clouds, yes." The other let down his arms. "So, do you want my contribution or not? Can you help me to cook these?"

Bellinda signaled him to pass on the hares and Hinrik relaxed. Keneith gestured the newcomer to sit down with them.

"And you are?" he asked, taking one of the hares from Bellinda's hands. The healer was the worst cook in the world.

"My name is Raykim. I'm half-blood, like you. Unfortunately I didn't inherit the shape-shifting power of my Fajrulo father, so I'm stuck with this form. Which means the Sila fear me for my featherless wings, Humans think I'm a demon and Fajrulo of course don't care. So I wander those mountains and having the keen Sila sight, I watch the Humans and their lives from up above..."

"And your Fajrulo father is...?" Keneith thought he knew the answer by now. The boy looked too familiar.

"Runedemon. He mated with a Sila."

Damn Fajrulo charmers! If only he were as good as his Fajrulo mother in that department!

"So we're cousins," he said matter-of-factly. "I'm Keneith, son of Bluestar and a Human."

"Pleased to meet you!" Raykim grinned. "And the others are...?"

"Bellinda, daughter of Joyrise the Genn and Alina of Havenstock, and Hinrik, son of Woram the Waiora and Kaline of Salamar."

"We have all the immortals with us," Raykim said, beaming. "Air, Fire, Water, Ether and Earth!"

"Except you can't really live among Humans," Bellinda said while Keneith and Hinrik skinned the hares before putting them on the fire.

Raykim's smile vanished and his shoulders slumped. "I know! But you are not chasing me away, are you?"

"We'll see about that," Keneith snapped, uneasy.

He didn't have the patience to deal with another young half-blood abandoned by his parents. He'd been through it, but at more than half a century of age he didn't want to deal with teen angst anymore.

Although Raykim looked cheerful more than angry, or depressed like Hinrik had been. Which made him realize that Hinrik hadn't understood a word, but Bellinda was filling him in.

Raykim noticed he didn't understand Hinrik's words and he touched Hinrik's cheek. For some sort of mind-reading power, through touch, he understood when Hinrik suggested he traveled with them, his stupid idea of some sort of itinerant circus. As if they weren't freaks enough already!

"I'm not a jester!" Keneith repeated, snorting.

"Of course you are. With your Fajrulo humor," Bellinda teased.

Keneith glared at her. "Not funny, Bel."

"What exactly did you have in mind?" Raykim asked, hopeful.

"Well, we have a wagon, so you could hide in there during the day. And then at night you come out and take part in the show. We can come up with something. We'll say it's props, it's your costume, and nobody will fear you. We could do a short play with four characters and..."

"Now we're becoming actors?" Keneith shook his head, incredulous. "Hinrik, are you out of your mind? What happened to the shy and grumpy half-blood that left Salamar with us?"

"He is gone," Hinrik answered proudly. "It was just an idea, like I said, you can always come up with something better!"

"It's good to hear you having some initiative," Bellinda said, amused. "We can work it out, I guess."

"You mean I could travel with you?" Raykim's joy and hope were so obvious to all, that Keneith groaned internally. If they decided to vote, he'd be outnumbered. His young cousin would have to stay.

CHAPTER TWO

Raykim was delighted to have found his cousin. When he had flown closer to them, he had felt they weren't normal Humans. As night had fallen, he'd gone hunting and thought to get to know them.

The only one with a pointed stick was the Champion and he could feel Fire in the one who had turned out to be related to him. And the other two were members of the other Magical Races. Well, half-bloods, but still... At least they let him stay with them!

The hares were delicious cooked. His elder cousin seemed pissed off to have him, but the others were nice. Especially the new champion, who was half-Waiora but didn't speak the Old Tongue.

Raykim really wanted to communicate with Hinrik. He seemed the nicest of the group, and the youngest. Well, now he was the youngest, so he had, like, three elder siblings now! It was so exciting! And by touching Hinrik's skin – not necessarily the cheek – he managed to learn and absorb the Humans' language in just a few days.

They reached the town of Aludin and he had to wait in the wagon while the others went out to explore. Of course hanging out with Humans in plain daylight was out of the question. He brooded for a moment, then started rummaging in the other half-bloods' things, just to keep himself busy.

Raykim ate on his own as soon as the sun went down – but this time he managed not to burn the meat – and then eagerly waited for the others to come back with news about the schools of magic.

"What tricks can you do with water?" he asked Hinrik. "Besides the happy dance of raindrops and changing gut-rotting drinks into water, I mean."

He had seen the way the rain moved around the new champion in the ring, not all natural, and they'd just told him of how Hinrik had turned the house special of a nearby tavern into water after hearing it might contain dog hair.

All four sat on the grass by the wagon under the stars. Keneith had put a small ball of fire into a bowl and its light flickered on their faces.

Hinrik pondered. "I was thinking of doing ice objects by freezing water and shaping it, but I've never tried it, so maybe I should practice a little, first. What tricks will you do, Raykim?"

Raykim patted his lips with his index finger as he thought. He had no idea of what was expected of him. He couldn't even imagine how Hinrik could do what he said he'd do!

"I don't know, what would amuse and not scare the Humans?" he asked at last.

"You can play with fire and air," Keneith said. "Except air, much like ether, is invisible. I will let you be the king of fire if you want."

"So what will you do?" Bellinda asked.

"Like I said, I'm not too keen on showing off my skills," Keneith answered. "People tend to dislike me, when they see what I can do. Wannabe magic users want to destroy me and normal people fear me."

"What can you actually do?" Hinrik asked.

Raykim stared curiously at his elder cousin. He sensed the kinship, but Keneith was still a mystery to him. And he didn't allow Raykim to touch him like Hinrik did, therefore he wasn't sure either of what Keneith could do. It was a relief to hear that even Human-looking Keneith had trouble with Humans.

He had learned Keneith was fifty-five, even though he looked in his thirties, Bellinda was in her mid-thirties and Hinrik in his mid-twenties. But being such a small group, there was no real leader, even though Hinrik – and Raykim himself – tended to follow the orders of the other two who were more experienced.

"Things that most people study for years come naturally to me," Keneith said. "The teachers in those schools can probably do only half the things I can do. You've noticed I don't recite spells – because I don't need to. I have an energy in me and I use it, much like you're going to do with your natural gift for manipulating water."

He was staring at Hinrik, but Raykim's ears perked up anyway. Another way of using magic might be about to be revealed! Maybe Keneith could teach him how to do the balls of fire or other neat tricks!

"But let me warn you that this won't make you more loved," Keneith continued. "Envy is the Humans' greatest sin. Envy and jealousy, because you're handsome, young and can effortlessly do what those people study for years to barely master. If you think creating cute little ice objects will endear you to the world, you're sorely mistaken."

Raykim frowned, feeling sorry for his new friend who was obviously bummed by the explanation. "Is there no way to earn Humans' love or respect?"

"If there is, I haven't found it yet," Keneith answered with a shrug.

"I think Ken is a little cynical," Bellinda said, thoughtful.

Keneith scoffed. "Bel, you didn't have it as hard as we did," he said sourly. "Your parents stayed together. They were respected both in the Genn and in the Human community. And your healing power is not threatening. But us? I can burn things and people. Hinrik could drown them or freeze them. And Raykim isn't Human at all. We're freaks and condemned to be feared and avoided at all costs."

Raykim felt Hinrik's sadness and felt sad too.

"So we'll never find our place in the world?" Hinrik asked with a shaky voice.

"It depends on what you want, Hinrik," Keneith answered. "Do you really want to be part of the Human society? Personally, I couldn't care less. That's why I'm always on the move and don't stay more than ten years in the same place. Usually a lot less, actually, but when I met the Genn, I spent a lot of time with them."

"I hear they hide in underground cities in the Central Massif and under Mount Flora," Raykim said. Mention of the other Magical Races always got his attention. He hadn't thought about trying to get in touch with the Waiora. Or the Genn. He didn't know enough about them to try the adventure.

"Or in the forest of Appleyard, where their kingdom used to be," Bellinda added. "Have you tried them or did you just stay around here?"

"I admit I was a little fearful at the thought of traveling on my own. I tried to follow Sila, but they always chased me away. So I stayed here, mostly. I'm very grateful that you allowed me to go with you."

Raykim grinned at all three.

"You're welcome, little cousin." Keneith ruffled his blue hair and smiled.

"We could be a small family," Hinrik said. "Not blood family, but because we choose to live together, wherever that be."

"Would that make me the mom?" Bellinda asked with an impish smile.

"How about all siblings?" he replied.

"Well, I always wished I had an older brother who could introduce me to his friends so I could have a boyfriend, but Ken doesn't have any friends, so that's a failure," she said. "As for younger siblings... I have two, and it's enough."

"Yes, who needs a family when one has friends and traveling companions?" Keneith added. "I'm surprised you're not sick of our company yet, since you're a single parent's only child."

"You're actually very nice company," Hinrik replied, smiling fondly at him. "Dad," he added teasingly.

Keneith glared at him, and then he smiled. "Don't try my patience, Son..."

Bellinda chuckled. "You're both cute when you play like that!"

"I have siblings, but they ignore me," Raykim said, pouting a little at the thought. "You three are the first people to actually talk to me."

His mother had had other offspring, of course. Pure-blooded, with big, feathered wings and human bodies. Some had brown skin, others were as light-skinned as the three half-bloods now playing family with him.

"Welcome to the family," Hinrik said. "Can we figure out a way of putting up a show that is non-threatening for our audience? I'd say to leave the local schools of magic alone..."

"Why do we need to put up a show?" Raykim asked. "Can't we just keep going?"

"You've obviously never dealt with so-called civilization, little cousin," Keneith said. "In towns like this one, you need to pay for a lot of things. Therefore you need money. I'm guessing you lived off the land until now and didn't have to deal with merchants or innkeepers."

"Oh. No." Raykim's shoulders slumped. He was getting tired of his mood going up and down – good news, no, bad news, no, wait, more good news, but, but, but. "So how does one get the money?"

"By working or by entertaining people, like Hinrik suggested. Or by winning in gladiator rings after a rainy day." Keneith smiled fondly at Hinrik who smiled back but shook his head.

"I don't want to fight anymore," he said. "That much is sure. So I need to find an alternative to earn a living."

"Barter?" Raykim suggested, puzzled.

"Doesn't work everywhere," Keneith replied. "We should get you some clothes, you'd look less... wild in shirt and breeches."

"I had clothes on my back when I left the Nest," Raykim said with a shrug. "But I outgrew them. I stole a towel to make my loincloth for practical reasons."

"Yes, you don't want to fly around with the family jewels out." Bellinda chuckled.

"Exactly. I guess I need to find a way to get new ones... you're telling me I need money, how can I get some?"

"I guess you could scare travelers into giving you their money, but that would make you a bandit and an outlaw." Keneith chuckled.

"He already stole a towel to cover himself," Bellinda replied. "Maybe one of you could lend him your spare breeches!"

"You can give him yours, since you now travel on a wagon," Keneith retorted. "He's so skinny that yours would fit perfectly!"

"I have spare breeches," Hinrik said. And then he turned to Raykim. "Aren't you cold, especially during winter?"

"No, the air around me is always warm," Raykim answered. He didn't really need clothes, but since everybody covered their body, he might as well do it.

"The Sila cover their bodies out of modesty, not necessity," Bellinda commented.

"In fact the Waiora show much more skin!" Keneith added, amused. "Anyway, I'll buy my little cousin new clothes in Kelvia, where I know a dressmaker who won't fuss about his appearance."

"Oh, thank you, Keneith!" Raykim beamed. "Who is it?"

"My stepmother. She knows who my real mother is, even though she never saw Bluestar in her true form."

"But she knew her in Human form?" Hinrik asked, curious.

Keneith nodded. "Like Lenore and your mother. Bluestar called herself Cynnamon the Ginger-headed Poet, like a previous generation Fajrulo called Starblazer who died before she was born. But  she had heard so much about the female who had passed herself off as a goddess to Humans that she used some of Starblazer's Human names for herself."

"So she looked like a redhead?" Bellinda asked. "And she wrote poetry?"

"Yes. And Lura made her clothes and she secretly loved Darhon, my father, who was totally smitten by the Ginger-headed Poet... and you can guess where this is headed. When Cynnamon vanished, Lura offered herself to fill the empty spot in the house. She's a very sweet woman, but soon I was old enough to leave my father's house and try to find my Fajrulo mother."

It was comforting knowing that even Keneith's Fajrulo parent had abandoned him very early.

"This first Starblazer must have impressed a lot of females," he mused. "Skywise called her daughter Starblazer and went to Maadre to be a Goddess... Are Humans still so credulous that a Fajrulo can be seen as a god by them?"

"Let's say that if a man suddenly turns into a dragon, they're going to be impressed," Keneith answered. "Who wouldn't? Do you remember your Fajrulo parent in his true form?"

"No," Raykim admitted. "I grew up with my mother. Until she couldn't stand my looks anymore and the Sila sent me away from the Nest."

"I haven't asked your half-sister Starblazer to show me her true form, but I'm sure it's impressive," Keneith continued. "She earns her living among Humans playing the witch."

Raykim didn't know where his half-sister Starblazer lived. Apparently, since she could take Human form, she had a house somewhere in the coastal towns. Keneith had met her on the way to the town with the gladiator ring – Flean, they'd told him it was called.

"We'll see," Raykim replied with a smile. "I look forward to seeing more of the world!"

***

The sun was up and they were ready to leave Aludin when a group of people surrounded them. Keneith snorted, recognizing the kind of uniforms typical of schools of magic.

The night before a paladin, scared by Hinrik's natural skills of turning a disgusting beverage into water, had told them about the three schools in town, supposedly based on water, fire and ether magic. Obviously the paladin had thought the half-blood magic was demonic in nature, since Hinrik had made no display of reciting spells or other useless Human formulas.

Now the three deans with their acolytes had found them, just in time to give Keneith another painful flashback of his life at a similar school some forty years earlier. Except he wasn't a scared teenager anymore, but a full-fledged magic user with more power than the three illusionists put together.

Humans couldn't do magic. Half-bloods could.

The Magical Races used some sort of white magic – they could invoke unicorns effortlessly and in a natural way. Each race tended to use its main elemental power, but could ask help of the others.

Humans were either shamans – using drugs, poisons, trances and apparent deaths – or wizards – such as illusionists, alchemists, they could make potions and invisibility rings or coats. And then there were very few sorcerers with real dark powers, usually half-Fajrulo like Keneith or other mixed blood.

Raykim was already inside the wagon and Keneith considered calling him to teach him his first lesson about those pompous Human wizards who thought they knew it all.

Nah, I can deal with them on my own.

He scoffed and confronted them with his arms crossed over his chest. "Yes, gentlemen?"

"Are you the magic users who scared Emewor at the Hungry Snake last night?" asked the oldest of the lot, who had the classical wizard look that had always gotten on his nerves. Those people were all about form, not substance. They looked the part, but could rarely play the part.

"If he's a paladin who lingered at the tavern last night, yes, that's us," he answered.

"So you say you can do magic?" Another elder pointed a gnarled finger at them.

He wore a turban over a probably bald head and had runes drawn all over his clothes. Meaningless runes. Only the runes in Old Tongue actually worked, and Humans usually didn't speak the Old Tongue.

"Can you?" Keneith smirked.

"Keneith, we decided we don't want a confrontation," Hinrik said. "It would scare the horses. Let's just get away from here."

Bellinda climbed onto the wagon and took the reins. Keneith shrugged and joined her. But the group of wizards actually closed in on them.

"You're not going anywhere," the third dean threatened. "Or I will throw a ball of fire at you."

"Please, do," Keneith said with a mock bow. "And be ready to get it back as fast as you throw it."

Hinrik held his horse still, but stared wide-eyed at Keneith who had raised his protective magic shield as soon as the visitors had appeared. Not that he really needed it, but you never knew. Sometimes bees stung.

The mage made a show of reciting an incomprehensible spell and a small ball of fire slowly formed in his hand. He threw it, but it bounced back off Keneith's shield, forcing them to jump backward to avoid being hit.

The turbaned one screamed a curse, which only made the shield visible for a moment, a glittering bubble that encompassed the wagon, the draft horse and Hinrik and his mount.

"Are you sure we don't want a confrontation?" Keneith asked Bellinda.

I'd love to give them a hard lesson. Let me be the merciless Fajrulo for once.

"No, Ken, nobody will get hurt. Now let's go." She shook the reins and the horse started pulling the wagon.

"Can I come out?" Raykim called from inside. "I'd really like to see what's going on!"

"Not much, little cousin," Keneith replied. "A bunch of Human wannabe magic users."

"I want to see them!"

"Suit yourself!"

"Ken," Bellinda chided. "Raykim, no confrontation!" she said out loud, leaning towards the back of the wagon.

Keneith almost rubbed his hands in anticipation. Raykim's looks would be enough for that stupid lot.

"Hello there," Raykim said. "So you can do magic? Show me! I'm curious about Human magic!"

The students ran away screaming first. The three deans soon followed suit with slightly more dignity.

"Did I scare them off?" Raykim asked with an innocent smile, flapping his wings.

"Get back in the wagon, we're out of here," Bellinda said, trying not to laugh out loud.

Raykim chuckled but obeyed. Hinrik was grinning. Keneith looked at her and shook his head.

"Healers," he muttered, trying not to smile.

She passed him the reins. "Shut up and drive, you bloody half-Fajrulo!"

CHAPTER THREE

Raykim was glad they stayed away from populated places. The meeting in Aludin had confirmed for him that Humans would never really like him. But as they headed south along the coast, they stayed away from small villages and lone farms, camping in the open and allowing him to travel on the roof of the wagon without hiding.

Keneith was still quite grumpy, but Bellinda and Hinrik were very nice. Bellinda and Hinrik offered him their spare clothes, but she had wider hips than Hinrik, thus Raykim ended up using Hinrik's breeches, with a belt to keep them up.

There was no way he could wear tunics made for Humans, though, so he remained bare-chested, his tanned skin darker than the other three. He sometimes sighted Sila flying over and wished he could call them down and ask them for one of their shirts, but he knew better by now. He didn't even mention he saw them to his travel companions.

He saw Maxwetria long before them, as well. His keen eyesight meant he saw the walls of the bustling metropolis when they were still quite far away, but he didn't say anything. He'd have to hide in the wagon for a couple of days, before they went through that huge city.

He had seen it only from the mountains, a vast expanse of houses at the mouth of a river, and unfortunately wouldn't be able to see it from closer, unless he got out at night. But then the acrid smells of the city itself reached him through the wood of the wagon, and he decided he wasn't missing much.

That place stank of death and decay. And it made them all sick, especially Bellinda and poor Hinrik, who even cleansed the water of the river. Raykim was surprised by the toll water manipulation took on his friend. For him it wasn't such a big deal.

Keneith explained to him that both Bellinda and Hinrik were weaker compared to the two of them.

"We are half-Fajrulo. Fajrulo are the most powerful members of the Magical Races."

"Oh! So it's not that effortless for them to use Water or Ether's energy?"

"Bellinda gets awful headaches when she does deep healing. And you saw how exhausted Hinrik was after cleaning the river."

Raykim bobbed his head, thoughtful. Both Bellinda and Hinrik were still asleep after the night in Maxwetria, during which even he had preferred sleeping in the cramped space of the wagon than outside in the stench of decay.

"What is that called?" Raykim pointed at the things Keneith had bought from a shop down the street, while he had stayed hidden behind the wagon.

"It's bread, want to taste it?" Keneith offered him one of the funny shaped brown balls.

Raykim took it, turned it around in his hands, then the smell made him take a big bite. It was still warm and it melted on his tongue. It wasn't the same taste as meat, but it was great!

"And what are those?" he asked between bites. In two more, the delicious thing was gone.

"Flat-breads. Slightly different. They're salted."

"Can I try one?"

"Boy, you're hungry or what?"

"I have never tasted that kind of food, is all!"

Keneith smiled and shook his head, giving him a flat-bread. Slightly different taste, but still interesting.

"I think I like Human cooking. A lot," Raykim said, licking his lips.

"And you haven't tried anything yet." Keneith winked as Bellinda and Hinrik came out of the wagon, stretching their arms and yawning.

Both sat down by the fire and Keneith passed the bread-things around. Both had slept like logs and were obviously famished. Neither had noticed that Raykim had slept inside the wagon too.

Bellinda was supposed to spend the night at an inn to get some privacy, although Raykim didn't know why she'd want that, but she'd come back after having a panic attack. She thought the city had a bad feeling to it as much as Raykim.

Now that he was down in the city itself and could understand the Human language, Raykim noticed that on the other shore of the river Humans were gathering. They had spotted him, and their angry and fearful murmur was slowly growing. Soon they'd find a way to get to him, so he made sure he had room to open his wings and get away by his own means. He'd catch up with the others outside the metropolis.

And then a blond, androgynous being came around the wagon and sat with them. He had pointed ears, like Genn and Fajrulo, but brown eyes. He kept his hair very long and wore a green tunic and brown breeches.

"Good morning!" he greeted cheerfully. "Good to see you again!"

"Belfi, how did you find us?" Bellinda asked, surprised.

Raykim's interest perked up. He had heard that name. The old bedtime stories his mother used to tell. Wait, what was it? Ah, yes, the son of a Genn and a dark goddess that used to be Human but had been turned into the Queen of Demons...

"I was walking towards Maxwetria when some Waiora upriver told me a half-blood had cleaned this part of town." Belfi smiled fondly at Hinrik who blushed. "I knew it must be you. You have made progress since I last saw you."

"I'm still learning," Hinrik answered shyly.

"We were supposed to meet you here, but I'm not sure we can stay for much longer," Keneith said. "This is my cousin Raykim, and as you can see, he's been spotted, so we better get out of here as soon as possible."

Belfi nodded to Raykim, who remembered the whole story now. "Belfi the Immortal Half-blood?"

"I am he. Nice to meet you, Raykim."

Raykim was very pleased with himself. And very excited at the thought of meeting someone he thought existed only in bedtime stories. Although if the Immortal Half-blood existed for real, so did his dark twin, the Lord of Darkness.

"You're known everywhere," Hinrik said admiringly.

"I've been around for almost four centuries, after all." Belfi winked. "I was coming here to warn the people they were headed towards self-destruction with all the pollution in the river, but now you've cleaned itm they might survive for a little longer. Nobody will thank you, though."

"I did it because I felt it needed to be done for the creatures in the river," Hinrik replied.

Raykim nodded. He was very proud of his elder foster brother, who had lent him his breeches and had cleansed the water and...

"And they are very thankful indeed," Belfi said. "Humans... much less. This city is doomed if they don't start create better sanitation and a sewer system."

"There is a dark aura here," Bellinda said, thoughtful. "I had a panic attack last night. I tried to sleep at an inn and had to run away."

"Yes, it's that bad." Belfi nodded, thoughtful. "Why don't we get out of this town so I can tell you all what happened in the east during these months?"

***

Keneith was pleased to meet Belfi again. They had a history of chance meetings, starting with the very first some twenty years earlier in Moriana.

Keneith was thirty-two back then, but still looked twenty, which meant that he could still apply to the schools of magic. After leaving Kelvia, he'd stopped in Xendaria and taken the full courses of their shamanic schools, which had taught him nothing. His magic was sort of elemental, but Human shamans had different means to tap into it.

Then he'd tried the Konigtown school of magic, again passing himself off as a teenager even though he was already twenty-four. Konigtown was on a lake shore and some feel of the old Genn Kingdom of Rayheart still lingered there. Not enough to help him, though, and he didn't meet any Waiora either.

And then he'd reached Moriana, which used to be the heart of the Moren Empire, hoping he'd find some schools based on the magic that had set up the empire – to no avail. The Magical Races were as absent as the spell that had kept a non-dynastic spell-driven succession on the imperial throne for a couple of centuries.

But Belfi had seen Moriana from its early days and liked it enough to spend time there when he wasn't wandering throughout Varia. He'd met Keneith on the outskirts, on the day he'd been venting his frustration at the school of magic by throwing balls of fire against a stone wall, with not much damage except to his already bruised pride.

Someone had known Belfi was in town and had dispatched him to stop the crazy student who was almost setting fire to that part of the city. He was supposed to take Keneith down and give him to the town council, but instead Belfi took him away from the Human town and into the forest of Appleyard.

Keneith's body was already scarred from the experiments in the previous three schools. Belfi was the first teacher who actually taught him how to handle all the energy he had in himself, that made him also very sexual and constantly horny – another reason for being constantly frustrated.

Yes, women liked him, but sometimes he was too rash or not gentle enough, so sometimes they just didn't want to see him again. But then sex was just a way to expend his energy, not a display of love or affection. He knew by then he didn't have a heart – not in the Human sense. Being thirty and having never felt his heart flutter for anyone meant he was more a ball of loose energy than anything else.

Belfi had taught him control, how to channel his mixed blood power, how to split between fire manipulation and sexual arousal, and mostly what being half-blood meant. That he'd never belong anywhere. He might grow fond of people, but he was so long-lived that he was destined to lose them to old age.

Keneith wasn't immortal like Belfi. His body did age – although he still looked barely thirty at fifty-five, while Belfi was stuck with his twenty-two-year-old body – but slower than Humans. He could probably fit into a Genn community, though.

Thus, after a few years, when Keneith was less of a danger to himself and others, Belfi took him to the Genn villages of Appleyard. Apparently one of his descendants had had the same problem – not having magic at all until puberty when it had suddenly exploded in ways that had jarred the Genn themselves.

Belfi had introduced Keneith to Joyrise, who had ended up marrying a Human woman and living most of the year in the Varian capital, and then he had met Joyrise's daughter Bellinda. Keneith had felt something for the young healer who stared at him adoringly, but when they'd moved to Havenstock things had started falling apart. Too many people, too many distractions – for both of them.

And now they were on the road, after meeting Belfi in Havenstock, again by chance. Originally they were headed to the ruins of the capital of Rayheart. Keneith had seen the ruins of the capital of the Genn kingdom of Appleyard along with Bellinda and thought it was fitting that they explored all the lost Genn cities.

But then, outside the walls of Moriana that had just fallen to the Varian king they were trying to get rid of, they'd found Hinrik, wounded and bruised, and since they were headed for Salamar to cross the river anyway, they'd taken him home.

And then the Salamar king had asked Belfi to stay and protect him, and Keneith, Bellinda and Hinrik had headed north along the Ondan. Now, four and a half months later, they had somehow reunited with Belfi in Maxwetria, once more by chance.

Keneith was starting to consider Belfi a friend, one he could count on through the centuries. Belfi was immortal, unless someone killed him, they could spend more time together. Maybe they could even wander together, especially if Bellinda decided to go home and take Hinrik with her.

Of course there was Raykim, who still had the rashness of youth. But then, Belfi might help Keneith to manage his young cousin as well.

Belfi sat at the front of the wagon with Bellinda while Keneith levitated to the roof and sat with his feet dangling between Bellinda and Belfi, with Raykim crouched behind him. Hinrik was on horseback as usual and soon they were all out of Maxwetria and on the other shore of the river, headed towards Kelvia.

Keneith hadn't been back in his hometown for almost forty years now. He thought he owed it to his father to tell him what he had learned about himself and Cynnamon the Red Headed Poet. They'd all known somehow she wasn't Human, but Keneith doubted Darhon or Lura ever figured out she was actually a dragon in human form.

Belfi asked how the trip north had been, and Keneith let Bellinda do most of the talking, except when it came to Hinrik's victories and the meeting with his pure-blooded cousin Starblazer. Raykim was wide-eyed in wonder as he listened to their adventures before meeting him, and Hinrik was quiet all the way through, listening.

"And what happened in the east?" Bellinda asked at last. "Did you manage to make your pilgrimage to the destroyed capital of Rayheart?"

"Yes, I went there after Salamar fell to the Blackmore king," Belfi answered, looking at Hinrik. "I had told Conon I wasn't really the right person to help him keep his throne, but sometimes one's name means more than the actual truth. I guess they'll stop calling me Kingmaker now." He grinned.

Hinrik didn't look upset. He must have realized his true calling had nothing to do with Salamar and its king or its army. Now you need a little more initiative... as long as you don't suggest we become an itinerant circus again, of course. Thank Fire that thought must be gone now.

And then Belfi's words registered.

"So both the Blackmore and the Varians reached the Ondan somehow," Keneith said.

"Yes, the Varians have Moriana, the Blackmore have Salamar. Raddanmor also fell to the Blackmore king along with Rothilnelm and everything in between. The Varians are pressing the Gallians against Amrendra, I'm afraid soon that will be another kingdom gone. And when the Varians will have access to the coast, the Blackmore will do the same. They will either expand towards Ilitan or towards... Maxwetria. I told you that city is doomed anyway. If it doesn't fall to the plague, it will fall to the Blackmore."

"So it's really time to leave the northern kingdoms," Keneith said. "We will go south through Kelvia."

He'd never visited the neighboring Sannish Kingdom and he was kind of curious. And then there were the fabled southern kingdoms with their intricate sculptures and great palaces of marble lace... Belfi must have mentioned them in his stories while they were still studying alone in the forest.

"It might take years," Belfi said. "The Gallians are putting up as much resistance as the northern tribes and the Genn aren't really helping the Varians in their conquest. But one day they might, and then who knows what will happen. Maybe a Varian empire will cover Varia centuries from now."

"I'm long-lived, but not that long-lived." Keneith chuckled. "I doubt I'll ever see it!"

"Hopefully none of us will see it." Belfi smiled. "It will mean years of war, centuries maybe. The southern kingdoms are quieter at the moment. You should probably go there if you want to live in peace."

"I think I need to go back to Appleyard," Bellinda said. "And Hinrik should see his Waiora family."

I knew it. I wonder if she's realized it yet, though. She's in love with Hinrik, but wouldn't admit it!

Hinrik nodded, staring into space. They're meant to be together. I can see it, but they can't. And I'm the heartless one!

"Then we will drop you near the Ondan's source and head south, what do you say, little cousin?"

"I will miss them," Raykim said. "Is Belfi coming south with us?"

"This wagon is becoming too small," Bellinda grumbled.

"Don't worry, Bel, I will get off soon, I have other places to go and other people to see." Belfi elbowed her with an impish smile. "You go back home safe and sound. Joyrise misses you I'm sure."

Damn, we'll split again! I'd better take Bel home quickly and then go looking for Belfi again! Although, do I really need a guide with Raykim who can scout ahead from the sky?

"He's the one who's been wandering for fifteen to twenty years before settling with my mother and starting a family!" She sighed. "I hoped I had gotten some of his nomadic blood, but obviously I prefer to stay at home!"

"At least you have a home," Hinrik said softly, staring straight ahead.

"Would you like to go back to Salamar?" Belfi asked him.

Hinrik looked at them. "No." He smiled briefly. "I'll find home, eventually."

Bellinda smiled. Come on, tell him you want to give him a home!

"I think you can have him," Belfi whispered in her ear. "He is healed. He will open his heart to you."

"I don't think I'm ready, Belfi," she muttered nervously.

Always the same, so guarded! Come on, Bel! How long did it take you to tell me you loved me? Hinrik is different, though! You should tell him right now if you don't want to lose him.

Keneith gently kicked her shoulder and she looked up at him.

"What?" she mouthed, frowning.

"Get him," he mouthed back. "Go for it."

She frowned and shook her head. Keneith rolled his eyes. Stubborn woman.

Raykim poked him. He had a questioning look on his suntanned face.

"I'll tell you when you grow up," Keneith replied.

Raykim scowled. "I'm not a baby!" he snapped.

"Maybe not, but it's a grownup thing that would bore you to death."

Raykim looked away, upturning his nose. But soon something else caught his attention.

Definitely a child with a very short attention span...

CHAPTER FOUR

When they stopped for lunch in a clearing hidden in a thicket, Raykim sat next to Belfi. He had so many questions! As the other three busied themselves with lighting a fire and finding food, he stared curiously at the immortal half-blood, not knowing where to start.

"Speak, child," Belfi said gently, noticing his hesitation. "What questions bug you?"

"My mother, she's a Sila, she told me about you! She said that when you were born you couldn't speak because if you did you tore down mountains, is that true?"

Eyes wide in wonder, he waited for the answer. Belfi smiled and stared straight at him.

"Yes, it's true. It had to do with my mother's power. You see, she used to be Human – centuries earlier. But she had found a Pond of Dark Magic and eventually the Pond's magic had permeated her."

"She didn't look Human anymore, did she?"

"Well, she did have a Human female shape, but she was completely black, as if the Pond possessed her. She couldn't stand the sunlight, in fact she usually used eclipses to try to come out in the open again."

"Oooh!" Raykim was amazed. "So what did that make her? Human or what?"

"Demon, unfortunately." Belfi sighed. "I'm not sure how she managed to have me and Manusia. I think my father was forced to copulate with her."

"Oh!" Raykim pulled back, shocked. He briefly pondered whether his Fajrulo father had also forced his Sila mother to copulate and breed. But his mother had never mentioned being raped, even though she rarely spoke of his father. "So you have Genn and demon blood?"

"Nine tenth Genn, one tenth demon." Belfi nodded. "I couldn't control my power at first. My twin, Manusia, is nine tenth demon and one tenth Genn, that's why he lives underground and commands the hordes of demons."

"But the Genn mostly live underground now, no?"

"Yes, most of them. Since they started hiding from Humans, they started carving their cities in stone under the mountains. But the insides of mountains are already crowded with dwarves, Sila and Fajrulo, so I'm sure eventually the Genn will come to live above ground again. They were born to live under the sun, after all."

Raykim nodded, thoughtful. "So you're the son of the last Genn king of Rayheart and you're a magic user?"

"Yes, although I never sat on any throne." Belfi smiled. "Humans took it from my father when I was in my teens. And as you might have heard, there are no more Genn kingdoms. The survivors gather in towns or villages with councils to run them."

"But you spend a lot of time with Humans, don't you?"

"My stepmother was a Human warrior. I'm twenty-two forever and I'll never claim what is left of my father's lands."

"What is left?" Raykim wondered.

"Nothing. Konigtown is on the other side of the lake shore. The plains belong to Humans. And soon the greedy Blackmore king will have more power than my father ever did."

"You can add to this that Belfi isn't as ambitious as Humans." Keneith joined them with a bowl of soup for each. It smelled delicious, like everything cooked. Raykim was very happy with his change of diet, cooked food was so much better than raw meat!

Belfi smiled and thanked Keneith. Raykim drank half the bowl greedily before asking more questions. But by then his cousin had already grabbed Belfi's attention.

"I wanted to thank you again for what you did for me," Keneith said. "I was as dangerous as you or Joyrise were until someone showed us how to control that energy."

"No need to thank me, Keneith. I was glad to help both you and Joyrise handle your power. Nobody wants a dangerous half-blood on the loose, roaming the lands."

"So do you think you should take Raykim with you?"

"What?" Raykim straightened and put down his empty bowl. "Why? What did I do to upset you?" His voice broke. Now his cousin was chasing him away? Why did everybody hate him? Tears filled his eyes as Belfi put a calming hand on his shoulder.

"You did nothing wrong, Raykim," he said gently. Leaving his hand on Raykim's trembling shoulder, he stared at Keneith. "Raykim isn't dangerous. His Sila blood balances his Fajrulo blood. He is in complete control of whatever gifts his mixed blood gave him. He is very young, and growing up he might learn to control more things, but he'll never be a threat to anyone, unless really, really provoked."

Keneith nodded, thoughtful. "It's true that the Sila are the most harmless of the Magical Races," he said with a shrug. "I guess that makes him innocuous. Do you think he can learn to manipulate his own body and shift shape?"

"It's too early to tell," Belfi answered, letting go of Raykim who was slowly calming down. "He might develop shape-shifting abilities, but at the moment he's really like a baby Fajrulo – with a human body shape."

Raykim nodded, not trusting his voice yet. He scowled at Keneith who was observing him.

Keneith sighed. "Fine, I'll keep him with me, then."

"You don't want me?" Raykim snapped.

"Not really, but the others wanted you to stay, and who am I to go against the majority, even though I'm almost as old as the two of them put together," Keneith answered, sarcastic. "Not to mention more powerful than the two of them put together."

"Keneith," Belfi chided. "Try to consider him the son you didn't have."

"Maybe I had some, but I didn't stay to raise them," Keneith retorted. "That should tell you something."

"And you should know better than to try to fool me," Belfi replied, amused. "You're quite fond of him and your other traveling companions, so stop playing the grumpy old man. You're not that old, by the way."

"Compared to you I'm a child." Keneith snorted. "But I've long forgotten my teens, not to mention my childhood."

"One more reason to keep Raykim by your side. He's such a sweet boy, and he's long-lived, he can keep you company for a few centuries if you both behave."

Belfi smiled at both of them and Raykim finally relaxed. He tentatively smiled back at the immortal half-blood, then glanced at his cousin. A part of him still wanted to snarl at Keneith for treating him like that, but another part couldn't blame his elder cousin for not wanting him.

"Stop that hurt puppy face and give me a hug," Keneith snapped.

Raykim brightened and went to nestle against Keneith's chest. "Thank you, Keneith," he whispered, listening to his cousin's powerful heartbeat.

Keneith squeezed him, then pushed him away. But glancing at Belfi's smile, Raykim knew it was all a show of indifference to hide how much Keneith cared about him. He giggled and picked up his bowl.

"Can I have more of that soup? I'm still hungry!"

"Move your ass by the fire and you can finish it for all I care," Keneith replied bluntly.

But Raykim was learning to read behind the sharp tones of his cousin's answers. He smiled and nodded, scooting over to the fire and giving his bowl to Hinrik for a refill.

***

Belfi got off before night came and Keneith resumed his seat at the front of the wagon, next to Bellinda, while Raykim remained on the roof and Hinrik stuck to his saddle. A few days later they crossed the border river and were in the lands of the Kelvans.

The road to Kelvia was through a forest and since they'd had enough of coasts, they decided to take the shortcut. They could hunt and avoid populated places. There were probably no bandits around, and if there were, they'd probably be scared off by Raykim's wings, blue hair and pointed ears.

Thus, five months after leaving Salamar, they reached Kelvia, the capital of the kingdom. Keneith thought it hadn't changed much through the years. The city was built around the castle of the king and hadn't expanded much since the times he'd lived there.

Built on gentle hills and surrounded mostly by vineyards, it was half a day's ride from the forest and on a river shore. Keneith suggested they left the wagon on the outskirts, by the river, so Hinrik could have his baths and Raykim would be able to come out, since there were thickets of trees and bushes that would give him cover from the town walls.

"I'll take you to town tonight, but first I need to see if my stepmother can still make clothes," Keneith told his cousin. It had occurred to him that having been away for almost forty years, maybe his father and stepmother weren't around anymore. Human lifespans were so short!

Raykim sighed, but remained by the wagon while Hinrik and Bellinda walked with him to town, bringing the horses that badly needed new shoes. The house where he'd been born was still there, a timber house squeezed between an inn and a tannery, with its blacksmith shop attached. Further down the road Lura had used to work at her father's house as dressmaker, a trade she'd later taken at her husband's.

Keneith found a man in the forge who was too young to be Darhon, and he let Bellinda and Hinrik take care of the horses as he knocked on the house's door. A middle-aged woman with raven hair peppered with white and brown eyes opened the door and stared puzzled at him.

"Hello, is this still the house of Darhon and Lura?" Keneith asked, more and more unsure of himself. He had half-sisters, though, so the blacksmith might be the husband of one of them.

"Who are you?" The woman frowned. "Why are you looking for dead people?"

Keneith closed his eyes for a moment. Dead. I should have known. Humans don't live to seventy or eighty. I spent too much time with the Genn.

He looked at the woman again. "Are you Kelikana or Loriana?"

She hesitated and looked even more wary. "Kelikana. And you are?"

"I'm Keneith," he answered. "You were barely three when I left, but I'm sure they told you about me."

Her frown vanished. "Keneith?" She sounded incredulous now. "Gods, how can this be? You look younger than me!"

Keneith scoffed. "What did they tell you about me and my mother?"

"Only that she was very beautiful and she abandoned you," she answered. "But Mother thought she was a magical being."

"And she was," Keneith replied. "I'm a half-blood, that's why I age slower than you."

"Oh. Father mentioned you left to find your real mother... did you find her?"

"Not yet, although I did find a cousin or two. Actually, I was hoping Lura could make clothes for my half-blood cousin who doesn't look... completely Human. Maybe you can help me?"

Kelikana winced. "I inherited Father's shop and passed it to my son." She pointed with her chin at the blacksmith who was already working on the horses.

Keneith noticed Hinrik and Bellinda were listening to his conversation. Hopefully they hadn't seen his face. He doubted he had hidden his disappointment when he'd found out about his father's death.

"But Loriana took up Mother's trade," Kelikana added with a smile. "She lives down the road, and is still helping her daughter as dressmaker."

"Which house?" Keneith asked a little bluntly. He shouldn't have promised Raykim new clothes.

Kelikana stepped out of the house to point him the right way, then squeezed his arm. "Don't vanish again before meeting my family," she said. "Will you come over for dinner?"

"I don't know, like I said, one of my cousins doesn't look Human and can't come into town during daytime."

"I'm even more curious to meet him, then."

"I doubt it."

"Keneith, we know about you and we're all very curious to get to know you. Our parents told us so much about you, that we always wondered what you looked like. We've both been telling stories of our lost big brother. Really, come to dinner and bring your friends, cousin, whoever is traveling with you."

"We'll be delighted to come tonight," Bellinda said, stepping forward. "Nice meeting you, I'm Bellinda and this is Hinrik. We travel with Keneith."

"Welcome to Kelvia." Kelikana smiled.

Keneith glared at Bellinda, then said, "I need to talk to Loriana. I promised Raykim new clothes. See you later, Keli."

Kelikana nodded and let them go.

"Stop being so grumpy with your own family!" Bellinda chided as they headed for Loriana's house. "Didn't you miss them?"

"No! Besides, you heard her! She's everything I will never be!"

"I won't start my own family either anytime soon, but this doesn't mean that when I go back to Havenstock I'll ignore Cara and Massimo and my nephews and nieces."

"My nephews and nieces probably have children of their own," Keneith retorted. "This makes me wonder why I bothered to come back!"

"For Raykim," Hinrik said. "You promised him new clothes."

"My bad," he grumbled. "Let's get done with this!"

And he knocked on Loriana's door.

***

Raykim had left the door open and sat on the doorstep of the wagon, holding his chin with his hand. He was bored again. Why wasn't he allowed to go to town with the others? But then, Belfi said eventually he might be able to shift shape and hide his wings and his non-Human features... Until then, he better just wait by the wagon, like he'd done in Aludin, Maxwetria and now Kelvia.

Pity, he was curious about Keneith's Human family. The more he heard what Humans could do, the more he wanted to learn things. The Sila didn't do much besides fluttering around, singing and drawing maps. He had no idea of what the Fajrulo did when they shifted to Human form. But Humans... they looked so busy with crafts and stuff, Raykim often thought he'd never get bored if he could do half the things Humans did. Even if they didn't involve magic.

And then he heard voices and jumped excitedly to his feet, getting out of the wagon to look towards the nearby town. Keneith, Hinrik and Bellinda were coming back with the horses... and two Human women.

Disappointed, Raykim hid behind the wagon, just in case, but then Keneith called him. The two women gasped at the sight of him, but they didn't look threatening, so Raykim warily came forward.

"Oh, my... He's..." The eldest seemed to lack words.

"He has a beautiful human body," the youngest said. "Except of course he could never pass off as Human. You were right to keep him out of Kelvia, Uncle Keneith."

Keneith nodded. "Raykim, this is my stepsister Loriana and her daughter. They came to take measurements to make you clothes. And shoes."

Raykim brightened. "I will have tailor-made clothes? And shoes?"

"You need to learn to walk on the ground, and I understand doing it barefooted isn't the most comfortable," Keneith replied. "Come over and let them do their job. Loriana married a shoemaker, so you can have the full clothing."

Raykim beamed as the two women surrounded him. Loriana muttered something about his wings and the need to leave an opening. She had a ribbon with signs on it and put it around Raykim's shoulders, waist, hips, saying what seemed random numbers to the puzzled half-blood. She even asked him to hold one end of the ribbon to his shoulder while she touched his feet with the other end.

The women muttered among themselves, spending more time checking his back, often tickling his wings and making him giggle. Finally they made him step on a parchment and the younger one drew a line around his feet.

"We'll need a few days," Loriana said with the same grumpy tone Keneith sometimes used.

"We're here," Keneith replied. "I'll bring him when everything is ready, but only after sunset."

"Good idea," Loriana's daughter said. "See you soon, Raykim."

Both women waved good-bye and left.

"I can give you back your breeches!" Raykim told Hinrik, excited.

"Not today," Hinrik answered, amused. "But yes, soon."

"We shall rest in this lovely thicket for a few days," Bellinda said. "I think I'm going to enjoy civilization for a while..."

"And sleep at an inn?" Keneith asked.

"Maybe not, but certainly enjoying your stepsister's cooking," she replied with a wink. "We'll ask Kelikana to give us something for Raykim."

"You're eating in town?" Raykim felt bummed again.

"Keneith's other sister invited us to dinner," Hinrik answered. "We'll bring you something as soon as it's over. You might want to have a snack on your own, though."

"Oh. All right. I'll wait."

"I'm taking a bath, who's coming?" Hinrik continued.

Keneith raised his hand. "Bel, give him your breeches for tonight. We'll take all our clothes to the washerwoman tomorrow morning."

"I might have a new dress made," Bellinda replied. "Mine is almost completely gone. Since Loriana has a gift, I think I'm going to use her skills."

"It will probably take her less time to make a normal dress than figuring out how to bypass wings." Keneith scoffed. "Suit yourself, it's your money."

"Wait, you have to pay her?" Raykim asked. "How do I pay her?"

"You don't have to pay her, I'm paying her," Keneith snapped. "I promised you new clothes, so I'll pay. Now get down to the river and take a bath with us."

Raykim glanced at Hinrik and Bellinda, surprised that Keneith was so blunt. Had he done something wrong? Bellinda smiled and shook her head, signaling him to follow the other two to their bath.

Raykim didn't like bathing much, because it made his wings heavy and unmanageable for some time, but he dutifully followed Hinrik and Keneith into the river.

***

Keneith didn't mind camping outside of town. His stepsisters' houses were cramped with their extended Human families and he certainly didn't want to share his personal space with strangers. He could tell Hinrik thought he was too harsh with Kelikana and Loriana, but really, besides a tiny blood bond through their father, they had nothing in common.

Kelikana and Loriana were grandmothers and had had their own fair share of children when Keneith was long gone. It was only the first batch of grandchildren from their firstborns, but surely more would come.

Kelikana had two boys from her daughter, while the blacksmith's wife was still expecting her first baby. Loriana had a girl and then twins, a boy and a girl. When adults weren't around, Hinrik showed them water tricks, nudging Keneith to do the same. Keneith limited himself to pretending his fingers were on fire, or lighting the fire in the hearth in his usual way.

He didn't like to display his gifts, not even to so-called family. And he was happy now to have left them behind. He obviously wasn't made to live in the same place all his life. The other inhabitants of the street didn't know who he was, since most of his father's generation was gone and he hadn't had friends his own age.

He'd been a wild and introverted child. Probably Raykim would have fit better in city life. Unless he'd been quite secluded with his mother until his appearance had forced him to leave the Nest. Keneith wasn't sure and didn't want to know.

Loriana visited the camp once or twice to try on Raykim's top, muttering under her breath about adjustments, but Bellinda's new dress was quickly made. Finally one day Loriana sent word Raykim's clothes were ready, so after sunset Keneith took his cousin to town.

They avoided the few torches in the darkened streets and knocked on Loriana's door. The grandchildren were in bed, only Loriana and her daughter were still up.

"Give me those breeches," Loriana said bluntly.

Raykim obeyed, his cheeks red. But Loriana's gruff manners quickly put him at ease and while Loriana's daughter mended Hinrik's breeches, Loriana explained to Raykim how to wrap the sleeveless top around his torso.

"One knot behind the neck, like this, try." Raykim tried under Keneith's amused eyes. "And now this, you wrap it around your waist. You can either knot it at the back or at the front. Try."

Raykim did, his yellow eyes wide in wonder. His back was not covered, but it didn't matter. His chest was hidden now, in case someone got offended by the sight of his brown nipples. The breeches fit him perfectly.

Raykim looked at Keneith for approval.

"You look great," Keneith assured him. "Just like a Sila."

"This fabric is so soft!" Raykim said, caressing his sleeveless top.

"It's cotton," Loriana's daughter said, washing the breeches in a basin. "Do Sila have cotton?"

"I have never met one, but since they use the Genn dressmakers and I've met those, I can tell you they have all kinds of fabric," Keneith answered. "From wool and cotton to silks and damasks."

"Oh, my, silks and damasks are so expensive! I wish the queen would ask me to make her a dress with such fabrics!"

"The queen has her own dressmaker," Loriana retorted. "Of course the sleeveless top will be useless in winter."

"No, it's perfect," Raykim said, beaming. "I don't feel the heat or the cold. I manipulate the air around me so that I'm always at the right temperature. I use clothes because everybody else does."

"Ah, I see." Loriana seemed to relax at last. "So do you need these or not?"

She took a pair of boots and showed them to Raykim. He touched the soft leather, amazed, then he looked at Keneith.

"Do I need them?"

"I don't know, how was it walking barefoot from the camp to here?" Keneith replied.

Raykim took one boot and turned it around in his hands. He checked the sole by knocking on it and seemed to understand it would protect his feet whenever he needed to walk.

"Sit and try them on," Loriana's daughter suggested, rinsing the breeches and trying to dry them by flapping them.

Raykim obeyed. He had obviously never worn boots, even though Sila did use soft shoes for the minimal time they spent on the ground, so Keneith had to show him how to slide in his foot and adjust the breeches on the legs – either inside or outside of the boots.

Then he helped Raykim to stand and suggested he tried to walk. After a couple of uncertain steps, his young cousin gained enough confidence to try different gaits around Loriana's workshop.

"They're great!" He beamed. "Thank you, Keneith!"

"You're welcome." Keneith turned to his stepsister and offered her a gold coin.

"You're family, Ken," Loriana said.

"You didn't get the fabrics for free," he replied, putting the coin in her wrinkly hand. "I'll take that back to Hinrik, thanks," he added, taking the breeches from Loriana's daughter's hands.

"Have a safe journey, both of you," the younger woman said.

"Are we in a hurry to leave?" Raykim asked, puzzled.

"I can tell your cousin is even less comfortable than you here," she replied, amused.

"He's been away for too long," Loriana said. "He has forgotten his roots."

"I haven't forgotten anything. But I won't see you again, Loriana. Farewell, all of you. Maybe your grandchildren will see me again."

He stiffened when Loriana hugged him. He passed the wet breeches to Raykim and they left the town again.

Upon reaching the camp they heard distinct splashes and found Bellinda and Hinrik seated on the river shore.

"Did you just have visitors?" Keneith asked.

"Yes, the local Waiora came to say hello," Bellinda answered. "My oh my, Raykim, you look great!"

Raykim pranced about, beaming.

"Isn't Loriana the greatest dressmaker that ever was?"

"Indeed." Bellinda chuckled and stood. "Don't you think it's bedtime guys?"

Both she and Hinrik barely hid a yawn.

"You dormice can get your sleep," Keneith replied. "I'm staying out here for a little longer. Loriana's house is stuffy."

"Good night, Keneith," Hinrik said.

"Sweet dreams, Hinrik," Raykim said cheerfully. "I'll be watching over you all!"

"I don't need you to watch over me!" Keneith glared at Raykim who was too excited by his new clothes to be intimidated.

As soon as the other two were inside the wagon, Raykim went to him and hugged him.

"Thank you, Keneith. Nobody has ever done anything like this for me."

"You're welcome, now get away from me," he replied bluntly.

"You don't like cuddles?" Raykim looked at him, disappointed, still holding him.

"Are you requesting cuddles or giving cuddles?" he retorted.

"Requesting," Raykim answered shyly.

Keneith sighed. It wasn't easy to hug someone with big bat-like wings on his back. He put one arm around Raykim's neck and the other around his thin waist. He squeezed and felt Raykim's nose press on the side of his neck. Then he let go and pulled away from his cousin.

"Better?"

"Better than nothing..." Raykim's smile was frail.

"I'm sorry, Raykim, when it comes to relationship and blood ties I'm more Fajrulo than Human."

"'Tis okay. Thank you, Keneith. Good night."

Raykim opened his wings and went to lie on his belly on the roof of the wagon, using his arms as a pillow.

Keneith shook his head. He was never any good at telling people he cared for them. He'd lost the few people who had loved him because of his own cold heart. It had been good with Bellinda at first, since she didn't like talking about love either, but then even she had started going all mushy and lovey-dovey, and that had ruined everything.

He sat on the river shore, staring at the stars mirrored in the water and wondered if he'd ever find a place to call home.

CHAPTER FIVE

Kelvia had been left behind and the wagon still stuck to secondary roads at the edge of the forest that grew at the base of a mountain range, which allowed Raykim to ride on the roof of the wagon. Sometimes he scouted ahead or over the mountains, oblivious of Human borders and curious about the world.

He wasn't expecting the land he lived in to be so big. If he went high up, he could vaguely see its whole shape, although the world was round, and his telescopic view allowed him a glimpse of the highest mountaintops of Maadre as well, even though it was across the ocean, a trip that took days on Human ships.

Keneith had said that his full-blooded half-sister Starblazer had gone there with her mother when she was still a baby, unable to shift shape, much like he was. His own father had vanished without a trace, and Raykim felt still quite ignorant about Fajrulo.

He was growing very fond of Humans, though. He was aware that Keneith, Bellinda and Hinrik weren't fully Human, but then Loriana had made him those wonderful clothes and he hoped that eventually he might be able to mingle with them.

And then they stopped on the shore of the umpteenth river, more or less midway along the mountain range. Raykim found a nice clearing and they decided to stop for a few days so the horses could rest properly.

Raykim went hunting with his cousin, but then he helped prepare the venison. He enjoyed cooking more than Bellinda, and now that someone was teaching him how to do things, he was very happy. No more raw meat for him!

Hinrik bathed sometimes twice a day, but then, he was half-Waiora. Raykim hadn't seen any Waiora yet, but maybe they had seen him and were afraid to show themselves to him, in spite of Hinrik's presence.

On the second day Keneith had taken down a boar with a fire ball and Raykim had helped him to skin and roast it when Hinrik came back from his bath wearing only his breeches.

"Young man, do you mind covering that body of yours?" Bellinda said, staring at Hinrik's naked chest still wet under the sun.

"Why, is it too much for you to behold?" Hinrik replied, sitting by the fire.

"You could say that, yes. Please, have mercy."

They exchanged smiles and he put on his tunic as Raykim passed him a piece of perfectly roasted meat, staring puzzled at his half-Waiora friend.

"Why don't you tell me to cover myself?" Raykim asked Bellinda. He'd been around her half-naked up to Kelvia and even now he was without Loriana's shirt on.

"You're too young to be interesting," she replied.

"And you shouldn't be bothered by these things yet," Keneith added. "By Fajrulo standards, you're a newborn. By Sila standards, you might start feeling the call for your first mating flight, but since Bellinda doesn't have wings, you shouldn't even look at her."

"What do you mean, that Raykim will have sex only with winged beings?" Hinrik asked, puzzled.

"No, but his body is still not ready for sex," Keneith replied. "He might have lived twenty years already, but it's as if he were a ten-year-old Human. Did you have sex thoughts at ten?"

"Um... no." Hinrik blushed and bit the meat to keep his mouth busy.

"Why are we even discussing sex in front of a child?" Bellinda rolled her eyes. "No offense, Raykim, but really, did you feel that pull to take to the skies and find a mate? Or did you mate while scouting for us?"

"No, I didn't," Raykim grumbled. "I was just wondering what the fuss was about. You should have said it had to do with mating."

"Sorry, dear." Bellinda smiled fondly at him. "I do realize you're young but obviously hadn't realized how young you were."

Raykim shrugged. There, they were treating him like a child again. True that mating was a grownup thing and he wasn't really interested in that. But he was interested in Human things – traditions, mating, whatever – so he would have loved to know more.

Keneith gave him his meat and he nibbled at it, still taken by the thought. He only had a vague idea of how he had come into the world and he wasn't sure he wanted to know more yet, but at the same time he was sick of being treated like a baby. He wasn't a baby!

He sulked after the meal, hugging his knees and staring at the sky. The others were playing "What does that cloud look like" and he'd had enough of that game. And since he had promised not to tamper with clouds, where was the fun?

He looked up with them, though, just in case he saw a Sila fly by. Not that he'd tell them – he could see very far with his telescopic view, but they couldn't.

And then a blue-green moving dot caught his attention.

He gasped and jumped to his feet.

"What is it?" Bellinda asked him.

"There! Fajrulo mating!" He pointed at what he saw, zooming in on the dot. Definitely two dragons, one blue and one green. They were tiny, therefore they must be quite far away, high up in the sky.

"I can't see a thing," Bellinda said. Hinrik squeezed his eyes, but couldn't see anything either.

"Don't bother with your Human sight," Keneith said, unmoved. "Raykim, stop staring, that's not a sight for you. Didn't we just say you're too young?"

"But that's... my father, I think!" Raykim replied, still staring at the sky. "I need to check!"

"Raykim, don't!"

Keneith tried to grab him, but he was faster. He opened his wings and took off, headed for the couple of dragons who seemed locked together.

He had seen animals mate, so it wasn't anything new. It was obvious that the blue dragon was mating with a green female. He stopped at a certain distance and stared awed at the blue bat-like wings so similar to his own. Same color, but attached to a scaly dragon body with a whitish belly.

Yellow eyes turned to look at him as the dragons separated. The green female had red eyes and barely glanced at him before flying away.

"What are you looking at, boy?" the male roared.

"Father, is that you?" Raykim said hesitantly. "I'm Raykim, son of Winged Amalia..."

"Get away from me!" The roar shook Raykim to the bone and he felt the flame before it erupted from the dragon's mouth.

With a yelp, he closed his wings and dived to the ground. He avoided the burning breath and spread his wings again to glide back into the clearing. Looking behind him, he saw the dragon was following him, furious.

Panicking, Raykim dived again towards Keneith's shield. He didn't know how to raise protective magic shields and hoped his cousin's defenses would keep him safe.

As soon as he touched the ground, he stumbled against a root and fell into Hinrik's arms. He closed his wings, still panting, and held tight to Hinrik's powerful torso. He wished he had Hinrik's muscles, although he doubted they would help against an angry dragon!

Raykim was certain now that he'd just met the Fajrulo who had sired him. But why was he so mad at him? Why did he try to kill him? Were Fajrulo that heartless with their offspring?

Keneith's shield held as the blue dragon spat fire against them. Hinrik passed Raykim's shaky body to Bellinda and turned towards the river.

Raykim nestled against Bellinda, watching wide-eyed as his half-Waiora friend turned to the river and splashed his father's head, extinguishing the flame before it left his throat.

My father is an evil monster! Bellinda sent soothing healing waves through him, calming his terror.

The water threw his father off-balance and made him crash a little further down the river shore. Raykim giggled hysterically while Hinrik covered the dragon with another wave of water. And then Keneith put a hand on Hinrik's shoulder and walked towards the fallen dragon.

Raykim relaxed his grip on Bellinda, watching his cousin confront his father.

"Greetings, Runedemon," Keneith said.

So I was right. He's my father! Raykim didn't know if he was happy or scared.

The dragon bared his fangs, his pointed ears twitching under the sun.

"Do you by any chance know the whereabouts of your sister?" Keneith continued, undaunted.

"When will you wretched half-breeds learn to leave your parents alone?" the dragon roared. "There is a reason we abandon you! We don't want to have you around!"

Raykim let go of Bellinda, wounded, and Hinrik put one arm around his shoulder. That was a very protective and sweet older brother! Raykim wondered if Hinrik could adopt him!

"It's not really a good reason to try to kill us only because we are naturally attracted to being close to you," Keneith retorted. "Especially one as young as Raykim. If he were full-blooded, he'd still be with his mother!"

"Then he can blame it on his Sila mother for kicking him out of his nest," Runedemon retorted. "And now he knows better than to disturb two adults mating."

The yellow eyes glared at Raykim who tried to hide behind Hinrik's wide shoulders. If it weren't for the wings, he would have probably succeeded, since he was shorter and thinner than the half-Waiora.

"And who's that wretched young man?" Runedemon continued.

"Another wretched half-blood," Keneith answered. "Half-Waiora, hence you can thank him for the shower. You probably badly needed it anyway."

Runedemon roared again, but that didn't deter Keneith. Hinrik and Raykim stepped back a little – towards the river, since that was the safe place for Hinrik – but Bellinda didn't move.

"I should destroy you all!" Runedemon said.

"You thought the shower wasn't enough?" Keneith scoffed. "You're one quite powerful Fajrulo and we're four quite determined half-breeds. It's an interesting challenge."

A challenge! Raykim's interest perked up and he moved next to Hinrik. He wasn't sure how he could contribute, but he wasn't letting his cousin and his new friends fight his battles for him. He could manipulate fire as much as Keneith, and he controlled air as well. Now that he wasn't panicked, maybe he could confront his powerful father!

"You are not setting fire to this forest." A group of Waiora emerged from the river very close to the grounded Fajrulo.

Raykim barely glanced at them because he heard feathery wings flapping overhead. His eyes went to the sky and he gasped. A group of Sila glided around Runedemon. Raykim almost whined at the sight of the leader. Her hair and wings were losing their original color, but she hadn't changed much.

"You are outnumbered, Runedemon, leave in peace," she said.

"Winged Amalia, long time no see!" The Fajrulo sounded sarcastic. He didn't look like he was going to leave though. Raykim wondered what his mother had seen in him to make a mating flight with such a monster.

"Leave our son and his friends alone," the Sila insisted while Bellinda approached Runedemon and put her hands on the skewed wing.

Raykim gaped as the half-Genn closed her eyes and started healing his fallen father. He rushed to hug his mother, basking in her scent and her warm embrace.

Everybody watched as Bellinda set the broken wing, and Keneith was right by her side when she collapsed. The Fajrulo muttered a thank you and flew off without looking at anyone. The Waiora dived again in the river while Keneith took Bellinda into the wagon to rest.

Raykim felt Hinrik's eyes on him, but then his mother took his face in her hands and he forgot where he was.

"Are you all right, Son?" she asked tenderly.

"I... wasn't hurt, they protected me... how did you know?"

"I've been following you since you left our mountains." She smiled. "I wanted to make sure you were safe."

"So you've always watched me?" Tears came to his eyes, but he gulped them down.

"Since I was forced to let you go, yes," she answered. "I'm glad you found friends who can protect you."

"Mother, I want to come home!"

"You can't. You have found new friends. They love you."

"Keneith hates me! And he's my cousin!"

"He doesn't hate you, Raykim, he protected you, didn't he? You can't expect him to display any form of affection, though, if he's half-Fajrulo."

"Mother, why did you mate with a Fajrulo?" Tears were running down his cheeks now and Winged Amalia gently dried them with her thumbs.

"He looked Sila to me," she said gently. "He had shifted shape and I was... in need. I realized my flight mate wasn't Sila only when you were born with tiny bat-like wings on your back..." She kissed his forehead. "I will always love you, Raykim, but the rest of the Sila can't stand you. Please, stay with your cousin, will you?"

Raykim sniffled and nodded. He hugged her tight and listened to her heartbeat for a moment, then let her go.

"I miss you, Mother," he said with a shaky voice. She was surrounded by her other offspring who backed her only out of respect for her age. Raykim saw in their eyes they didn't want him back.

"I miss you too, Raykim, but you're better off with your cousin. He will explain everything to you when the time comes."

"About what?"

"Your body and mating. Soon you'll be ready and I wouldn't be able to help you in that department."

Raykim sniffled again and looked at Keneith and Hinrik who were waiting for him.

Winged Amalia caressed his hair. "Raykim, I'm so proud of you."

Raykim refused to look at her. Keneith came over and put one arm around Raykim's shoulder.

"Nice meeting you, Winged Amalia. I will take care of your son."

"I know you will, Keneith. Thank you."

Raykim gulped down more tears. And then she was gone with her perfect offspring and their perfect offspring who had feathered wings and no pointed ears and looked like all the other Sila of the world.

"Let's go hunting," Keneith suggested, leading Raykim back to camp. "Bellinda will need food to recover from healing a Fajrulo, and it will keep your mind busy..."

***

Keneith was still kind of mad at his rash cousin, more because he'd put them all in danger than because he'd brought Runedemon's wrath on them. Of course his pure-blooded uncle wasn't helpful at all, and Keneith was beginning to think he'd never find his long lost mother.

He was quite proud of his team, though. Hinrik hadn't panicked and his water jet had taken down the Fajrulo. Bellinda had noticed Runedemon was hurt and had healed him. Only Raykim had screwed up, so to speak.

But then, at least Keneith knew that Raykim's mother hadn't really abandoned him. She'd been watching him as he traveled with them, although she was gone now. Raykim was still a little bummed, both by her leaving and the fact that Bellinda was still recovering, therefore Keneith left him alone.

As he cooked the pheasants and hares they'd caught during their hunt, Keneith thought about Winged Amalia, the Sila tricked into a mating flight with a Fajrulo. He was glad he didn't have those instincts and wondered if Hinrik had ever felt that kind of call.

Waiora and Sila were similar in that every ten years they mated with the first member of the other sex that happened to come by – calling it a mating swim or a mating flight – and usually produced offspring after the compulsive mating.

Then he considered his own impulses, trying to remember when he'd felt that compulsion. Although Fajrulo weren't as regular in their mating flights, having much longer lifespans, he found a certain pattern in his own mating process.

He wasn't sex-obsessed, but he did need to have sex after a number of years, usually around five.  It had been more often when he was younger, but now he was obviously an adult and didn't need it as often as he used to.

Raykim was very quiet after the meeting with his parents and helped him to season the meat without speaking. Hinrik had gone inside the wagon with a herbal tea for Bellinda.

"Should I check?" Raykim asked shyly as they took the meat off the fire, perfectly roasted.

And then the door of the wagon opened and Bellinda came out with the mug in her hand, followed by Hinrik.

"How are you feeling?" Raykim asked, his yellow eyes wide with worry and a hint of guilt.

"I'm fine," she answered. "Thanks for the tisane." She raised the mug at Keneith as if toasting and he nodded.

"Next time my little cousin pulls a stunt like that, I'm going to kill him myself," he grumbled, not looking at Raykim but feeling him shiver by his side.

"I think he has learned his lesson," Bellinda replied with a smile, sitting by the fire.

She ruffled Raykim's blue hair, which made him purr.

And then she says she doesn't want to be a mother! Look at her, all motherly with my non-Human cousin! Maybe she should adopt him!

"I'm sorry I put us all in danger," Raykim apologized.

"I'm sure Ken has already chastised you for it, no need to berate yourself any further," she replied.

Of course, let me be the bad guy, as usual. Maybe I should have stayed with the Varian king and become his court sorcerer. Now that would make me the real villain!

"Is your mother gone?" Bellinda asked.

"Yes." Raykim hugged his knees. "She said I was better off with you guys, as long as I obeyed and did what you say."

"Eat." Keneith grumpily put a bowl of broth in Bellinda's hands. Enough of this conversation already! I'm not going to listen to your defense speech! I knew it was a bad idea to bring a half-blood child along! But of course, who is going to listen to the eldest in this crazy little group?

They ate in silence and then Bellinda suggested they headed for Appleyard. Keneith could only agree that the Genn might be the only ones who could accept them all. Although he wasn't going to stop there.

The Genn might be more long-lived than Humans, but he still needed to move around. He had seen most of the northern lands. It was time to visit the south.

CHAPTER SIX

The following two months of travel were mostly uneventful. They stuck to secondary roads and avoided cities as much as they could. Raykim sat on the wagon roof or scouted ahead, curious about the mountain range that he could see in the direction where they were headed.

He saw more Sila from far away, but didn't get close. If his nest companions had so despised him, in spite of his mother's loving presence, he was certain that strangers would be even harsher on him. And he'd had enough with the fight with his father.

He was quite happy with the company now, in spite of his grumpy cousin's ways. But Bellinda was like his mother and Hinrik like the elder brother he never had. They got along fine and each had their chores, usually tied to their element.

After crossing two more rivers, they reached a third that came out of that new mountain range the others called the Central Massif. Raykim noticed Hinrik's reaction to this particular river and guessed they had almost reached their destination.

"Is this the Ondan?" he asked, perched on the roof of the wagon.

"Yes," Hinrik answered. "It's not as wide as it is downriver, but it's definitely the Ondan. I recognize the smell."

"I didn't know water had a specific smell," Raykim commented. "But then, I'm not half-Waiora," he added with a chuckle. Hinrik flashed him a smile.

"We will keep an eye on Shytur while you visit your family," Bellinda said. "There is a Genn village nearby, we'll wait for you there."

"Will you, really?" Hinrik asked. "I wouldn't want to delay your journey..."

"We're not in a hurry to go anywhere," Keneith replied. "And the Genn are more civilized than Humans. I look forward to trying their hospitality again."

Raykim was very curious about that too. He had heard enough about the Genn by now to look forward to meeting them.

The village had been built on the other shore of the Ondan in the middle of the forest. A nice little bridge crossed the river and took them to a dozen small houses with conical roofs and neat little gardens in the front.

The Genn were androgynous beings with blond hair and pointed ears. Raykim remembered Belfi and could see the resemblance, but both the immortal half-blood and Bellinda's hair were darker than the golden manes of the village inhabitants.

None of them looked shocked at the sight of him. The small children actually looked curious and when he got off the wagon roof, they surrounded him and wanted to climb on him to touch his wings. Their little hands tickled him and made him giggle nervously as Bellinda tried to keep the little ones away from him.

Hinrik dismounted from his beloved horse, Shytur, and left him in the care of a young Genn boy. He took his things inside the wagon, leaving his sword, and joined the group as Bellinda was introducing him.

"And that's Hinrik, son of Woram and Kaline of Salamar."

"And he's bidding you good-bye for now," Hinrik said. "I am long overdue a visit to my father."

"Do you have to swim for long or will the current take you?" Raykim asked, a little worried. What if his father was a bastard like Raykim's? But then, Hinrik's father was Waiora, not Fajrulo. And Hinrik was older. And he had already met his father and Woram wasn't hostile.

"I don't know," Hinrik answered with a smile. "I'm sure my father will find me."

Bellinda kissed his cheek and he waved good-bye to Raykim and Keneith before going to the river shore.

Raykim watched him dive into the water and wished he could go with him. But he already knew that water wasn't his best friend and he'd have to wait for Hinrik to come back.

Then a little girl with pointed ears tickled him and distracted him from the thought of Hinrik.

***

Keneith was glad the Genn kept Raykim busy. It was time he had a serious talk with Bellinda. They'd left Havenstock together, and now she was probably going back to Havenstock, but without him. He could see she was thoughtful, probably trying to sort out her feelings.

He probably wasn't the most qualified person to give her advice, but they'd been close long enough that he hoped his suggestions would be welcome. They were still friends, after all, watching each other's back.

The presence of Hinrik and Raykim had unbalanced their relationship more than Belfi, though, and they needed to reassess where they were at.

He found her seated on the river shore, as if she was hoping to see Hinrik come back that day.

"Am I disturbing you?" he asked, sitting on the grass by her side.

"No, it's actually good timing," she replied. "I think we should talk. Consider our options and what we want to do next. We left together from Havenstock and now we're almost back there. What are your plans? I assume you don't plan to stay?"

We still think along the same lines. Maybe I should have stuck to her. We're more alike than I thought.

"No, your king knows of my power and I wouldn't want him to get strange ideas," he answered.

"Like what?" She chuckled. "Putting you at the front of his army to throw balls of fire at his enemies?"

"Something like that." He grinned. "I don't just throw balls of fire, you know."

"I know, I was joking." She hugged her knees. "So you're going south?"

Keneith nodded. He mentioned going south and maybe needing a map, although he hadn't used one when he'd gone through the northern lands. Even if he got lost in the southern kingdoms, who cared? He had Raykim who could go farther up than he could levitate and see the ground from up above.

Bellinda said she'd find him a map anyway. Her Sila friends would provide one. She must have gotten over her mild form of jealousy that had prevented her from introducing him to her Magical Races' friends before. As if she felt herself less than a pure-blood. But then, he was half-blood too.

"Speaking of Waiora," he said. "Are you going to keep Hinrik by your side?"

She raised her eyebrows and stared at him, skeptical.

"Should I? He's younger than me and I don't think he's interested anyway."

Denial, Bel! You're afraid because he's younger than you! And he's darn gorgeous too. I bet he'd intimidate the Magical Races as much as he awes Humans.

Except no amount of sweet talk could convince her to consider Hinrik. Keneith wondered if he'd ever been afraid of relationships as much as Bellinda was. Probably not, since he'd never considered having steady relationships with anyone. But the fact that Bellinda didn't want to think about Hinrik, meant that she was probably already obsessed with him.

And she was afraid of his sexuality as well. And after introducing Keneith to his family, she was also afraid to introduce another man to Joyrise and Alina. And she hadn't realized that Hinrik was more than grateful to her. Heck, maybe not even Hinrik was aware.

It was frustrating seeing two friends falling in love and not telling each other. Keneith wasn't close enough to Hinrik to nudge him, but he did his best with Bellinda. If only she'd listened.

"Keneith!" She scowled at him. "I only want the best for him," she grumbled. "I hope he finds someone in the Ondan."

"You're the best," Keneith replied. "If you stop being afraid of him."

"I'm not afraid of him."

"Yes, you are. Although there's nothing to be afraid of. He's not a crazy half-Fajrulo."

"Keneith, you're not crazy. And you're not even half as violent as some Humans I know."

You met me when I had settled and found balance. You should have met me when I was sex-crazed and with no mentor and ready to burst into flames at the slightest provocation – which wouldn't have hurt me, but would have given you a lot of work!

Except she hadn't even been born then. She was twenty years younger than him, after all.

"Will you take care of Raykim?" she asked, worried. "He can't live in a Human town until he manages some shape shifting and hides his wings..."

Yeah, change the subject, try to make me uncomfortable! I give up trying to make you see...

"His mother dumped him in my lap, so I'll keep looking after him," he answered bluntly. "Not exactly what I had in mind for my future, but hopefully at some point he will be old enough to be on his own without danger for anyone."

"I think you'll be a great father figure." She smiled fondly at him. "Whatever your father taught you, you'll pass on to Raykim."

"I'm not his father, I'm his cousin."

"You're his elder and you'll make a great half-blood out of him. I hope the southern kingdoms will be less harsh on both of you."

"Apparently they have different gods and don't spend their time warring with each other. They've been established for almost a century and because the royal families tend to intermarry, they will probably keep the peace for another century or two."

The Genn knew a lot about the southern kingdoms. They had an underground city under Mount Flora and they always kept in touch with their relatives living there through magic means. Sometimes they had even considered coming out in the open again – in the south instead of the north.

"I will miss you," she said, thoughtful. "All of you."

"I still think Hinrik will stay."

"Ken..."

"Do you want to bet on it?"

"I don't bet, and most certainly not with you!"

"Then just wait and see." He flashed a smile at her and rose. "Happy waiting."

He headed back for the village before she could add anything.

***

"Do you think he'll come back?" Raykim asked. "We've been here for a whole week and..."

"Salamar is much farther downriver," Bellinda answered. "Didn't you see the map?"

"I flew there," Raykim replied with a shrug. "Took me a couple of hours to go there and back."

"Yes, well, you were flying, he has to swim," Bellinda retorted. "Although I'm sure he can be very fast even against the current."

"He's a water manipulator after all," Keneith said.

All three sat on the river shore, where Hinrik had left his boots before diving and where presumably he would emerge from the Ondan again.

"Maybe we should have asked him how long he intended to stay there," Raykim insisted. He liked the Genn, but he felt a little overwhelmed having so many people around when he'd been alone for most of his life.

"Why, are you in a hurry to leave?" Keneith teased. "Aren't the Genn treating you well?"

"Yes, but I miss Hinrik!" Raykim complained. "What if he doesn't come back?"

"He'll send a Waiora to warn us," Bellinda said patiently. "I'm sure he'll be back before winter, so you can go south and avoid the snow."

Raykim sighed and hugged his knees. His big blue wings shaded him from the sun's rays coming through the almost leaf-less trees. The Genn had given him Sila clothes with openings for the wings on the back, but he still preferred the sleeveless top Loriana had made for him.

"Winter is months away," Keneith replied. "And by the time we cross Amrendra it might be gone altogether."

Bellinda shrugged. "Will you take me to Havenstock or just circle around the Central Massif?" she asked.

"Unless someone else takes you to Havenstock, I guess we'll have to take you," Keneith said with an impish smile.

"Who else might take her?" Raykim asked, puzzled.

"Hinrik, you ninny."

"Oh, I thought you wanted me to take her there. It wouldn't take me long, you know?" It would actually be fun to carry Bellinda to her hometown. Although he'd have to land at night so that sentinels wouldn't see him and try to take him down with arrows.

"She might be afraid of flying, Raykim, not everybody wants to be carried around by Sila or half-Fajrulo," Keneith replied.

Bellinda smiled. "I'm not afraid of flying and thank you for your offer, Raykim. I might take you up on it."

Raykim grinned. And then his eyes caught a double splash and two heads emerged from the river. One was Hinrik, the other was a brown-haired girl with the same turquoise eyes he had.

Hinrik smiled at them as he climbed onto the shore and sat next to Bellinda on the leaf-covered ground. He wore a sleeveless tunic over his breeches made of the same fabric as the girl's dress. Raykim wondered if it was the famed Waiora fabric. He wanted to touch it, but didn't dare.

"Good to see you. How was the trip?" Bellinda asked.

"It was interesting," Hinrik answered. "I met Ashling who took me to my father's and then stayed there..."

"Because she liked Nalach," the girl added with a giggle. She crouched next to him, eyeing Raykim who stared back goggle-eyed. She had so much of Hinrik in her, she must be related to him!

"Who is Nalach?" Keneith asked.

"My cousin," Hinrik answered, amused. "And since I'm such a hero to the Waiora, she also had a mating swim with me before meeting my father and Dynine and everybody else. They have quite a nice underwater village down there."

"But you didn't find anyone worth staying there for?" Bellinda asked.

"Not really and then Dynine wanted to meet Raykim because I told them of our travels and so here we are." Hinrik smiled and Raykim met the girl's eyes.

Dynine. Right, Hinrik's full-blooded sister! She was actually pretty and she smiled at him without fear or revulsion. That was a first! Raykim smiled back, excited. He really should have tried to meet the other Magical Races sooner!

Keneith harrumphed before asking, "Is Dynine going home alone?"

Raykim scooted closer to the Waiora who didn't look intimidated by his elder cousin.

"Why not?" Dynine replied. "I went home alone from Baes... And there aren't that many dangers in the Ondan."

She rose and invited Raykim to sit with her. "So you're half-Sila and half-Fajrulo?"

"Yes, and I don't like water much because it makes my wings heavy and unmanageable," he answered. "But I like Hinrik, he's been nice to me!"

"Yes, my big brother is very nice! He ignored us for twenty-five years, but he made it up to us on his visit."

"So it was the first time he met his father?"

"The second, but it was the first time he saw our homes."

"So you live underwater?"

"Yes. We live in caves, much like Sila and Fajrulo. Are you going south through the Genn cities?"

"No, I'm not too keen on exploring the Genn tunnels, and I'd rather be outside. Don't you think the colors of the fall are awesome?"

"Yes, that's my favorite time of the year to be outside of water!"

"Really? Mine too!"

Dynine was about his age and she was a pleasure to talk to. She let him touch her dress – the Waiora fabric was even softer than cotton and had a wonderful nacreous shade – and he let her touch his wings. She had a very light touch and looked as awed as he was by her. Except she had to go back to her underwater dwelling and Raykim knew he couldn't follow her.

But at least Hinrik was back. Although he didn't want to go south with Raykim and Keneith.

"You need to get used to letting people you care for go," Keneith told him. "Neither Bellinda nor Hinrik are as long-lived as you and me. Learn to get over the loss quickly to be still functioning. You will lose a lot of loved ones – your parents were only the first."

Raykim wasn't sure he was over the fact that his mother had entrusted him to Keneith, but then, he had known Hinrik and Bellinda for only five months, he surely could let them go and follow Keneith to the southern kingdoms...

***

As Keneith had imagined, Hinrik was curious to see more of the northern lands, therefore he'd take Bellinda to Havenstock. After saying good-bye to the Genn and Dynine, the four went back on the road through the thick Appleyard forest. There was no real road to follow, but Bellinda seemed to know her way through the trees.

Hinrik was a little worried about his horse, since they'd probably use a boat to get to Havenstock, but he wasn't going to get rid of the animal.

"Maybe you should let go of Shytur?" Keneith suggested. "We will take care of him if you want!"

"I don't want to let him go!" Hinrik replied. "He's my only old friend!"

"I thought I saw you talking to him," Keneith teased. "Does he answer?"

"Sometimes words are not necessary." Hinrik stiffened on the saddle. "He was always there when I needed him, and I won't abandon him."

"We'll take him to Havenstock," Bellinda promised. "Don't worry. He's a good riding horse, no need to get rid of him. You might need him again."

Hinrik nodded, still frowning. Keneith shook his head, still amused at how people got fond of things that wouldn't last. One thing he had learned in his long life was to let go of material possessions and people, but the other three were still behind on that.

And then they reached the river that flew into Havenstock and said good-bye. Keneith and Raykim would keep the wagon and the draft horse, Bellinda and Hinrik would use either a boat or Hinrik's horse to reach the town.

"I want you to have this," Keneith said, dropping a purse of gold coins in Hinrik's hand. "I won't need it, and you might use more cash to rebuild your life among Humans."

"Oh, but it's the money you won in Flean!" Hinrik said, puzzled, recognizing the results of Keneith's bet on his victory.

"Untouched," Keneith assured him. He hadn't needed it so far, and thought it fair Hinrik had it, since he'd worked so hard for that victory. Well, with a little help from Raykim, but they hadn't known at the time.

"I saw you pay with golden coins until now!" Hinrik said, incredulous.

"Hinrik, magic users get paid in gold," he replied patiently. "Everywhere."

"Unless they turn silver and copper to gold themselves," Bellinda teased.

"You can do that?" Hinrik wondered, eyes wide in wonder.

Keneith rolled his eyes. "No, I can't do that. Alchemists have been trying for a long time to create gold and failed. And I don't need to create it when I can either earn it or win it by betting on the best fighter in the gladiator ring."

"Helped by a sudden rain shower," Bellinda added, which made Raykim beam.

Hinrik smiled and took the purse. "Thank you, Keneith. It was an honor meeting you and traveling with you for eight months. I hope I will see you again someday."

"Who knows." Keneith shrugged. "I might not come back to the north in your lifetime." He turned to Bellinda and hugged her. "Have a safe trip, Bel. And take care of you both."

"I will." She squeezed him. "You take good care of Raykim, will you?"

She then hugged Raykim, as did Hinrik. Both climbed on Hinrik's saddle, and then they were gone.

"Right, don't get mushy and get on the wagon," Keneith said, noticing Raykim had wet eyes.

His cousin glared at him and sniffled.

"Do you want to hold the reins?" Keneith asked, climbing to the front of the wagon.

"Can I drive from the roof?" Raykim replied, flying up and sitting with his feet dangling on both sides of Keneith's head.

Of course, his wings didn't agree with the wagon's walls. Keneith thought the horse wouldn't notice if the reins were a little higher than usual and passed them to Raykim.

"Show me what you can do."

Raykim giggled and spurred the draft horse with a light whipping of the reins.

There we go. The adventure begins...

CHAPTER SEVEN

Raykim loved to fly. And he loved the confidence he had acquired since he'd left the mountains where he'd been born. Whenever he was sick of Keneith's blunt manners, he took off on his own and looked at the world from high up.

It had been a year since they'd said good-bye to Hinrik and Bellinda. The wagon was camped in the forest of Amrendra, the northernmost of the southern kingdoms, and apparently the only one with four seasons. Raykim was kind of curious to see the others, but neither he nor Keneith had decided to move further south yet.

Raykim didn't want to go too far from Havenstock, just in case Hinrik and Bellinda needed him. Well, Keneith, more like. His elder cousin was teaching him some things, but others still puzzled him. He still didn't understand Humans much.

They had encountered dwarves while moving around the Central Massif, but they'd proven grumpier than Fajrulo. Very few of them were bold enough to reach Human towns and villages around the mountains, and even less had actual Human friends.

Dwarves weren't hostile towards the half-blood cousins, but they weren't welcoming either. They knew the way to the closest Genn underground city, but neither Raykim nor Keneith had been keen on entering the tunnels and caves system of the underground people. Keneith said he'd feel buried alive and Raykim was afraid his wings would hinder him in the narrower passages.

And then one day, on his way back to their secluded camp, he saw two Sila flying towards him. He flapped his wings to stop mid-flight, puzzled, and looked around. There wasn't anyone else up in the sky, and the two Sila were definitely converging on him.

He gathered a cloud and sat, waiting. He also glanced towards the ground to check how far he was from camp, just in case he needed to dive to safety like he had done when his father had attacked him. Just in case. Sila weren't belligerent, but... just in case.

It was two female Sila, probably in their twenties, and they were smiling, therefore not threatening. Raykim relaxed a little as he observed them. One had blond hair and wings, blue eyes and a blue tight-fitting Sila two-piece – shirt and pants. The other had black hair and wings, brown eyes, olive skin like Raykim's and wore a cut shirt that barely covered her breasts, leaving her belly-button free, and her pants reached barely below the knee.

"Hello," the blonde said. "Are you Raykim?"

"Yes," he answered, surprised. "How do you know me?"

"News flies." The dark-haired one chuckled. "Are you still with your cousin?"

"Uh, yes... which nest do you come from?" Raykim began to fear his mother was dead and her offspring were trying to find him to get rid of him forever.

"One of the nests of the Central Massif," the dark-haired one said, pointing back at the mountains below them. "Can we meet your cousin before we make all the introductions?"

"Sure." Raykim decided that with Keneith he could deal with the two Sila. On his own, not so much. The memory of being kicked out of his Home Nest was still fresh in him.

He guided them to the clearing where Keneith was preparing their lunch.

"I thought you'd skip a meal," Keneith said. "Hello, ladies. Are you by any chance Winged Elsa and Winged Monia?"

Raykim gaped at Keneith as the two Sila laughed.

"It is us," the blonde said. "I'm Winged Elsa, and that's Winged Monia. We should have met earlier, Keneith, although you didn't have your interesting cousin with you back then."

"I wonder why they chased him from his nest," the dark-haired one added. "He is unusual, but still..."

"Would you do a mating flight with him?" Keneith asked. "Not that he's ready yet, but still..."

"Why not?" Winged Monia's smile dazzled Raykim who held his breath.

"Come on, Winged Monia, don't tell me that the Sila fear you because you have black wings!" Keneith teased. "I mean, I understand Humans being confused, but..."

"Winged Monia has weird tastes," Winged Elsa said. She took a parchment from an inner pocket of her shirt. "Bellinda said you might use a map of the southern kingdoms," she added, offering it to Keneith.

"Thank you!" Keneith unfolded it and spread it on the ground. Raykim peeked at it, but didn't say anything.

"I'm sure Raykim can mark where you are right now," Winged Elsa continued. "I'm not sure of the names of the southern towns and kingdoms anyway, so you'll have to improvise as you go along."

"I have a stylus to complete it," Keneith said. "Thanks, Winged Elsa." Keneith folded it again and turned to the fire. "I won't invite you for lunch, but let me feed my little cousin. If that doesn't disgust you," he stared at Winged Monia, "nothing will. But please show up in a few years if you want to mate with him."

Winged Monia laughed and shook her head, which made Raykim feel relieved. He really wasn't ready for a mating flight. And he was hungry. Keneith passed him the roasted meat and he attacked it while the Sila sat with them without touching the earth food.

"How are Bellinda and Hinrik?" Keneith asked. "Still together, I hope."

"Yes, can you believe it!" Winged Elsa grinned. "I think she has found the right one."

"And she didn't want to have him." Keneith rolled his eyes. "Are they still living in Havenstock?"

"Yes, well, slightly outside of Havenstock, on the river shore. Wioleta keeps an eye on them," Winged Monia answered. "The Varian king is still trying to subdue the northern tribes, so he has given the Gallians some respite."

"You might have felt it or not, but there was an eclipse," Winged Elsa said, serious now. "And a big clash between light and darkness."

Raykim stared at them goggle-eyed, forgetting to eat. He had missed something huge. He could have watched from a safe distance – if he'd known of the clash. No earth-shattering explosions or columns of black smoke obscuring the sky had caught his attention, though.

Keneith nodded. "Belfi and Manusia," he said.

Raykim gasped. "You mean the twins fought?" he asked, incredulous.

"Yes," Winged Elsa answered. "Manusia was immortal from the beginning, his demonic nature being stronger. During their first fight, centuries ago, Belfi absorbed part of his immortality, becoming invincible for the poor dark twin who was confined to his mother's underground kingdom."

"He could have waited for Belfi's natural death, but he craved the sun and envied Belfi, therefore for three hundred and eighty years he tried to get out," Winged Monia continued. "Since their mother had used eclipses to try to get back under the sun, he decided to do the same."

"So they fought during the eclipse," Keneith said. "Did you see anything?"

Raykim shook his head violently. "No! I didn't even notice the eclipse!"

"The clash was on the ground and very quick," Winged Elsa replied. "The eclipse was short and the cloud of Manusia's dark power didn't have time to rise up in the sky, since Belfi understood how they were tied and sacrificed himself to rid the world of the Lord of Darkness. You may have seen a flash of light if you looked the right way, otherwise you missed it like most of the world."

"You mean the immortal half-blood is... dead?" Raykim's voice ended in a squeal.

Both Sila looked at him and nodded. Raykim exhaled, bummed. He felt a lump in his throat, but fought it. Keneith already thought he was too much of a wimp. He looked at his cousin who was staring at the fire, pondering.

"Thank you for the good and the bad news," Keneith said at last, looking at the Sila.

"We thought you might be interested in hearing of Belfi's demise," Winged Monia said. "Manusia's energy liquefied with the demons. The Genn wonder where or when it will surface again. Since you're both half-Fajrulo, you're the only ones who will be able to handle it."

"So you think the evil will come back?"

"It keeps coming back," Winged Elsa said. "The Immortals might have buried the evil underground, but the dark magic keep resurfacing, calling on Human blood..."

"The Ponds of Dark Magic. And they're toxic for the Magical Races except Fajrulo." Keneith nodded, thoughtful. "Although I have Human blood, so we better put all our hopes in this young half-blood who might one day save us all." He put one hand on Raykim's shoulder and smiled briefly at him. "Don't worry, little cousin, it will take years if not centuries."

Raykim gulped and nodded. He wasn't too happy to hear he might have to confront evil and dark magic. The part of him that was Sila wanted to hide and whine. But the Fajrulo blood sort of looked forward to the confrontation.

***

Keneith was upset at the news that Belfi had sacrificed his life to defeat his dark twin. He hadn't shown any of it to Raykim, of course, but it made him wonder. Would he sacrifice his own life for the good of others? To save the world? To get rid of a menace?

He doubted it. He was more attached to his own life than to the world and the people living in it. Self-preservation was a strong instinct in him, one he hadn't really learned to control – he hadn't wanted to. It had kept him alive for fifty-six years, after all.

And then there was the fact that one of his favorite mentors was gone. And they hadn't met again before Belfi's demise. Keneith wasn't sure he could mentor Raykim either. He wasn't as patient as Belfi had been, but he had no idea who he could ask to help him.

He hadn't stayed with his own offspring and now he was stuck with a young half-breed who looked at him as a father figure – the father he didn't have. Of course Keneith was less threatening than Runedemon in Raykim's eyes, but Keneith didn't think he could handle his fickle cousin.

"We should get moving," he said as they cooked their midday meal two days after the Sila's visit. "We've been here for a whole year. Either we go further south or we get closer to towns."

"We're not going back north? Ever?" Raykim asked with his hurt puppy look.

"Why would you want to go back to a place where they tried to kill you? Where you're not wanted?" Keneith's patience was very thin by now. He was a loner, and he had had enough of Raykim's company.

"But our friends are there!" Raykim whined. "Can we just visit them in their house on the river?"

Keneith rolled his eyes. "Raykim, we said good-bye to them. They're living happily ever after. Maybe they're even starting their own family. Why do you want to disturb them?"

"I thought we were a family," Raykim grumbled.

"You and me are family, since we're cousins," Keneith snapped. "Bellinda and Hinrik are a couple. Like newly-weds or freshly-mated or however you want to consider them. There's no room for us in their life at this time."

Raykim sniffled and hugged his knees, losing interest in the food. Keneith refrained from groaning in frustration and took a deep, calming breath.

"Now, if you allowed us to get moving, we might meet other people. You know how big the world is, you saw it from up above. Why do you want to stay here, in the middle of a forest, away from any other intelligent being walking these lands?"

Raykim shrugged and pouted. Maybe it was his youth, but he was much more cuddly than Keneith. He needed touch, but was obviously afraid of new people. It must have taken him a great deal of courage to approach them that night a year and a half earlier.

"Don't you miss Human food, like bread?" Keneith gave Raykim his portion of roasted meat.

"Sort of," Raykim admitted, staring at the food before nibbling it. "I've never really tried Human food, have I?"

"No, nor Human drinks." Keneith smiled. He wondered what effect ale or wine would have on his little cousin. Except he'd have to figure out what southern people thought of winged beings before taking Raykim to a tavern. "Besides, you might have a gift for languages, but I'm a lot slower. These lands speak a different language. If you don't let me go near a town, I will never be able to learn it and communicate with the locals and figure out if they'd be hostile to you or not."

"I could help, if they let me touch them," Raykim said. "Or we could find the entrance of a Genn underground city and ask them. I saw a couple of openings that probably lead to either a Dwarven town or a Genn town."

Keneith winced at the thought, but then, any place was better than being stuck in the Amrendran forest. Especially now that Manusia was no more, underground cities lost all their demonic aspects, if they ever had one. But he wasn't sure the Genn "exiled" underground were as nice as the ones living in forests or other secluded places under the sun.

Raykim's yellow eyes widened as he seemed to listen. "Someone's coming!" he whispered. "They must have smelled our food!"

"Great, I'm sick of hiding anyway."

Keneith listened too and heard footsteps approaching. Didn't sound like an army, therefore he could handle a few people. He wasn't aware there were any in the vicinity. Raykim had mentioned a lone small palace somewhere on the outskirts of the forest, but Keneith doubted the smell of their meal had reached that far through the trees.

And then two identical young men with gray eyes and brown hair emerged in the clearing. They had bows and arrows and dressed like hunters, but had golden medallions around their necks.

Raykim straightened his back, worried, but Keneith was just curious. The southern language sounded harsh and impossible to understand at first hearing. The tone was questioning, but Keneith had no idea of what they were asking. And they were too far from the border with the Gallians to find an interpreter.

"Wait!" Keneith raised his hand and looked at Raykim. "They don't seem to want to hurt us, or they'd have come out stealthily and with their arrows pointed at us. Why don't you try to touch them and understand what they're saying?"

The two young men seemed frozen now that they realized there was some communication problem. They were also staring at Raykim's blue hair and wings, but more with awe than fear. Still, Raykim was hesitant to go near them.

Keneith turned to the twins and put a hand on his chest. "Keneith," he said. He pointed at his cousin. "Raykim." And then waving at them, "You?"

"Mahesh Manish," one of them said quickly.

"Mahesh," the other repeated pointing at himself. "Manish." He pointed at the other.

"So, Raykim, why don't you try to communicate with Mahesh and Manish? Please?"

"Will you protect me?" Raykim asked with a tiny voice.

"Of course. No harm will come to you. Now please, go and touch them."

***

Raykim rose slowly, his eyes on the two identical Humans who stared back at him with puzzled expressions. Not hostile, though, Keneith was right. They weren't touching their weapons. Raykim went to them and put one hand on each clean-shaven cheek. He felt them shiver, but neither stepped back.

"I hope you can understand me," he said hesitantly. "Please speak now, touching you allows me to understand your words."

"What creature are you?" one asked. "Are you a young god?"

"Uh, no, I'm not a god," Raykim answered.

"Half-god," Keneith said from the camp fire. "After all, Fajrulo passed themselves off as gods, so you're a half-god!"

Raykim glared at his cousin.

"What did he say?" the other asked.

"He said I'm a half-god," Raykim grumbled. "He's a magic user, very powerful."

"Will you come with us to our hunting pavilion?" the first one asked, excited. "Our father will be delighted to meet you both!"

"You won't hurt me?" he asked, puzzled. "I have demon wings and wolves' eyes and..."

"You are a half-god, how could we possibly hurt or slay you?" the other replied with a smile.

"All right." Raykim sighed and let go. He turned to look at Keneith. "They want us to follow them to their hunting pavilion. I assume it's the house I saw from up above?"

"Probably, but I thought you said it wasn't inhabited."

"There wasn't anyone when we settled here."

"It's probably hunting season, then. Good, let's get moving."

Keneith rose and threw earth on the fire. The last of the meat he put away in the wagon. He went to get the draft horse.

"Why are they so creepily alike?" Raykim asked him, helping him to put the horse at the front of the wagon.

"They're twins," Keneith answered. "Sometimes happens with Humans. Two babies, either identical or just born together. And I think those two are royalty. I've heard stories in the Gallian Kingdom, apparently Amrendra has twin kings."

Raykim looked at Mahesh and Manish who were waiting patiently for them. "So you think those are the prince heirs?"

"From the size of the hunting pavilion that you mentioned, it's obviously a royal residence. Yes, I think we just met the prince heirs of this kingdom. Would you like to ask them before we get moving?"

Raykim went back to the two young men and again put his hands on their cheeks.

"Are you the prince heirs of Amrendra?" he asked.

"Yes, my lord Raykim," they answered together.

"My lo..." Raykim guffawed. Nobody had ever called him "my lord" before. "Please, Raykim is my name and it's enough. Climb onto the wagon with my cousin Keneith and direct us to your house."

The twins nodded and he let them go. He flew to the top of the wagon, figuring he didn't have to hide. Suddenly it was a brand new game. The half-god entering the world on his coach. Maybe he could fly ahead... no, that wasn't sensible. He'd wait for Mahesh and Manish to introduce him, hopefully not as a lord or god.

CHAPTER EIGHT

It took a good part of a year for Keneith to master the southern language. Raykim, of course, learned it in a few days. The twin princes introduced them to their father and his twin. As Keneith had thought, the lone palace was a hunting pavilion that was used once a year. The whole royal family went back to Delen, the capital on the coast, a couple of days after they met the twin princes.

The royal palace was a three-story building of gray stone, decorated with vines. It had tall arched windows and stood on a hill from where one could see both the sea and the mountains from the top floor terrace. Inside it was all carpets and tapestries that made it feel warm even during the coldest winter.

The twin princes, being in their late twenties, were both already married and had started breeding. Mahesh had twin daughters, but Manish had already provided the future heirs, twins Daruka and Dahana who were now six years old.

Raykim and Keneith were given close quarters in the palace, but they had separate rooms. At first Raykim was very happy to be an interpreter, but soon he got lost in new friendships and the adulation that came with his strange looks. The Amrendrans really considered him a half-god, wings and pointed ears and everything.

And since Raykim had told them they were cousins, Keneith was also held in high regard. As soon as he mastered the language enough, he was allowed into the king's High Council, even though he wasn't too keen on giving them information on the northern kingdoms.

Raykim happily flew over the border every day to check there were no marching armies. Daruka and Dahana grew up and got married themselves. Sixteen years passed in a heartbeat, considering how time flew in the Amrendran palace.

Loriana's top started wearing out and Raykim used the local silken scarves, crossing the fabric on his chest to hide his nipples and knotting it on the back. He had no trouble wearing pants and slippers or boots that were made for Humans.

But then Keneith noticed Raykim was restless, because his friends had grown up and didn't want to play with him anymore.

"Maybe we should move," Keneith said as they watched a sunset from the main terrace of the palace. "I mean, I've never stayed twenty years in the same place! These people are nice and everything, but can we move on?"

Raykim shrugged. He was in an uncharacteristically brooding mood. "Did you have to scare Winged Monia away?"

"What?" Keneith stared incredulous at his cousin. "You mean you've actually grown up and you want to mate? Wow. Took you almost forty years, but well, I guess it was high time. So why don't you go flying over the Central Massif and look for her?"

"Do you know where her nest is?" Raykim asked, frowning.

"No, I've never been to the top of those mountains, you have. Now, let's say good-bye to the nice twin kings and princes and their people and get away from here. You do your mating flight and join me down the road to Lakeshi, what do you think?"

Raykim scowled. Keneith had noticed Raykim had put on muscle and didn't look like a teenager anymore. Women stared at him admiringly and gushed over his blue hair and wings. But he was of Air and Fire, surely his first experience of sex must be with a flying being, although probably not a female Fajrulo.

"Raykim, I can't do your mating flight for you," Keneith snapped. "We're not tied at the hip, you're free to just take off on your own, you know? You're not a baby anymore and you've just proved you're no longer a child, why do you obstinately stick to me anyway?"

"Because you're my only relative in this part of the world," Raykim grumbled.

He obviously still had problems letting go.

"I said I'd see you on the road to the south, didn't I?" Keneith said, trying to be patient. "You can't expect me to take you to find a mate! If that's your call, go for it! I'll be waiting, but not in this palace, that's all."

"Why don't you suggest I try Humans?" Raykim asked accusingly.

"Because if you're following instinct, you need someone who can fly. But if you're having your very first crush over some pretty Human, that's another thing. Which is it, Raykim?"

Raykim nibbled at his lower lip, pondering the reply. He didn't seem to like where his thoughts were taking him.

"I don't know," he said at last. "I just can't stand how fast Humans grow old. You look still more or less the same, why do they decay so fast?"

Ah, so that's the problem. He finally realized how short-lived Humans are.

"Because that's the way Humans are made," he answered. "Why do you think I kept moving all my life and never spent more than ten years anywhere except with the Genn who age slower? I had even forgotten how short-lived Humans are, since I promised you my stepmother would make you new clothes, without considering the fact that she might have been dead by the time I got home! A natural death for a Human female, not some form of accident or other."

Raykim sighed. "Fine, let's go to Lakeshi, then. I'll try to find a mate in the sky and join you on the road to the south. I'm sure King Manish Mahesh will give us another draft horse to pull the wagon."

"I have walked throughout the northern kingdoms, and since we don't need to hide your looks, we can walk further. I mean, I don't think we need the wagon, and a horse that might get killed by a tiger in the jungles of the south. Maybe we can get an elephant at some point."

Raykim brightened at the thought. "An elephant? That's nice! And you think I could still travel as a semi-god to the southern kingdoms?"

"I'm sure the gods down here are more or less the same. The dialects are similar, and so is the culture, therefore..."

Raykim smiled at last. "Deal!"

***

Raykim was constantly horny. Watching couples' intimacies – something that used to disgust him utterly – had become his new game. He wanted the same thing. He didn't think it was gross anymore. But Keneith was right, he did tend to come when flying, more than on the ground.

Thus he said good-bye to his Amrendran friends and left the capital by flying off the main terrace and heading towards the Central Massif. There was more than one nest there, surely he could find a willing Sila in need of a mating flight. Or maybe looking for her destiny. He still couldn't manipulate his appearance, so he hoped his bat-like wings wouldn't deter any prospective mate.

It was just sex after all! Even finding Sila males would probably be helpful. Keneith couldn't fly and couldn't explain some things to him. So he might as well ask others. He considered going back to the Home Nest and not letting anyone drive him away until they answered his questions, but it was much farther north and he didn't feel confident enough.

He had grown very attached to Keneith and a part of him feared he wouldn't be able to find him again. But then, his telescopic eyesight would allow him to spot his cousin even if he was a dot the size of an ant. Keneith might wear the southern fashion now, but he had a very distinctive gait and Raykim knew he'd recognize him among dozens.

At the first nest he saw, he asked about Winged Monia. He was directed to another nest with curious looks but no hostility. Probably naming someone meant they didn't feel threatened by him. At the second nest, he found Winged Elsa. She looked older, but still not as old as Humans had become under his eyes.

"Monia has singing duty this time of the year," Winged Elsa said. "It's dankotago, after all. Have you ever celebrated it?"

"Well, I'm the son of a mating flight," Raykim said with a shrug. "So of course I celebrated my birthday during dankotago, even though with my mother we usually stayed up in our nest and didn't go down for the ceremony."

"Are you in a hurry?" Winged Elsa asked with a smile. "Stay a few days, and I'm sure you'll find someone to answer your call."

Raykim blushed. "How do you know I have a call?"

"It's obvious." Her chin pointed at his groin. "You're ready to mate."

Sometimes Raykim hated how his genitals acquired a life of their own.

"Come, I'll introduce you to some friends. You might find someone who satisfies your curiosity."

"Thanks," he muttered, still embarrassed.

She treated him like a younger brother, though, and so did the other Sila she introduced him to. She told them he had nobody to turn to, and asked if they could please help him. Both males and females were ready to answer his questions, and then they asked him about his mother and his nest.

"I've heard of Winged Amalia," someone said. "She was actually mourning her destinito, that's why she fell for Runedemon's trap."

"He might have taken the form of her beloved," someone else added.

Raykim stared at them wide-eyed. Why hadn't his mother ever told him that? Why was she so outcast in her own nest? Because she made a mistake – him?

"She is with Air now," Winged Elsa said gravely, squeezing Raykim's shoulder. "She flew all the way to Amrendra to check on you with her final strength, then took her last breath on these mountains."

"She's... gone?" Raykim's eyes filled with tears.

Winged Elsa hugged him and the others patted his head, shoulders, wings in comfort.

"You'll be fine." Winged Elsa pulled away to look him in the eyes. "Hey, there's Monia!"

Raykim wiped his tears with his hands and turned to look. Winged Monia had aged too, but she still had a most dazzling smile.

"Raykim!" she greeted cheerfully. "Good to see you! How long will you stay?"

"Long enough to have a mating flight with you," he answered boldly.

She chuckled and caressed his cheek. "Really? We'll see..."

***

Keneith had missed walking on the roads. He had his map, his boots, what else did he need? He wasn't even as upset as he'd been when he'd left Kelvia. He kept a leisurely pace and stopped whenever he felt tired. King Manish Mahesh had given him a purse of southern coins in exchange for his northern ones and his services to the Amrendran crown for twenty years.

He had discarded the long magic user coat he'd worn up north for more comfortable southern clothes. He knew he was headed for warmer weather and actually looked forward to it. He crossed the border river on a ferry at Sutra and found himself in Lakeshi.

He stayed more or less on the coast, following the main trade routes through gentle hills. The animal population was slowly changing and he met enough hamlets or lone farms to be able to eat normal Human food, albeit cooked the southern way.

He enjoyed his newly found solitude so much, that when Raykim playfully attacked him from behind it unnerved him more than he wanted to admit. Not because he thought it was a real threat, but because his peace of mind was over.

He glared at his younger cousin who was chuckling to himself.

"Did I scare you?"

"No, Raykim, you didn't scare me, although you did take me by surprise."

"I unbalanced you, you almost fell flat on your face!"

"And you think that's funny? You've obviously spent too much time with people with wings!"

Raykim shrugged as his smile vanished. He was wearing a Sila shirt with openings for the wings, but still had his Amrendran scarf wrapped around his waist. He'd been with the Sila for almost a month and Keneith hadn't really missed him. In fact he had hoped he had gotten rid of him.

"There is a town up ahead, and a river," Raykim said, walking next to him with his soft Sila boots. They wouldn't last long if he kept walking with Keneith.

"Must be Jevina," Keneith grumbled. "I saw it on the map, but I wasn't sure how far it still was."

"At this pace, you will get there tomorrow. Can I fly you there? It would make an impressive entrance for those Humans, don't you think?"

"I see the Sila forgot to teach you stealth," Keneith snapped. "But then, they don't land in Human towns."

"Well, if I'm a semi-god, I might as well make a grand entrance, don't you think?"

Keneith rolled his eyes. "We'll see. Did you do what you were supposed to do?"

"Yes!" Raykim beamed again. "Winged Monia was very nice to me. And so were the others."

"Good. So you're calmer now?"

"I want more. I want to try Humans."

Keneith stopped walking and stared at him. Raykim sounded really proud of himself. And sex-obsessed as much as he'd been when he was younger. I have made enough mistakes in my dealings with Humans. I have hurt enough women in my youthful inexperience. I better tell him to behave.

"What?" Raykim asked nervously.

"Raykim, there are thousands more Humans than there are Sila. And they're much, much more aggressive than Sila. So you will have to learn how to behave with Human females. Or no matter how much they worship you here in the south, they will try to kill you if you hurt their women."

"I don't want to hurt them," Raykim replied, puzzled.

"You might hurt them with your behavior, unknowingly. Fire knows how many women I have hurt in my youth. I want you to be loved, not feared. Therefore we will study the courtship ways of the south, and you will follow them, understood? No humping with no preliminaries."

"All right." Raykim still looked puzzled, but then, he had no idea of how complex Humans could be.

***

Jevina welcomed the winged semi-god as enthusiastically as the Amrendrans did. Since Keneith didn't allow him to make a grand entrance, he resigned himself to just following his cousin. He soon got sick of walking and fluttered around Keneith like a big butterfly – or a bloody mosquito, like his cousin once snapped.

Raykim thought Keneith was even more ill-tempered than before. Maybe he'd enjoyed being on his own. He certainly hadn't looked happy to see him, but Raykim had missed him. He had blurted out all of his experiences with the Sila, but Keneith had looked bored.

Raykim really hoped to find new friends in the four-story building, with the upper floors used as the royal residence, the middle floor for official purposes, and the lower floor for servants and other services. The great hall was the biggest room he'd seen so far, and the palace had many sculptures everywhere, adorning the halls and gardens with humans, animals or mythic creatures.

The royal family of Lakeshi didn't have twins, but they were a big and cheerful lot. The heir, Prince Vijay, seemed to adore him more than the others. He was constantly by his side, smiling and touching him and trying to get him all to himself, which of course was hard in a busy and crowded court.

Everybody seemed to want a piece of Raykim, but mostly left Keneith alone. Every time that a woman showed interest in him, Raykim glanced at his cousin. Usually Keneith's glare was enough to deter him.

Until he decided to consult with his new friend, Prince Vijay. Night had fallen on the palace and everybody had retired to their rooms. Raykim had been in Jevina for a fortnight, therefore he knew were everybody slept.

He knew the prince was married, but he didn't sleep in the same room as his wife. Prince Vijay already had two children, and probably more would come. But he didn't go to his wife's room very often and usually stayed in his own.

Without using doors, Raykim went to his balcony and flew to Prince Vijay's balcony, unseen by the guards in the corridors, and more importantly his grouchy elder cousin.

The prince was still up, although he wore a night caftan and was in bed, alone. The lamp on the bed table was still on and even if Vijay had his eyes closed, he obviously wasn't sleeping.

Raykim stepped in the room and recognized the rhythmic movement under the bed sheet. Good, Vijay must know how he felt. He found it odd that Vijay used his hand when he could simply go to his wife, but well... wonders never ceased.

He cleared his throat. Vijay gasped and opened his eyes.

"Raykim!" he whispered incredulous. "How...?" A glance at the open window behind Raykim answered the question.

The prince exhaled and pulled out his hands from under the sheets, sitting more comfortably against his batch of pillows. "Why are you here at this time of the night?"

"I want to talk." Raykim sat on the edge of the bed, bending one leg over the bed sheet and leaving the other foot on the ground, so that his wings could trail behind him without touching the mattress. "During the day it's impossible."

"I want to talk too!" Vijay brightened. "You first, though!"

Raykim nodded. "I was wondering if you knew what your father would think about me mating with one of his daughters. Your sisters seem to like me so I..."

Vijay chuckled. "You want to mate?"

"I mean marrying." Raykim slapped his forehead. Keneith had told him of Human rituals, it just didn't register that they cared a lot for that marriage thing. Humans didn't just "mate" and "breed", they got married and had children. "I want to marry one of your sisters."

"No, no, you want to mate, and that's fine, except it obviously contrasts with our marriage laws," Vijay said, amused. "You see, princesses should marry as virgins, therefore you can't have any of my sisters unless you intend to spend the rest of your life with her."

"My life is going to be much longer than any of yours anyway," Raykim replied. "But I would like to try more than one woman, and that's for sure."

Vijay nodded. "Are you still a virgin?"

"I've had mating flights. But I've never dealt with Humans before."

"I see. Would you consider me? You could have sex with me and it wouldn't spoil my virginity, nor make me pregnant. It's just sex that you want, isn't it?"

"Yes." Raykim stared puzzled at the prince. "But what will your wife think?"

"My wife doesn't know everything I do. And if I don't visit her often, I have my reasons." Vijay smiled impishly. "Some things just won't work with women. They don't understand our bodies like we do."

"Oh." Raykim pondered. "Don't you have the same thing that I have? How do we match?"

Vijay leaned forward and caressed his cheek. "I'll show you," he whispered. "Would you like to try?"

***

"You what?" Keneith stared incredulous at Raykim.

They were alone in Keneith's room and it was barely dawn. Knowing how little sleep he had, Raykim had flown to his balcony moments before to announce he had had sex with Prince Vijay.

"I spent a few hours with him," Raykim answered, excited. "You wouldn't believe the tricks he knows! Very pleasurable!"

Keneith groaned. "Tell me you didn't screw him!"

"Actually, I did! I didn't know one could do it with a man, but it has been fun!"

"Raykim!" Keneith didn't know if he should strangle his cousin or hug him. "You don't go around humping men, especially prince heirs! Can't you learn to control that beast between your legs?"

"Vijay suggested it," Raykim replied, now looking offended. "I didn't know what I was supposed to do, so I let him lead the game!"

"Great!" Keneith muttered.

From child who finds kisses icky to horny teenager who would fuck anything with a hole. Why oh why did I promise Winged Amalia and Bellinda to take care of this overgrown youth?

"Why are you always mad at everything I do?" Raykim complained. "I thought I'd ask Vijay how to deal with his sisters..."

"And he introduced you to another kind of sex, I get it." Keneith waved him off. "Now please don't go boasting throughout the entire court that you have had sex with the prince heir, or they'll kick you out of here, if not worse."

"I promised Vijay I wouldn't tell anyone, but I had to tell you, right?" Raykim was the picture of offended pride.

"Right. Come here." Keneith patted the broad, backless, cushion-like round seat next to him. It would allow Raykim to sit without worrying about his wings.

Raykim dragged his feet but obeyed. He hung his head and waited, his excitement gone.

He obviously still trusts me and feels the need to tell me everything he does. Which is good. But how do I handle him? How do I explain things to him?

Keneith put one arm around his cousin's shoulder and pulled him closer.

"Raykim, it's fine. But please, don't go exploring like this without consulting with me ever again. I had found a couple of maids, whose virginity isn't as important as princesses, who were very attracted to you and was about to tell you you should have them."

Raykim glanced at him from behind his blue bangs. "Really?" he whispered.

"Yes, except now you've tangled yourself with Prince Vijay." Keneith sighed. "You will have to deal with him. Just be aware that he's married and if his wife finds out, she might request a divorce and he'll never be king."

"I know, and so does he. We'll be careful."

"Good. Then you're all set for your first sexual experiences with Humans."

"You're not mad at me for what I did?"

"I wouldn't have done it, but I'm not you."

"Did you have someone explain things to you when you were young?"

"No, I had left home and was on my own. I made a lot of mistakes. I hoped to spare you. As long as nobody is hurt and everything was consensual, though, I can't stop you from experimenting. Just be careful, though. And remember, no means no."

"I will remember, Keneith, I promise," Raykim said gravely.

Keneith hugged him. Stupid, lovable little cousin of mine! It felt good to hear him giggle against him. He'll grow up, eventually...

CHAPTER NINE

Experimenting was fun, but soon it became boring. Raykim learned to control himself by observing Keneith's behavior. His elder cousin wasn't chaste, he just didn't have sex as often as he did. And obviously doing it less often was more pleasing.

Add to that the end of the first excitement, the years passing, Humans growing old, and again Raykim found himself wondering if it was time to leave Jevina. It took him fifteen years to get enough of the Lakeshian royal family, and Keneith looked amused when he suggested they leave.

"How come?" he asked. "You have screwed any screwable Human in town?"

"Keneith!" Raykim rolled his eyes. "Have mercy!"

Keneith laughed. He still looked more or less the same, around forty Human years, his hair still as black as raven's wings.

"I'm glad you grew up, Raykim. And that you want to continue this adventure."

"We still need to find your mother," Raykim said.

"I'm impressed," Keneith teased. "You even remembered why I set off in the first place!"

Raykim scowled and Keneith smiled.

"Sorry, Raykim, you're a good boy..."

"I think I can be considered a man now!" Raykim puffed out his chest for emphasis. "I'm fifty-five, I'm an adult, now, am I not?"

"A good man," Keneith corrected. "I'm actually quite proud of what you've become. And thank you for deciding to leave this crowded place. I badly need some solitude now."

Raykim pondered. "Funny, I'm kind of sick of these people too!"

"Let's go, then. Further south. Rajendra, Arquon, Akkora..."

Vijay was king by now and he was sorry to see them leave, but couldn't stop them. Again they set out on foot, even though Vijay offered them an elephant, but it would have been too complicated. Raykim fluttered by Keneith's side, since he didn't have shoes for long walks, and started enjoying the conversation with his cousin. Away from people, introverted Keneith could be actually funny.

The forest they marched through had turned into a jungle, but there were still roads that were kept clean to allow trade between the main southern cities, therefore they stuck to those. They didn't need to hide, at least not until Arquon, and there were less wild animals around Human constructions – or destruction in the case of the wounds the roads tore into the jungle.

They weren't sure Arquon, who had a king-god, would accept Raykim as semi-god in spite of his wings. But there was plenty of time before they reached Arquon. There was Rajendra first, and then maybe they could stop at the Genn city under Mount Flora.

Argantael, capital of Rajendra, had been built on a river shore. It distinguished itself from Jevina for the elaborate beauty of its architecture: every doorway was covered with scrolls of fruits and flowers with birds and beasts entwined in them. It was a walled city with large gates and multi-storied buildings with arched windows and doors.

Keneith and Raykim reached the royal palace and found it similar to the previous one. Long stately corridors, a patio with a rectangular pool, smaller rooms with such exquisite stucco-work on the walls that it looked like inlaid ivory, an inner courtyard with a central fountain and a cloister of carved columns.

The throne room was the most sumptuous, and delicate decoration was reserved for the king's glory, with lace-like stucco-work on walls and columns, and multi-lobed arches on all doors and windows. There were carvings on all available surfaces: walls, pillars, corbels and architraves. Pillars were carved with panels that had inlays of colored stones or glazed tiles.

"Who do you think is better, Lakeshian sculptors or Rajendrans?" Raykim asked, looking around wide-eyed. He had tried his hand at sculpture, but rocks didn't obey him. Maybe if he'd had some Genn blood instead of Sila, he could have become a rock-shaper and sculptor.

Keneith shrugged. He wasn't interested in any artistic endeavor, except writing. He had started taking notes in Amrendra and jotting down stories and legends in Lakeshi, pondering on his own memories and wondering if he should write down all that oral tradition that was being passed on to him.

Raykim had learned many things, but not reading or writing. Like the Sila, he didn't see any interest in that. But he liked using his hands to mold clay – softer than rocks! – and sing whenever he had the chance. Sometimes he wondered if the Fajrulo had any artistic trait. Apparently he had inherited only the Sila arts.

King Rakesh of Rajendra had three teen children, the eldest being a blind princess he worried a lot for.

"The gods cursed me," he confided to Keneith and Raykim as soon as they were alone in his private chamber for a more relaxed talk. "Because I cared too much about my general, they blinded my firstborn, so she would not see what a shameful father she had."

Raykim exchanged a puzzled glance with Keneith.

"King Vijay has male lovers, and they say his queen is blind," he said.

"She doesn't want to see," King Rakesh corrected amused. "It's different. My daughter hasn't seen the light or the colors once since she was born."

Raykim thought he'd die if he lost his sight. "I'm afraid I'm not a healer," he apologized. "But how come the other children are not blind?"

"Because I told Kabir I'd stop seeing him," King Rakesh answered gravely. "Thus Roshan and Nisha were just fine. The gods rewarded me for going back on the right path. My queen has been very patient with me."

Raykim saw Keneith scoff, but his cousin didn't comment.

"Will I be able to meet the blind princess?" he asked, curious.

"Of course, Lord Raykim."

By then Raykim had gotten used to being called "lord" by kings and commoners alike. Humans in the south felt his bat-like wings and pointed ears were a divine gift, therefore worshiped him along with their other gods.

A couple of days later he met Ashrita, the fifteen-year-old firstborn. He couldn't believe her beautiful eyes didn't see him, but he allowed her to touch his wings and his hair. She said it had a different texture from Human hair, more silky. She also felt his pointed ears and said he must look like some local god she called Ramesh.

Her fingers tickled him and he liked talking to her. She liked being read to, so he often listened in as well. Usually the queen or Keneith read old epics for them and Ashrita's siblings, thirteen-year-old Roshan and eleven-year-old Nisha.

General Kabir didn't hide his hostility towards the newcomers. Quite the opposite reaction to King Rakesh's sister Harsha, still unmarried in her mid-twenties, and definitely attracted to Raykim's apparent youth.

Remembering how things had gone in Lakeshi, Raykim decided not to ask her brother's permission – especially since he had admitted to having had a male lover – and talk directly with the lady. Harsha batted her eyelids at him like a courtesan, and Raykim deducted she hadn't married because she wasn't a virgin anymore. Therefore he felt free to follow her inclination and please her when she invited him to her room.

Keneith seemed very interested in the library of Argantael, therefore Raykim relaxed, thinking he had a home for another decade or two.

***

Five years went by in the royal palace of Rajendra. Keneith had read all the books available and listened to all the possible stories. He wondered if he should resume his so-called search for his mother or if he should consider settling somewhere for good.

His never ending quest was obviously a lost cause. His mother would never allow him to go near her more than Raykim's father had allowed Raykim near him. What should he look for, then? Knowledge seemed something noble to achieve. He could study all the books of the south. He had never seen so many, the northern populations were less educated in that department. They still preferred telling stories around the fire than writing them down.

And then Harsha announced to her brother that she was pregnant and wished to marry her lover. Keneith was surprised to discover Raykim was the father – this time his young cousin had done everything by himself. The glare in General Kabir's eyes made him wonder if it hadn't been a mistake on Raykim's part, though.

King Rakesh didn't look upset and said that if Raykim would have her, he'd bless their marriage. The young god was welcome to join the royal family of Rajendra and father more babies with the king's sister – as long as a ceremony tied them according to tradition.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Keneith asked Raykim, skeptical.

His cousin shrugged. "Why not? I might as well try this. She's very nice in bed..."

"And she's going to have your babies," Keneith snapped. "Have you considered the fact that you're not Human? That the babies will probably have wings and might kill her?"

Raykim shrugged again. "She wanted it so badly..." he grumbled. "I'd rather spend time talking to Ashrita, but Harsha has become obsessed with me!"

"I noticed." Keneith snorted. Court intrigues were never his forte, not even now after decades in the southern kingdoms. "I think if the baby has even one non-Human characteristic, General Kabir will want your head. If the princess dies in childbirth, King Rakesh will want your head."

"Didn't you have any bastard in your long life?" Raykim complained.

"Probably, and I never stayed to see what they looked like," Keneith retorted.

He wondered if Raykim had left some bastard in Lakeshi, but in Jevina Raykim had been mostly busy with Vijay. Hence Harsha must be the first Human he'd impregnated – and it had taken him a few years.

Raykim pursed his lips. "So you think we should leave?" he asked, frowning with uncertainty.

"Before they kick us out or try to kill us," Keneith answered, determined. "Go grab your things, we're out of here."

Raykim sighed but obeyed. Keneith thought that his quest was now to find a place where his cousin could do no damage and stay out of trouble. Maybe they should really head for Mount Flora and see if the Genn would have him.

***

They left Argantael at night, without saying good-bye to anyone, unlike what they had done in the previous courts. Raykim was disappointed, but he knew Keneith was right. He had put himself in trouble by being too nice. He had never considered the consequences of his mating with a Human.

A few days later, as they left the Rajendran jungle behind, they saw another mountain range that on the map was positioned between Lakeshi, Rajendra and Arquon, Raykim went exploring up the peaks and caught a glimpse of a scaly body. A very small red dragon, the size of an elephant, who was basking in the sun.

Puzzled, he reported his find to Keneith.

"Maybe it's your mother with another offspring," he suggested. "Maybe female Fajrulo are less hostile towards their offspring."

"Females of any species can get dangerous if you go too close to their cubs," Keneith warned.

"I didn't go close to him, I saw him from the air. I think it's a boy, he was curled up. Aren't you curious about your mother's blood?"

"Curiosity is bad, usually," Keneith chided. But obviously he was as curious as Raykim because after a short hesitation he added, "Take me there, but don't land near the cub!"

Raykim grinned and grabbed Keneith under his armpits, taking off again. They saw a big cavern opening not far from where the red dragon slept, so they decided to land there and wait. The mother would most certainly show up at some point.

They sat quietly on one side of the opening. They could see the red scaly back rising and falling rhythmically behind the rocks on the other side. The small dragon must still be asleep.

Raykim's Sila eyesight spotted her first. "It's the green female!"

"Which one?"

"The one who was mating with my father thirty-five years ago! There!"

He pointed as a green dragon glided towards them. It was three times bigger than the cub basking in the sun. And it landed in front of the opening of the cave, putting herself between the cub and the cousins.

"Aren't you the half-blood who watched our mating?" she asked, staring at Raykim with her red eyes. She didn't seem hostile. The cub peeked at him from under her wings, but she pushed him back.

"Yes, I thought it was you who was flying with my father."

"So you're Runedemon's offspring? Interesting." She didn't sound upset. "I'm Clawicon and this is Bloodfire."

The elephant-sized dragon was finally allowed to come forward and take a closer look at them.

"I gave him his grandfather's name, since he's as red as his grand-sire was," Clawicon continued.

Bloodfire sniffed at Keneith and then at Raykim, licking his cheek with a big raspy tongue.

"Hey!" Raykim protested with a laugh. "What do you think you're doing? You want to fight, huh?"

The little dragon seemed to grin with all his fangs.

"Raykim, please... didn't you say you're an adult now?" Keneith chided. Raykim ignored him, starting a playful fight with the oversized dragon cub. Keneith rolled his eyes and turned to the Fajrulo. "You don't happen to know where Bluestar is, do you?"

"Ah, no, sorry. She might be in Nera or Paadre for all I know. If she doesn't have a little one to care for, she could be anywhere."

Bloodfire was rolling on his back with Raykim tickling and caressing his belly.

"Can he shift shape?" Raykim asked.

"Not yet."

"Why haven't you abandoned him yet?"

"Not until he can shift shape, which might happen soon."

"Can you teach me as well? I have no idea of where to begin..."

Clawicon stared at Raykim and sighed. "Fine," she muttered. "One cub or two... not much difference, is it?"

"I can help, if you want," Keneith said.

Clawicon looked at him and then morphed into a young woman that made Keneith gasp.

"Why not?" she said, slowly smiling at him. Raykim wondered if she had taken the form of someone Keneith knew. "We have a history, don't we, Keneith?" Clawicon added with an impish smile. "Now, Bloodfire, get up from the ground, it's dusty! Come, you two, let's get away from the sun for now..."

Still puzzled – mostly by Keneith's sudden quiet – Raykim followed her inside the cavern.

***

Keneith was happy his cousin was finally adult – although he relapsed as soon as they found the Fajrulo female and her offspring. Raykim hadn't wrestled with elephants yet, but obviously a small dragon with wings like his was something else.

Of course Clawicon knew nothing of Bluestar. She hadn't sounded hostile, as if she knew both of them well, or at least she knew they weren't threatening. And then she'd morphed into someone from Keneith's long lost past, taking his breath away.

Kristine! He followed the blonde inside the cavern, relishing her hourglass body. His first woman. And he'd thought she was Human. How little he knew about his blood back then.

Barely out of Kelvia and still struggling with the school of magic of Xendaria, she had found him, mostly. She had told him the school couldn't teach him much, but he was too stubborn to accept the word of a young Human so-called witch.

If only he had known she was actually a full-blooded Fajrulo in Human form! But how could he know? He wasn't aware of his mother's true nature, he only knew she had some magical blood.

And he was a horny teenager as well, so she had taken care of his sexual education, and then she had vanished. Not really breaking his heart, but it had been very disappointing.

The cavern was big enough for a Fajrulo and her cub. There were smaller caves around the main one, so Kristine pointed at them for her guests. Actually, Bloodfire was learning to sleep on his own in a smaller cave, so she suggested each of them took a different "room" and stayed out of her way.

Kristine still had her claw necklace, like so many years ago. Now Keneith understood it was a testimony of her Fajrulo name, Clawicon. He really needed to talk to her, but not with his cousin listening in. Or the cub.

She seemed to have the same need, since she said, "Now boys, have fun. Mommy needs to talk with Father here."

"He's my elder cousin, not my father!" Raykim snapped.

"Is he? My, we have a lot to catch up on, then," she replied, smiling a never forgotten smile.

Keneith wondered if she still saw him as he used to be. He certainly wasn't a teenager anymore, even though he didn't look his age.

"When did you meet him?" Raykim asked.

"A long time ago," she answered, still staring at Keneith. "He was twenty and trying to fit into a Human school of magic."

Keneith smiled at the memory. "Xendaria. And you passed yourself off as a witch, except that your youthful face didn't fool anyone."

"It fooled whoever it needed to fool," she replied with an impish smile. "I did have customers, you know?"

"I have always wondered how you or Starblazer can pull it off."

"Not only Humans can do illusionistic tricks." She winked. "Now, Raykim, the rest of this conversation is private. Do you mind looking after Bloodfire?"

Raykim glared at her. "Aren't we supposedly both cubs?"

"I believe you're actually adult, being half-Sila," she replied. "Before I teach you shape shifting, I'd like you to befriend my son."

Raykim sighed and turned towards Bloodfire. The cub's expression was so eager that even Keneith was ready to go and play with the red dragon. The big obsidian eyes seemed to want to hypnotize Raykim who smiled despite himself.

"He has the same puppy look you have when you badly want something," Keneith teased. "Now you know why I can't deny you anything when you make that face!"

Raykim guffawed and shook his head. "Can the children play outside?" he asked.

"Bloodfire, show him your bath tub," Kristine said.

The cub promptly jumped to his feet and headed out of the cavern, turning to check that Raykim was following. Kristine watched them go with her fists on her hips, then smiled and turned to Keneith again.

"Come and sit with me," she said. "And make yourself at home."

He put down his travel bag and sat with her on a couple of plush cushions she used when in Human form. If she had treasure, it was hidden. There was some Human furniture in that corner of the cavern, but not much. Since it was her nursery lair, she obviously didn't have many Human things here.

"I'm sorry I don't have Human drinks to offer, but if you're thirsty, there is water in this cave system."

Keneith cleared his throat. "Actually, I think I'll need that. Where do I get some?"

She gave him a flask and pointed him to a side tunnel. It was very short and after a bend it ended in another cave, smaller, darker, but with flowing water in it. It cascaded down the rocks like a fountain and probably left through an invisible well. Keneith drank and then filled the flask before going back to the main cave.

The Fajrulo was still in Human form and had rearranged the furniture like the house she'd had in Xendaria. He sat by her side again, unsure where to start from.

"I see your real nature is no longer a mystery to you," she said.

"Eventually I met the Genn who told me everything I needed to know," he answered.

"You were so oblivious of any Magical Race, that I thought it useless to tell you." She sighed, then she smiled. "Besides, you didn't trust me as a witch, therefore I just kept my mouth shut. You were a cute, fiery, wild half-blood so oblivious of yourself I enjoyed watching you making a mess around you. And if you never did anything really bad, it's because I was controlling you."

"You mean you controlled my energy?" he asked, puzzled. "You sort of channeled it?"

"Yes..." She slowly bobbed her head, amused.

"How?"

"By making you my lover."

Keneith looked away for a moment.

"So that was part of... what? My stealth education?"

She laughed. "Sort of."

"Why did you vanish, then? I mean, I know you don't fall in love, but..."

"Well, after four years of great fun, you finally managed to impregnate me, so I left to have the baby," she answered. "I know, I should have told you, but we're very secretive when it comes to laying eggs. That's because when we have mating flights we certainly don't want our mate to know where we're having the cubs."

Keneith stared wide-eyed at her. "You had my baby?"

"Yes. She was completely Human, so I thought I'd take her to her father and let him raise her, except you were gone from Xendaria and I had no idea of where you'd gone. Nobody knew. Apparently you left in anger and left no friends behind."

Keneith scoffed. "The school wasn't working, my lover was gone, what could keep me in Xendaria anyway?"

"True." She grinned. "And you're half-Fajrulo, you don't like to stay in the same place for long."

"At the time I thought you had broken my heart."

"I had broken your pride. We have plenty of that." She caressed him. "You have become a fine man, Keneith. But you obviously haven't found a woman to spend your life with."

"I had a couple of calls." He shrugged. "Wouldn't have lasted, probably."

She looked sad. "Probably not. Your daughter died of old age in Xendaria, surrounded by her grandchildren. She actually taught at the school of magic for some time, until she realized her magic was nothing like Human magic and had to quit."

"So who raised her?" Keneith asked.

"Her stepfather. I had other admirers besides you." She flashed a smile at him. "When I came back with her and you weren't there, many offered to marry me. So I picked the least ugly and then faked my death a few years later. He was convinced she was his daughter, by the way."

"So you had more than one lover at the time. How do you know it was mine?"

"Her blood, Keneith. You were the only half-blood I had at the time."

"And how did you fake your death?"

"An explosion in my workshop. I changed face and left. The fire left charred remains of the house and no body to bury, but he got over it. So did your daughter. I think she had a happy life."

"I knew I had some offspring, but I never bothered finding out about them," he said.

"And now you're stuck with your younger cousin," she teased. "I'm sorry I can't help you find your mother, but I'll do my best to give Raykim some badly needed Fajrulo education!"

***

Raykim enjoyed Clawicon's lessons, although he was distracted by what seemed to be going on between her and Keneith. Apparently she had seduced him in Human form almost a century earlier and even had a daughter with him. Raykim wasn't sure of their current relationship, but he decided it was none of his business.

He needed to concentrate to learn shape shifting, even more than Bloodfire did. Probably because he had mixed blood, or because he was learning later in life, it seemed hard to actually shift body parts and most of all to make his wings vanish.

Bloodfire played with his appearance with more ease. The first shift turned him into a copy of Raykim, but with green hair and wings, and black eyes.

"No, Bloodfire, don't copy Raykim, he doesn't look Human," Clawicon chided. "Try to look like Keneith instead. You too, Raykim."

Raykim concentrated on his cousin's features and saw him scoff.

"Great, but can you please look like someone else?" Keneith said. "You make me feel doomed."

"You're not dying tomorrow," Clawicon commented with a chuckle. She was in Human form during her lesson, but she was female, and both Raykim and Bloodfire needed a male model. "Raykim, you've met more Humans than Bloodfire, can you think of someone else?"

Raykim wasn't even sure he had managed to look like his cousin. But looking behind his back, he saw his wings were gone. That was the first step towards looking Human.

"Come on, Raykim," Keneith encouraged him. "Bloodfire is copying you. Make yourself look like someone else you know, I don't know, from the Lakeshian court? Not Vijay, though, please..."

Raykim pondered and remembered his first interactions with Humans – well, with Human-looking Humans who were actually half-bloods. His first friend, elder brother, nice person was probably long dead by now, but his face was still vivid in his mind. He changed his eye-color to turquoise, his hair color to brown, adjusted the body shape and looked expectantly at Keneith.

"Hinrik! Excellent!" Keneith grinned.

Raykim beamed and looked at Bloodfire who had mirrored his shape-shifting. Hinrik indeed.

Since Bloodfire copied him, Raykim thought to look like Mahesh and Manish or Daruka and Dahana, the princes of Amrendra. At least nobody would be surprised to see the identical twins again.

"And what should we call you?" Keneith asked, amused. "Rahul and Rohit?"

"I'm sure they already have their own twins," Raykim replied. "I wonder what they called them!"

And then he lost control and resumed his natural form. His wings popped out again and since he had moved, one crashed into a rock, making him wince.

"Yes, I know, control takes time," Clawicon said as Bloodfire blurred back into dragon form.

"We have all the time in the world," Keneith said.

Raykim smiled, grateful that his cousin was willing to stay in the Fajrulo lair. Might be because he had a history with Clawicon, but Raykim didn't care. There were so many things to learn from a pure-blood, surely even Keneith could become even more powerful as a magic user...

CHAPTER TEN

Time flew by as Keneith and Raykim finally had some interaction with a Fajrulo. Keneith didn't mind playing father to Kristine's son. Sometimes they even shared the bed, like they had done years ago. But Keneith made sure he didn't impregnate her again. The story of his dead daughter was enough to make him want to avoid any breeding for the time being.

Clawicon also came back one day with bad news. She had heard of another half-blood – the daughter Skywise had left at the head of the Queendom of Maadre had been killed by her people who accused her of excessive cruelty.

Amazonia had been oblivious of her half-blood nature, but she had turned into dragon form before being slain. Her "daughters" had been sick of her seemingly eternal life and obvious contempt for men. They might be secondary citizens with no rights in the Queendom, but Amazonia had become too much of a sadist even in the eyes of her own subjects.

Human sacrifices of young men were performed every year, and usually whoever was taken to her apartment didn't come out alive. She used them to breed and killed or humiliated or raped them, which didn't sit well with her descendants claiming the throne. Thus the reign of the first queen had come to an abrupt and violent end.

Clawicon had met Starblazer who had told her of her other half-sister's demise. Which was a good cautionary tale for both cousins. Humans might be weaker than Fajrulo, but when there were many of them, they could kill one. Especially half-bloods, who had a much smaller dragon form.

"Yes, even you could probably have dragon form if threatened badly enough," she told Keneith. "But you'll never be as big as me, only as much as Bloodfire. And since you won't know how to use your wings, you could be killed by an angry mob of Humans."

Just like an elephant with wings that can't use them. He wondered if he should learn to shift shape too, but he decided not to. Playing with fire balls and his fire energy was enough, controlling it took its toll already without adding fancy shape-shifting abilities.

"Are there dwarves in these mountains?" he asked Kristine one day.

"No, they're a northern race and don't have towns south of the Central Massif," she answered. "There are Genn, though, in case you want to meet them."

"Might be good for Raykim, since he has pointed ears!"

But Raykim hated the cavern and would rather be outside, so they ended up never meeting the local Genn community.

Raykim learned to shift shape and hold the Human form long enough to pass himself off as a Human – much like Bloodfire. So after twenty-five years in the mountains, the three of them were ready to leave Kristine Clawicon to her own business.

Bloodfire actually left his mother's lair first. Raykim and Keneith stayed a little longer only because they had blood that tended to grow more than fond of others. They both thought they'd miss the wise Fajrulo female in both her forms. And she might like their mixed blood more than anything else, but she had obviously had enough of company.

Thus Raykim grabbed Keneith under his armpits again and took him down from the mountains. They headed south once more, and then entered the Kingdom of Arquon, where a king-god who never showed his face to his subjects reigned.

They arrived at the capital, Zarquon. They reached the royal palace first when they emerged from the jungle. Plain walls enclosed spaces, with pointed arches on the main doors and most windows. Columns and turrets made the overall shape less square, and glazed or painted tiles gave some color to the white stones.

The palace didn't have defensive walls around it, but it was separated from the town of Zarquon by a flat plain and a river. Nobody could approach it unseen, and Raykim was wearing Hinrik's face again, which somehow jarred Keneith.

"I hope they will be impressed by my eye-color," Raykim said as they approached the main door, knowing the sentinels had already warned the king-god of the arrival of two lone travelers.

"Why don't you keep your own eye-color?" Keneith replied. "There are no wolves around here."

"Oh? You think I'd look great?" Raykim's eyes turned from turquoise to their usual yellow, making a strange contrast on Hinrik's face.

"You know, you should try to find a look that doesn't match anyone we know," Keneith said. "Or at least anyone I know. I mean, if I could choose how to be built and my skin color and all that stuff, I wouldn't take on someone else's look!"

"Mmm." Raykim nodded, thoughtful.

"Just don't do it in front of Humans," Keneith warned, seeing some metamorphosis on Raykim's face. He still had the wide shoulders and narrow hips of Hinrik, but the face looked less Hinrik than before.

"I'll stick to this for now," Raykim said at last. He had settled on himself, but with black hair, round ears and no wings. It probably tired him less to change only a few things. He had to keep up the mask for hours on end, after all.

By then they had crossed the expanse from the jungle to the palace walls and reached the guards outside the main gate. Keneith introduced himself as a northern wizard with his apprentice, and the guards waved him in.

A chamberlain waited for them beyond the inner courtyard on the door of the palace itself. He listened to the introductions again, then led them to the guests' apartments. He'd let the king know about the foreign magicians.

Raykim didn't look upset at the thought of sharing the guest room with his cousin. It was a two-room apartment, with a third as a bath chamber that Raykim probably wouldn't use much. He looked around with curiosity and kept the form he had chosen.

"We will have to see if you can keep it even under stress... or under passion," Keneith said, amused. "Most young Fajrulo get busted when they lose control of their Human form in stressful or passionate situations."

"I'm not a young Fajrulo," Raykim replied. "I'm eighty-five, which for a Sila is quite old."

Keneith had turned a hundred in Kristine Clawicon's lair. He had considered keeping her for life, even though she was a few centuries older than him, but she had made it clear that she didn't want any ties. With anyone. She was probably already forging her new life in some southern kingdom – or maybe in the north, who knew. She could fly anywhere she wanted.

She had taught him more Fajrulo tricks, and how to tap into Fire's energy both for protection and attack. So here he was, the most powerful magic user of the southern kingdom, and he couldn't show off all his true gifts. Especially not in front of a king-god.

Kushan had been destined to the temple service when his brother Suresh had abdicated in his favor. Thus Kushan had become king. He had even married his brother's wife, who had given him five surviving children, with the heir, Suresh, being thirteen already.

Now Kushan II had to cover his face in public and when he went to the temple in town, but in the palace he was free to show it, especially to his most trusted counselors. He had hoped they were healers, since his health was failing already, but he was content to know they were magic users. He had some trouble in his kingdom. Amazons pillaged his coast, which had almost cost his nephew – Tarun of Lakeshi – his life only a month earlier. And then there was a sect of people who refused to worship him. They lived mostly away from the rest of the kingdom, secluded in caves somewhere in what must be Mount Flora – even though that wasn't the name Humans gave it – but they still bothered Kushan.

Mostly because as god-given monarch, he didn't have friends or people he could really trust. But he immediately liked both cousins and wanted them in his private council, therefore they were very welcome to stay at the palace with him.

"He has married Vijay's daughter, Anjali!" Raykim enthused as they recapped the meeting in their room after sunset. "Can you believe she forced her husband to divorce her because he preferred men?"

"Well, she had obviously had enough of that in Jevina," Keneith commented, amused. "Now don't go around seducing Arquon royalty, will you?"

"I won't," Raykim promised. And then his wings popped back out and his hair turned blue again, with his pointed ears sticking out. "I guess I'm tired," he said with a sigh. "I'm going to lie down a little..."

"Sweet dreams," Keneith said.

He blew out the lamp himself and went to the terrace bathed by moonlight. He stared at the stars, wondering what life would still give him. After twenty-five years with Kristine Clawicon, he sort of missed female company. Maybe he could try to have a relationship with a Human... one that could last, not like the previous ones...

***

Raykim found it funny to play the magician's assistant. He also found some of Arquon's traditions fascinating. Like the fact that the king must cover his face upon leaving the palace. That he was considered a semi-god, but had no real power. That religion was actually stronger than him, and his priests handled everything.

Of course as court wizard of a kingdom that was mostly at peace, Keneith didn't have much to do. So he entertained the king's guests and family – much like he could have done if they had followed Hinrik's idea of an itinerant circus – with the assistance of his apprentice. Raykim was as good as him with fire balls, and he could make them even while keeping on his mask of humanity.

The more he kept his wings hidden, the more he got used to his new looks, and the less it drained him. Soon he'd be able to keep the morphed appearance all the time, although he still liked to fly, therefore sometimes at night he sprang out his wings and went for a short stroll in the sky.

And he could wear Human clothes now, and had the money to buy them. He liked clothes more than Keneith and soon became the most elegant young man of the court.

Princess Aysha was still at the palace. She was the king's youngest sister and he hadn't found a proper husband for her yet. Her doe eyes never left Raykim when he was in the room, and she often danced for him, the sensual southern dances that involved lots of hip movements and breast-enhancing moves.

Raykim couldn't keep his eyes off her. Whenever he entered a room, no matter how crowded, he searched for the princess's face. He felt a strange attraction that he couldn't name, and didn't dare express it. But Keneith noticed something.

"She certainly likes you," Keneith told him as they sat in a corner of the great hall one day.

"But what about the virginity thing?" Raykim asked, worried. "Or breeding? What if she's another Harsha?"

"Well, that's on you, Raykim. Do you really like her? Do you want to spend years with her? Or just please her because she asked nicely?"

"She didn't ask!" Raykim protested.

"Then she's not another Harsha." Keneith grinned.

"No, she's prettier." Raykim pondered. "And she can dance better. And..."

"You really like her. Fine. I will ask Kushan for you," Keneith promised.

Raykim waited while his cousin spoke to the king. He noticed Aysha stared at him, obviously eagerly awaiting the outcome too. As if she knew they were talking about them. Raykim smiled tentatively at her and she flashed back her dazzling smile. She was very pretty and Raykim wouldn't have minded seeing her naked. He felt confident enough that he wouldn't lose his mask. Or maybe he'd reveal his true looks to her.

Keneith came back to sit near him.

"Apparently the princess has already asked her brother if she could have you," he said. "Kushan is very torn, because you are not noble. But at the same time, he doesn't know who to marry her to, so he might make an exception."

"Do you think it would help if I showed them my wings?" Raykim asked. "I feel like such a pretender to seduce a princess like this!"

"Not here in the great hall," Keneith replied. "We shall meet them later in the king's chamber, and I will let you improvise. Remember your wings or your pointed ears might repel her instead of attracting her."

"I know. If she's still willing to sleep with me as myself, I guess I can spend a few years with her, can't I?"

"I guess she deserves it, yes," Keneith answered with a smile.

The king's apartment was the most private part of the palace. It opened on the concubines' garden and the queen's room was on the opposite side of the inner courtyard where the king was the only man allowed.

Keneith and Raykim didn't set foot outside, though. Kushan and Aysha welcomed them on a thick carpet with a low table that held a bowl of fruits and a jug of fruit juice. They made small talk as they tasted a little bit of each as a snack, and then the king cleared his throat.

"So, it seems that two young people have fallen in love."

"In lust, more like," Keneith said. Raykim glared at him. "And Raykim is less young than you think."

"And you are much older than you look," Raykim snapped. "I think it's time we told you who we really are." He stared at Kushan and Aysha who looked puzzled now. "We're both half-bloods, and we're cousins. Keneith is half-Human, but I'm not. I don't have a single drop of Human blood." He looked at Aysha. "Allow me to show you what I really look like," he said, taking off the silken top he was wearing.

She nodded, eyes wide in wonder. Since he was seated, he leaned forward as his wings spread out until he managed to fold them without hurting himself. His yellow eyes remained on Aysha's face as his skin darkened and his hair resumed its cobalt blue color and his pointed ears peeked out of it.

She gasped, but she didn't look away. She panted for breath as she took him all in. And then she smiled.

"Gods, you're beautiful! Are you a semi-god?" she asked.

"I'm a half-blood," he repeated. "Half-Sila and half-Fajrulo. Have you ever heard of the Magical Races? Or does your religion completely ignore them?"

"Our religion puts the king in the main god's place," Kushan said, amused. Of course away from his court and with two foreigners and only his sister present, he was well aware of being just another ordinary man. "But we do have semi-gods with animal forms. There's the man with bird wings and eagle head, the woman who turns into a snake, and other creatures that are not completely human... much like you."

"See how the southern kingdoms are much more civilized than the northern ones?" Raykim told Keneith who chuckled and nodded.

"But!" Kushan raised his finger. "I have enough dissidents setting up other sects and stealing people from my ranks, therefore I beg you, don't show this face of yours to my court."

"Of course, your majesty," Raykim answered. "I only wanted your sister to know what she was getting herself into. And also for you to know I might not have Human noble blood, but I am a most powerful half-blood with real magic, including, as you've seen, shape-shifting."

"And I thank you for letting me learn your secret. So do you wish to marry my sister?"

Raykim looked Aysha in the eyes. Her big doe eyes stared adoringly back at him.

"Yes." He nodded slowly. "I do wish to marry her."

***

Keneith was happily surprised to hear Raykim's decision to marry the princess of Arquon. He was about to remind his cousin of their long life spans or the risks of a mixed blood pregnancy, but then he decided to leave him to his obvious happiness.

If I hadn't been so guarded, so scared of being hurt, I might have had this too, he thought on the wedding day. For the wedding ceremony Raykim wore the usual face everybody saw, but Keneith knew that as soon as he retired with Aysha, she'd deal with his real face.

He was also amazed at the sight of her love. She genuinely liked his cousin. Raykim had been lucky – or maybe just smarter. Although Bellinda had never mentioned marriage, Keneith wondered again if he could have spent more time with her.

Too late. She lived happily ever after with Hinrik! And maybe I should stop playing the grumpy old man and open up a little. Raykim is right, they are so welcoming here in the south, even if they don't know about the Magical Races...

And so they spent fifteen years in the palace outside of Zarquon. Aysha had many miscarriages and managed to give birth twice, but neither survived infancy. Obviously interracial breeding wasn't always easy or painless. Keneith wondered if those women seduced by a Fajrulo in Human form actually survived the ordeal and lived to tell the tale.

Aysha seemed determined to give Raykim a baby. She loved him fiercely and knew he was more long-lived, therefore she wanted him to have someone to remember her by. Raykim returned her love with all his being, like a Sila who had found his destinito, and remained by her side, but she was weakening.

And when the third and last offspring came out of her womb stillborn, he took her with him. He had small bat-like wings on his back, which might have been too much for his mother. The stillborn baby vanished in a burst of magical flame, making the midwives run away screaming instead of giving Aysha the much needed assistance.

Raykim had just turned a hundred when Aysha died in his arms, leaving him an inconsolable widower. Suresh had taken his father's throne, married and started his own family. His queen had been pregnant at the same time as Aysha, but while little Kushan and his mother survived, Aysha and her son didn't make it.

It might have been the mixed blood, the late pregnancy – since Aysha was no longer in her prime – whatever the cause, Raykim didn't blame anyone. Still, Keneith thought it was time to leave Arquon and see if they could find someone else in Akkora.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Raykim lost his smile with the passing of Aysha. He had known all along that she wouldn't live as long as he would, but fifteen years were even less than expected. He didn't curse the Immortals for giving him happiness only for such a short time, though. He simply shut down and became nearly mute.

He'd lost a piece of himself and would have to learn to live without it. He felt maimed and the "missing limb" was what hurt the most. He guessed he'd learned the true meaning of sorto for the Sila – a suggestion that Air gently put into his mind and that was sort of comforting. His mother had lived many years after losing her destinito, after all.

Keneith dragged him away from the Arquon palace and they headed for Akkora. Raykim couldn't be bothered to shift shape anymore, although clothes fit better on a Human body, therefore he kept his wings hidden most of the time. He stopped cutting his hair and didn't care if people stared at the unusual blue or the pointed ears.

He was the quiet shadow of his cousin, having lost all interest in anything and anyone. Keneith suggested he went to the Sila for some time, but he didn't feel like it. He only wanted to mourn his short-lived Human wife and the children that didn't survive.

Agharek, the capital of Akkora was on a river shore, built in gray and red stone, with black or white marble decorations. It was surrounded by a luxuriant forest on three sides and the river on one side. It had walls mostly to keep the jungle out of its paved streets and neatly trimmed gardens. Its fluvial port connected it to the sea and the town of Akulina in the south, or north to the towns of Lakresha and Leland.

King Kunal welcomed the cousins to his court and Prince Mansoor soon became very fond of Raykim, who in spite of his subdued feelings, noticed how his sister Neena eyed Keneith. He wondered if she saw Keneith as a father figure or as a man – which meant she liked them much older than her.

"What do you think of the Akkoran princesses?" Keneith asked him. They shared lodgings again, as they did when they had reached Arquon, or Lakeshi, or Amrendra a lifetime ago. "Anyone that could take Aysha's place?"

"It's too soon," Raykim answered. "What about you? Will you find someone?"

"I don't know," Keneith answered. "When you were married and happy, I admit I envied you and thought I should find myself a wife too. But then your heartbreak... I don't think I could handle that."

"My heart was broken because of my Sila blood," Raykim replied. He flapped his wings to remind his cousin of his other heritage. "You are half-Human. It can't be that bad. I mean, for me it was like losing my destinito, it almost killed me. You don't have that."

"Oh. I hadn't thought about that," Keneith mused.

"Because you don't know about Sila things." Raykim smiled ruefully. "Don't be afraid to let your Human blood fall in love."

Keneith sighed.

"We're not the same, Keneith," Raykim insisted. "I am weaker for some things. You are older and wiser and... you don't have to be as unlucky as I am."

"We should have brought Aysha back north. Or maybe to Mount Flora. The Genn would have helped her to live longer," Keneith said.

"It wasn't meant to be," Raykim replied patiently. He realized they had switched roles now: he was the mature one and Keneith was being childish. He smiled briefly at the thought. So many years to get to this. Him trying to parent his elder cousin. "I'm fine, Keneith, I'll survive. And I'll fall in love again, eventually."

Keneith nodded and stared at him. He still had black hair and didn't look much older than the day Raykim had met him. Raykim often wondered if he'd ever see him with white hair like Humans.

"So do you want to stay here for some time?" Keneith asked, looking worried.

"Yes, I'm sure you can find someone here. Like, what do you think of Princess Neena?"

Keneith gaped at him.

"I think she's too young for me," he grumbled at last.

Raykim chuckled. "Well, she seems smitten. Why don't you ask her if she sees you as a father or as a lover?"

"We just got here!" Keneith complained. "Give us time, will you?"

"Are you afraid?" Raykim asked.

"No, I'm not!"

"I think you are. Afraid of falling in love."

This shut Keneith up. Raykim looked outside of the window. There was a starry sky overhead.

"I'm going to fly a little. Don't worry, I won't end my life."

He knew Keneith was worried for him. But he needed some time on his own, with Air and the clouds and the stars. The moon smiled at him with Aysha's face.

***

Keneith lay on the bed, awake, waiting for Raykim to come back from his night flight. He remembered how he'd pushed Bellinda to accept she had fallen in love with Hinrik, how she'd been afraid to start a relationship.

Now it was his turn to be afraid. And someone else pointed out to him that there was someone interested. Raykim had done with him what he'd done with Bellinda eighty years earlier. It had taken him some time to convince Bellinda, but Raykim's new wisdom had really hit him.

Raykim was right. It was his Sila blood that had been hit so hard by the loss. Keneith had no Sila blood, although sometimes Humans grieved as much as Sila or Genn. Not him, though. He hadn't grieved ever.

He'd been angry, sad, but never sorrowful. He had preserved himself from some feelings, after struggling with anger in his younger years. But then he'd grown very fond of his cousin, so he could love and commit to someone.

Raykim had been in his life for eighty years, first as a needful child, then as a horny teenager, finally as a man, a peer, someone he could talk to about anything. Raykim was his cousin, therefore it was more a blood relationship, but he'd been teaching him how to have love relationships in the last few years.

Maybe it was time he listened to his younger cousin's advice. He'd talk to Neena and ask her about her feelings. He doubted she actually saw him as a lover, since he looked the age of her father, but then... Bellinda was convinced she was too old for Hinrik, so...

Raykim glided onto the balcony and went to lie on the other bed. Keneith pretended to sleep. He didn't want to resume the conversation just now. Raykim was just a shadow of his former cheerful self, and sometimes his new quiet jarred Keneith.

He was aware Raykim had lost a piece of himself and wished he could give that back to him. But then, like Raykim had said, his cousin needed time. I don't have much time left myself. I'm a hundred and thirty-five, I can't expect to live nine centuries like the Fajrulo. Maybe two, two and a half, if I'm lucky...

Not that he had a kingdom to rule, and he was well aware of his mixed blood, unlike Queen Amazonia, but still... He drifted off to sleep, thinking about the half-blood that had reigned for two hundred and thirty years before being killed by her people.

***

Raykim just watched. He watched Keneith getting closer to Princess Neena. He watched them fall in love. He attended their wedding, an observer even more silent than Keneith had been at his own. He watched and waited, not bored, not tired, just letting life flow by.

Neena successfully gave birth to three living children who looked completely Human, and Keneith showed excellent fatherly qualities. Raykim didn't bemoan his lack of Human blood or the fact that his sorto had tied him to a frail Human woman. Air kept whispering promises in his ears, but he barely listened.

And then ten years were gone, Prince Mansoor became king, his brother Karan was appointed governor of the farthest province, Agharek. Karan and Neena were very close and King Mansoor hoped the presence of Keneith would help Karan in his government.

Thus, upriver they went, two families with Raykim in tow, to Leland, a town so close to Mount Flora that Raykim decided it was time he visited the Genn living in its bowels. There might even be a Sila nest at the top, and he sort of missed company who could fly.

As soon as he saw that Keneith was all set in Leland, he bid him good-bye and flew to Mount Flora. He found an opening, like the mouth of an extinct volcano, and glided into a city built in a huge cave. The square buildings were neatly stashed in one side of the cavern and it almost felt like a narrow valley because of the big opening above.

The Genn welcomed him. He hadn't cut his hair since Aysha's death, therefore his mane was as long as theirs, except it was blue. They didn't mind his wings and his tanned skin, and he was happy to keep his true form for a while.

He often sat at the mouth of the volcano to look at the world around the mountain. He could see Leland to the south, Zarquon to the west, the ocean to the east, and beyond the jungle up north the tallest spires of Argantael, capital of Rajendra. Sila flew by and sometimes stopped to talk with him, but no mating call hit him.

And then the Genn started falling sick. He himself could feel there was something wrong in the cavern, but couldn't concentrate enough to figure out what. Besides, there were plenty of Genn magic users and healers in the underground city, why couldn't they understand what was going on?

And then his half-sister, Starblazer, glided onto the extinct volcano with a purple cub, landing next to where he sat. The big blue dragon blurred into a beautiful woman with brown hair and blue eyes dressed in the southern fashion, but the smaller dragon didn't morph and perched on a rock staring curiously at Raykim.

"Meet Silverflame," she said pointing at the purple cub who grinned with all his fangs out, much like Bloodfire had done when he'd first met him. Raykim began to think that maybe he should mate with a pure-blooded Fajrulo, since their cubs seemed to like him so much. Silverflame was even smaller than Bloodfire, therefore he must be younger. "I had a mating flight with Firestarter twenty years ago."

"I was in Arquon twenty years ago," Raykim said as Aysha's face flashed inside him. "After spending a few years with Clawicon. She taught me to shift shape."

"Yes, she told me you and Keneith were helping her raise Bloodfire. Would you like to help me with Silverflame?"

"Keneith has his own family down in Leland now. He married a princess of Akkora and has had three living children." It didn't even hurt to say it. Keneith had been luckier than him. He wasn't going to start the blame game now.

"And you? How are you doing with the Genn?"

"There's something wrong down there, but I don't know how to help them. I was thinking of getting Keneith here."

"I don't think Keneith can be better than a bunch of Genn magic users." She stared into the distance. "You know, it's the turn of a century. One thousand and five hundred years since the arrival of the Immortals. That's following the calendar of the Magical Races, of course, not Human calendars."

"Oh. Must be a long time."

"You don't sound like you want to live that long." She smiled. "Anyway, not even I could live that long. The first generation of Fajrulo is long gone, and the second is quite old by now. I'm third generation, not yet fully grown, but I'm getting there. And there you have the fourth generation!" She caressed the horned head of her cub who closed his eyes and purred in happiness.

"Three hundred years to grow, three hundred to live, three hundred to die," Raykim recited, remembering Clawicon's words. "I wonder how long it will take me. I think I'm already dying, though."

"You're barely one hundred and fifteen! I'm sure you can get to two hundred, maybe even more!"

Raykim sighed. "Hopefully not alone."

"Well, if Keneith has found someone..." she said.

"So had I. And my Sila blood is probably dead."

"Oh, I didn't know you had... Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, I do not wish to talk about her." Raykim stared at the Fajrulo's Human form. "Please, help the Genn figure out what's happening here."

She nodded and resumed dragon form. They both glided to the bottom of the cavern, followed by Silverflame, and again Starblazer turned into human form.

She sniffed around as the Genn surrounded them.

"Dark Pond," she said somberly. "It's coming out. You'd better leave this town."

The Genn gasped and whispered among themselves, but they had no choice.

"How come I couldn't feel it?" Raykim wondered.

She stared at him. "Your Sila blood is dead, you said so yourself. The Ponds of Dark Magic affect all the Magical Races except Fajrulo."

"Oh. I guess I don't know much about those ponds."

"The Ponds of Dark Magic formed when the Immortals sent all the evil magic underground. They call upon Humans, their lust, their blood. When they emerge, they lure someone to gain their power, asking to sacrifice their most loved thing."

Raykim nodded, thoughtful. He didn't have any Human blood that could be lured by the Pond, that was probably why he hadn't felt it.

"Norina, the Queen of Darkness, was the first of such minions, and she lived about five centuries, despite being born Human," she continued. "Then she passed her underground kingdom to her son. There was Manusia when you were born. But since his demise, the dark magic has been hiding. Almost a century... and now it's out again."

Which suddenly reminded him of the conversation with Winged Elsa and Winged Monia. Belfi's death and the fact that he'd probably have to save the world from a Dark Pond. If only this had happened when he was fully himself! He doubted he could do much in his present, depressed state.

"I don't think I can help here," he muttered, uneasy.

"Then don't." She shrugged. "Let's help the Genn to pack and leave. There are other underground towns between here and the Central Massif."

"Or they could go to the southern kings. They don't seem hostile like in the north."

"Even in the north, some kings have learned the worth of Genn magic. The Varians allow them to live with them. But the Blackmore still think they're demons."

"Mm. Did both kingdoms expand?"

He didn't care much about the answer. His friends up there were long gone anyway. But it still reminded him of past conversations – and lost friends. He should stop remembering and start living again.

"Yes, the Varians own the west, the Blackmore the east. I'm sure soon they'll start fighting among themselves for total control..."

***

Keneith felt the call in his blood. A dark and fiery passion that made him forget his Human family. It was like a call to go home, to the place where he belonged.

He got out of bed and levitated out of the window, following the eerie call. Mount Flora loomed in the night, but he knew where to go. He might not have wings like Raykim, but he had enough power now to fly himself there.

He couldn't find the opening, so he used an instant-transfer spell. Hadn't used them in years, but he did it effortlessly and found himself in a small cave. There was a natural basin with a dark liquid in it.

It was calling his Human blood. Telling him he could be immortal and invulnerable and invincible if he was willing to give up his most loved thing in the world. He should set apart his Fajrulo pride and let the magic take possession of him.

He could be the new Belfi. He could have a kingdom where half-bloods were revered like gods. If only he gave up his most loved.

"Keneith!" Raykim's voice startled him. "What are you doing?"

His non-Human cousin. With his full-blooded half-sister in Human form. Were they trying to stop him? He'd be the greatest king ever! An emperor who would rule Humans and Magical Races alike!

"Take Neena," he told the dark liquid. Energy flooded him.

***

"Keneith, no!" Raykim screamed as Starblazer in Human form cursed under her breath. The underground city was evacuated, but Keneith had found the Dark Pond and had surrendered to its power. He had looked under a spell and Raykim berated himself for not having understood immediately what was going on.

Keneith turned to face them, his eyes completely black. His smirk had nothing of Keneith's usual smile.

"Step back, we need room to fight." Starblazer grabbed Raykim's arm and pulled him outside of the small cavern and into the main one. Silverflame growled, but a silent command from his mother sent him out of the cave. Raykim could see him perched on the opening, staring down at them.

Starblazer resumed dragon form now that she had room to maneuver a bigger body. Raykim felt Keneith gathering energy, a new kind of energy he had never felt before.

"We must stop him," Starblazer said. "Gather your wits, Raykim, we need to kill him now."

"But he's my cousin!" Raykim protested.

"Not anymore," Starblazer warned. "That is a Dark Pond minion, he has nothing left of Keneith. In fact he has just killed Keneith's wife to get the power."

Raykim stared aghast at Starblazer. How could Keneith kill his own beloved wife?

And then a ball of dark energy hit him in the chest, throwing him back and slamming him against a house wall. One of his wings broke, much like his father's had broken when he'd fallen from the sky.

Raykim moaned and got back on his feet. His chest burned, so he absorbed the fire energy, hissing in pain. He'd have to fight. Against his own cousin. Fight or die and join Aysha's spirit.

Starblazer breathed fire against Keneith who stopped her with a dark shield. Everything around Keneith was dark, the power of Fire had completely vanished from him.

Raykim pulled himself to his feet. He couldn't fly, but he could throw balls of fire at his cousin's body. Being wounded, he'd rather not shift shape, but he had other weapons. His chest hurt even more than his wing but he didn't look.

He must fight. No matter how tired of living he was, he couldn't watch his cousin turned into a demon. Starblazer might handle Keneith, but he couldn't just stare. He had to do something.

He started throwing balls of fire at Keneith who blasted his dark energy both at him and Starblazer in turn. Another black ball hit him and pinned him to the cave wall.

The dark magic filled him and squeezed his heart.

EPILOGUE

"No!" Starblazer screamed, furious. Her half-brother was down and soon the magic fire wrapped him and took his body away. "You're going to pay for this," she muttered, marching on the possessed half-blood.

If fire didn't stop him, her sheer mass could crumple the frail human body. She boldly stomped him until his bones were crushed into a pulp and the dark magic left the body like black smoke, cursing her.

Starblazer resumed Human form and knelt next to the broken body.

"I'm sorry, Keneith, I couldn't let you become the next Manusia. And you shouldn't have killed Raykim."

Then Keneith's Fajrulo blood claimed him in a quick magic flame that took his body away. Starblazer sighed. Magical Races didn't leave corpses, which meant there would be no warning about the fight that had just happened in the abandoned city. She hoped Humans would stay away from that cavern.

Silverflame glided by her side and looked expectantly at her. He looked both puzzled and sad. He hadn't had time to actually get to know Raykim, and Keneith was also gone. Starblazer would have to raise him on her own.

But then, that was what Fajrulo females had done for fifteen centuries. Clawicon had been an exception, allowing two half-breeds in her nursery cave.

"I need to watch over Keneith's family," she told Silverflame. "Just in case any of his children or grandchildren is lured to the Pond..."

Silverflame whined and she hugged him.

"I will hide you in the jungle outside of the town," she promised. "Unless you manage to shift shape to look like an elephant, in that case I could probably take you to town."

She knew he was too young to have Human form, but his size was more or less like an elephant, and he had fewer things to shift to look like the pachyderms.

I'll stay in the jungle with the elephants, he transmitted, sounding a little peeved. You won't stay long in the city, will you?

"I'll go there only once a month to check on Keneith's descendants," she promised, resuming dragon form. "Let's go."

The Path of Earth