FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Authors Notes: My private audience has been thoroughly satisfied thus far. That, by itself, is a great accomplishment to me. I just hope that if you have read this story, that you have enjoyed it, as well. Also, I missed my proposed deadline, and I appologize if you were waiting for this to be posted.

I havent put any sort of copyright on this, so I'll start now. All characters in this story, and previous ones, are mine. Any similarities to others is purely coincidental. Scenario was suggested to me by a good friend of mine.

With that out of the way, enjoy Part three.

Edit1: Just got back the "revised" edition, and I can't believe how many grammatical erros I had! I appologize profusely if you've already read it. Note: never do spell checks at 3:00 AM.

Characters (with spaces): 41,010. Pages: 36 in Word file. Inspiration: OCRemix

The Summoner and the Succubus

I awoke, feeling my hair being brushed gently. Bodies of fur covered my hands, so I couldn't rub the sleep from my eyes. Amara's blurry visage entered my vision, as I felt the weight off my right hand. I rubbed my eyes, and yawned, feeling rested.

"Good morning, Mistress," Amara whispered. "Don't move, though, as the cubs are still on top of you."

"What happened?" I asked. "I don't remember falling asleep."

"I believe Dusk must have had something to do with it," she said, frowning. "I'm sure that the rest of the Faladum wouldn't have let him do it if it would endanger you."

I shrugged. "I trust them all with my life," I said. "Is there any chance any of the cubs are awake?"

At my question, all at once, all the cubs moved. I blinked while Amara giggled. Damn kids.

"We can hear what you think, Lady Sarnt!" a cub exclaimed. I looked warily at the cubs. I sighed, while all the cubs giggled. I quickly acted on impulse, grabbing the cubs' hands and pulling him to me, and giving a quick kiss on the cheek. A struggling cub was soon in my hands, but I let him go before he lashed out with his budding psionics.

"Well, it seems like you are up early today, Lady Sarnt." I turned to see Dusk and his companion from earlier walk toward us. They both smiled at the cubs, and some silent conversation took place. Some of the cubs came up to me and gave me a hug, snuggling against my neck. Others had tears on their eyes, and I wiped those away, calming them as best I could.

"You're coming back, right, Lady Sarnt?" a young girl asked. A little old to be called a cub, it looked like she took care of the rest of the mob in their parent's absence. I nodded at her.

"Of course I will, and so will Amara," I said, smiling. "I promise."

She nodded, looking a bit more comfortable, and made sure that the cubs behaved as they all walked away. I sighed, standing up from the ground. Stretching, I felt my bones pop back into place with satisfaction.

"Well?" I asked. "Are we leaving right now?"

"Yes, if you are so inclined, Lady Sarnt," Dusk said. "I believe the Elven guard will be at the meeting grounds soon, so I do suggest that we hurry."

"And hurry we shall," I said, nodding. We grabbed our packs and followed our guides down one of the myriad of tunnels. I never remembered which one led where, but I trusted my guides, and I was beginning to recognize the tunnel as we continued walking down its length.

We walked quietly, and I enjoyed the easy pace. I took all the gentle sounds in, like the dripping water in the distance, the wind whispering through the cave and our echoing footsteps. I always loved it here. As the fungi became more and more sporadic in growth, I knew that the tunnel was reaching its end, and I prepared myself for what was at store at the other side of the mountain.

=============== ================== ==================

As soon as we reached the mouth of the cave, a procession was waiting for us. Hundreds of Elves were present: knights in proud, gleaming armor, magi in bright green and gold robes, and archers with bow and arrow in hand, made of some kind of ebon wood. All bowed as Mistress Bell came before them, fist to ground, eyes downcast as if in reverence. In the early morning light, I could see different banners undulating in the wind. From an ornate jet black bow in a background of blue and red trim, a snowflake in a field of red, then a six pointed star that almost glittered in the sun and against its blue background. I realized that these must be different clans of elves, and possibly that more than half of them were not from this forest.

"Please stand, Elves of the Soaring Wood," she said aloud, addressing the elves. "I thank you all for coming, but we must make haste. Apparently there is a dragon waiting for me, and it would be rude to keep him waiting."

They all stood in unison. An ear splitting roar from the crowd was all I could hear. We parted ways from Dusk and his friend, before walking down and joining with the Elves. All the elves smiled as we passed, but a few actually stepped to us, asking for a few words from my Mistress. She would make some motion above their head when they kneeled in front of her ahead, a bit different depending on whether it was a magi or soldier. When we actually began moving, I looked at my Mistress in worry, as her face contorted into a frown.

"Mistress, is something wrong?" I asked

"If they've sent an escort with me, either the Elves are worried enough that something might happen or they got wind that something will happen," she said sourly. "I've only been received by an escort like this once, and that time, a group of magi had tried to kill me."

I shivered slightly. Shaking the fear out of my mind, I spoke again. "Why don't they offer you a seat or carriage?"

She laughed good naturedly, shaking her head. "All Elven royalty must walk to where they must go, just like all Elves do," she explained. "It's supposed to be that all royalty serve in the standing armies for twenty years before they are even considered for succession. No king or queen will shirk away from combat, and will risk their own lives to save and protect their people."

"And what did you do to earn such a title?" I asked, smiling

She waved a hand in front of her. "They can tell you better than I can," she said. "I was on the way to visit the Faladum when the group fell into some kind of trap. Human hunters were on them instantly, and if I had not intervened, they probably would have died."

She thought for a moment, but shrugged. "It probably goes back to my ancestry, some old ancient promise that the previous Elven lords said. Elves and their honor," she mused, "I suggest you don't make light of it. It's a very serious subject, and I only get to make fun of it because they constantly make fun of my own."

I nodded and stayed silent, mulling over what she just said. Again, things didn't really correlate with each other. Even with her ancestry, how and why did the Elves keep the promise? They didn't ask for any blood or anything specific. They just knew who she was. I shook my head, focusing instead on the slowly dying forest around us. The path was well worn from use, and we made excellent time. The woods, however, seemed to have not grown after whatever malady befell this place. No grass grew, and those few trees that were still alive had little to no foliage growing. While we reached our escort well before dawn, it was now midday before we halted.

I asked why, but Mistress pressed a finger to her lips. I nodded and stayed silent. Nobody moved during these few moments, but somewhere down the line, the order was given, and we moved forward. I looked at my Mistress, who shrugged, but didn't visibly let it bother her.

"If it was important, I'm sure someone would have told me," she said to my unasked question. I nodded, certainly hoping that she was correct. Our surroundings changed very little as we continued our march. The day didn't seem to end, but the sky seemed to turn a blood red the farther we went. The forest around us slowly became more barren than before, if that was possible. The sounds of snapping branches under hoof and foot greeted my ears, as the wind blew hard, howling throughout the husks of dead trees. The earth was barren and parched, cracks in the soil made it look like no rain has had fallen in quite some time.

"Something's wrong," I said. "I feel magic in the air."

"Yes, I noticed that, too," Mistress Bell said. She quickened her pace, and tapped the first Elf she could reach, but jumped back at what she saw.

"Doppelgangers!" she exclaimed

==================================== ========================

I immediately attacked, punching the doppelganger's face and unleashing a spell at point blank. A flash of light blinded the thing and the broken teeth would help put it out of commission. I looked about, but none of the other elves moved. I could feel the beginnings of a growl form in my throat. They weren't even asking if I was alright. It has to be an illusion. Damn, I let myself get into this.

"Amara!" I called, feeling through our link where she would be. Her energy was muted, but it was still close. I moved in direction of her, but the elves closed their ranks, not letting me pass. I grinned, but continued to move forward, only to be blocked by an actual body. My grin faded, as I looked at a dead elf, the whites of his eyes clearly visible. Dirt covered his face, his graceful body being used by some sort of spell. My own power rushed through me, rage rapidly building, as I lashed out at the spell that controlled him. Like snapping the cords of a marionette, he fell to the ground.

I looked around me, as more elven soldiers moved towards me. Like puppets, their movements were slow, but persistent. At least they weren't undead, I thought grimly. I focused my power, and slashed the air in front of me, releasing a wave of energy. I didn't aim at the elves, I aimed at the spell I could now visibly see, thin tethers of energy moving above their bodies. Scores of elves dropped to the ground as I slashed again and again all around me.

This seems too well coordinated, I thought. Now surrounded by unmoving bodies, I moved swiftly towards Amara's energy, hoping that she was alright. My worries were justified when I felt her attempting to access my power, which I let her. Like a beacon, I rushed uphill, running as fast as I could to reach her.

It didn't take me long to find her, bodies of other doppelgangers lying on the ground, that had tried to mimic her body. Their pale skin and tight leather armor, white long hair, and proportionate human like bodies and face. Those who were dead were already shifted back to their original bodies. Others, who were still dying or injured, were still transformed, exact duplicates of Amara.

I looked ahead, seeing Amara surrounded by four or five other doppelgangers, attempting to use their new bodies to equal the battlefield out. Apparently, having wings, tails, and hooves were too much for them, as it looked like it only slowed them down. Amara didn't look like she had much trouble dispatching the last doppelganger, grabbing onto it and ripping its jaw off.

"Amara, can you feel what is going on?" I asked as I made my way to her. "My senses feel dulled here."

"An overabundance of magic, Mistress," she answered, looking about. "This isn't human work, unless the Mages Guild relies on Necromancy."

"It wasn't Necromancy," I said. "Not the whole raising zombie stuff at any rate. No, this is a little more sophisticated than that." I shook my head in disgust. "Whoever it is, they're going to pay for killing these Elves."

"Good to hear that you're still willing to get your hands dirty, o Queen of the Wood," a new voice said, a woman by the sound of it. Leaves and branches snapped as the marionette controlled Elves walked, attempting to mask the sounds of the speaker. A simple spell foiled that, and I could clearly hear the slithering of some large snake and footsteps that were steady and with purpose.

"So, the controller makes their appearance," I said, grinning. "I'll show you exactly what I can do."

Eager to release any energy at whoever is responsible, I flung my arm in their direction and a slash of fire burst through the air. Elf bodies flung themselves in the way of the flame, the spell slicing through armor and skin akin to an axe splitting wood. Though the spell reached the target, I felt a surge of magic, and my spell was blocked. I smirked, unraveling the spell, causing the fire to fall on top of them. The patches of fire burned for a brief moment, until streams of water appeared to douse them.

Two figures appeared from the masses of the controlled Elves. The human, a thin man, white hair on his beard, but his body and face was covered in a brown robe and hood. The other was more flamboyant, her lower serpentine body covered in scales ranging from a deep jade to crimson and yellow. The scales and her flesh melded together seamlessly at her waist, where her human torso took hold. A pair of slender arms adorned with trinkets and an attractive face with flowing blue hair completed the creature.

"Naga," I said. "You have no business here. Get out, or face the consequences."

"Oh, no, I will not, oh Queen," she said sarcastically. Her long forked tongue sticking out of her mouth in mockery. "I do have business here, and I won't be leaving until it's done."

As the human turned to leave, he spoke to the naga. "I trust that you can defeat her," he said.

I didn't recognize the voice, but I didn't want him reporting to the Mages Guild, or any kind of outpost to call for more assistance. I threaded together a haste spell, and I ran towards the human. I drew my blade from my hip, my surroundings a blur to my eyes. It didn't matter, as I knew that time was effectively frozen for everyone around me, only for it to right itself, as I lunged forward, blade piercing the mans' chest. I put the man in between myself and the naga, hoping that she wouldn't have seen the wound, to protect her comrade, but I didn't have such luck. Four small balls of fire appeared upon the naga's hands, and she threw them in my direction. I didn't hesitate, pulling the blade from the dead mans' chest, and threw myself away.

The sound of air being pushed by fire suddenly cohering itself from the ether assaulted my ears. I was pushed by the force of the explosions, my world literally flipping over, until my back landed on the ground. Air escaped my lungs, but I forced myself to stand. The naga was already coming my way, a sword of dark onyx gleaming in her hands. With no scabbard on her hips or anything indicating that she had a weapon on her body, I assumed that it was a mageblade.

I didn't take any chances, and though I tried to prevent her from slithering any closer, she slashed the air in front of her, and the very earth rumbled underneath my feet. I ran away from the spot, only to see a mass of vines and tree roots burst from the ground. Some would spire up into the sky, while others moved through the surface, but they were all turning to me. I didn't hesitate, and I slashed forward with my hands, sending wave after wave of fire, trying to stem the tide.

A blow to my side winded me, but that was all I felt. Roots entwined me from the ground, as the naga beside me smiled in satisfaction at me. I screamed, engulfing my own body in fire to burn away at the roots, but a blow to my face stopped the spell almost instantly. I could feel blood start to dribble down my nose from the punch, but I didn't let that stop me. The naga smiled again.

"To think that you cannot summon your own mageblade," she said mockingly. "I was sure that you would be more of a challenge. But no matter, I need you alive so that I may rule these woods."

"I won't let you, you ungrateful whore!" I shouted back. My vision blurred again and all I could see was the naga's face in front of my watered eyes.

"You will NEVER call me such things!" she roared, spit flying from her mouth. "I can see now why the humans want to control you. You have such power, but unrestrained, unrefined, and without any sort of discipline."

I grinned through the pain. "It's better than your shitty woodwork spells, that's for sure."

"And what, pray tell, makes you say that?" she asked sweetly, her face returning to a normal pleasant one.

"Because I'm here," Amara said from behind her.

The naga turned around, only to have her entire face slashed from side to side, four even streaks of red gashing across her face. She howled in pain, but the spell holding me remained. I focused again, the fire spell engulfing me again, burning away the roots without any problems. Amara was nowhere in sight, but she had to be around somewhere. I grinned at the naga that was looking at me almost in surprise.

"Unlike you, I don't need a crutch!" I yelled, punching the naga right in her midsection. I opened my fist, placing my open palm on her belly, and unleashed a spell, as a runic symbol appeared on the point of impact. Lightning seared its way through her body as the rune on the naga's belly pulsed and flashed. Thankfully, while she was distracted by the pain, I began to channel the original rune into something more functional for this situation.

"Foromonus sancta fallum Noctarium," I chanted, feeling my power and the rune unite as one again. The naga began to writhe in pain, but I focused on the spell work in front of me. "Falladum notori fornoli Sincla!" I finished, my voice rising. The rune glowed brightly once again, but this time, an imprint of the same rune was underneath the naga. Bright tethers of lightning coiled around the naga's arms, waist and body, and began to grow taught, enough to bring her entire body resting against the ground. She began to struggle anew, but the lightning shackles were already placed. Power flowed through them, straight into her body as she continued to fight it. For a moment, it actually looked like she was going to break the coils' hold on her, but either the pain was too much, or the spell took hold again, and she fell, face first against the ground. Her body lay unmoving as I watched, power flowing through me at the ready in case she was attempting to lure me into a sense of safety.

It was only when Amara touched my shoulder and nodded at the body that I dropped my guard. I looked around me, seeing the Elven bodies all around me, but not one stirred. I was afraid that they were enchanted, manipulated in some way against their will. This naga was going to answer my questions, and so help the Heavens, if she lies, I will cut her tongue straight from her mouth. I wouldn't hesitate to kill her, but I was loathe to do so.

Why waste someone that can, with a little coercion, join you instead?"

================= ========================= =========

Mistress walked towards the body of the fallen naga sorceress, nodding to herself. I noticed that she was still breathing, if you can call the shallow gasps coming from her breathing. I shook my head at my Mistress, feeling like this was a little too much, but I didn't voice it. I think she deserves to feel this pain, though now, I don't think I like it anymore.

Mistress walked up to the imprisoned naga, grabbing her by her hair and pulling upwards, against the tug of the lightning tethers. She groaned, but it seemed either Mistress ignored or didn't hear it. The look on Mistress Bell's face was one I've only seen once before in our short time together, and it was when she killed those humans earlier.

"You best explain yourself, truthfully," she said. Her voice, though spoken softly, carried a weight of fury behind it. "And start from the beginning. I'll cut your tongue if I think you're lying to me."

"You wouldn't dare!" she screamed. "You'd break the oath of every mage in the world to not harm other life!"

"If you haven't noticed, I don't care much for their formalities," she said dismissively. "And just like you said, I don't have my own mageblade, but I've found another source of strength."

"That demon?" the naga said, her features contorting into a sneer. "She couldn't be used as a who-," was as far as she got before Mistress literally slammed her face first against the dirt.

"You will address my familiar with the proper respect and tone that she deserves. Do I make myself clear, or do I need to put more lightning through your heart to make sure I am understood?" Mistress said. Her voice was completely void of emotion.

Silence hung in the air for a few moments, but the naga slowly nodded. "I understand," she said softly.

"Then speak when you're ready, and I suggest you take your time," Mistress Bell said. "I don't want any part of your story untold."

The naga nodded, but stayed silent. I walked towards my Mistress and gently put a hand on her shoulder. She looked at me, almost startled, but her features softened when she realized it was me.

"Amara, I need you to find our belongings," she said. "It seems I lost track of the very things we were carrying."

"I'll find them, Mistress," I said, nodding. "I'll also see if any of the Elves are still alive."

"They're not," the naga whispered. "They're all dead."

I nodded at the statement, a feeling of dread hanging over the scenario. I fought the temptation of hugging my Mistress, but she reached to me with her own and squeezed gently. I knew she was angry, but she shook her head.

"I'll be alright, Amara," she said. "Please find our belongings."

Though I wanted to know what the naga's reasons for committing such an attrocity, I nodded and left the scene. Thankfully, I didn't have to look very hard to find our belongings, but I had to wonder why the other soldiers didn't attack us. Were they illusions themselves, or did the naga have limited control over so many? The bodies lying on the ground dismissed the illusion part, and the smell of blood hung in the air. No, this was very much reality, however horrible it was. Broken bodies lay in heaps on the ground. Once majestic hair was now caked with blood and dirt covered their faces.

I found our belongings easily, conveniently placed near the base of a tree. I picked them up with ease, and hurried back to my Mistress. Who knew what news our prisoner now brought?

================ ================= ==================

I sat down in front of the naga, arms crossed against my chest. Rage still flowed through me. I felt like I needed to kill this maddening creature that just may have killed a true successor to the Elven throne, but I reined it in. It felt like controlling a beast made of instinct, power and rage. It was hard, but I managed to put some control over it, if barely.

"For someone that was supposed to be easy prey, the humans are very misinformed," the naga said.

"I have my ways to misinform the Magi," I said simply, frowning at the naga. "Why would you attack me or the Elves in the first place? I always thought, though both races were at odds, at least they had some measure of peace. Why are you, or all the naga, striking now?"

"To kill you, obviously," she said. "We kill the Elf Queen; they wouldn't have a leader to guide them during war."

"You have to understand that I'm not royalty, much less of direct Elf lineage, as I understand," I said, shaking my head. "The Elves refer to me as a Queen, but it is honor only, not because I rule them."

"Then this is all a gambit to get to you, for some human reason, and not that the Elves were going to invade," she said, closing her eyes.

"We were heading to the Dragon Wastes in order for me to investigate some ruins that I believe link me to the old kingdom of Korst Lonal," I stated.

The naga shook her head. "If what you say is true, why would humans work against you?" she asked. "It doesn't make sense."

"The Mages Guild has been trying to bring me under their control for the better part of ten years now," I said, shrugging. "I imagine that the current king of the humans doesn't like rogue magic users and he tasked the Mages Guild to track me down and force me to cooperate. As you can see, I haven't."

"And why should I believe you over the humans?" she asked now, raising her head from the ground. Her eyes looked straight into mine, hate seemingly radiating from her. "How can I trust you?"

"You don't, really," I said, shrugging. "Unless you can cast a Truth spell, that is."

"I would need to be freed from these bonds," she said, the heat on her voice abating slightly.

I nodded and waved my hands, dissipating the magic that held her. The tethers slacked and disappeared from her body, and the rune emblazoned on her body disappeared. She looked at me quizzically, and I nodded. It sounded like a humming all around me for a brief moment until the spell was cast, but I instantly knew that she succeeded when I knew I couldn't outright lie to her now.

"Who are you?" she asked. "What is your name?"

"My name is Anarillia Bellatroix, a human born of human nobility and possible heir to the throne of Korst Lonal," I said without hesitation.

"What are you seeking in the Cursed Land?" she asked

"To find out if all theresearch, lore, and stories that I've heard are correct, and to find out how much of my past is tied to that place."

The naga remained silent for a moment, but quickly resumed questioning me. "What are you planning on doing with me?"

"In all honesty, I was hoping that you would aid me, as far as you could, into the Waste, seeing as you had a hand in slaying all these Elves, and then using their bodies against me," I answered, shrugging. "Information would suffice, if you're not willing, but I'll take what I can get."

"Were you lying about cutting out my tongue earlier?" she asked

I shook my head. "No, I wasn't. I was pretty serious about doing it, but I think that having your tongue is necessary for your continued survival."

She nodded, and I could feel the Truth spell she cast fizzle and dissolve. "I do not know if I can trust you completely, but I know you are not lying to me," she said softly. "I'm truly sorry, but I do not know how I, or my kind, will be able to mend this wound that I have created."

I placed a hand on her shoulder, looking at her eyes. Her eyes, similar to a snake's, stared into one another, as we waited for the other to back down. She relented, as she laid her entire body prone on the ground, her hands at my feet.

"I seem to be at your mercy, my Lady," she said, the ground muffling her voice. "Your wish is my command."

I shook my head. "You're free to go, if that is your wish," I said, kneeling down and helping her up. "I'm not forcing you to come with me, but I would appreciate your cooperation."

"You're definitely not like the human I was told to be wary about," she said, her mouth splitting into a bright smile. I smiled back at her, nodding.

"I like to think of myself of higher standards than most other humans," I said. "You never make friends if you're not willing to accept others' differences."[[E1]](%5C)

"Then we better get some rest before we go on," she said, nodding. "I will accompany you, and atone for the wrongs I have committed against you today."

I nodded, relenting to her logic. The sun was beginning to set, casting eerie shadows about. The sun wasn't visible to us, the ever present clouds in the sky muting the light. Amara appeared, holding our belongings effortlessly in her arms. I smiled, and at her confused look, my smile widened.

"The naga has willingly joined our little expedition," I said. I grinned at her confused look that she gave me. "Don't worry too much."

"Are we going to do something about the dead?" she asked

"I was just going to say something about that," I said, nodding. I turned to our new companion, who nodded.

"I'll do the task," she said. "I will do what I must to atone."

"Not without some help you aren't," I said with finality. "A spell this big will require at least some support for you to draw upon. You'll either burn yourself to the point that you cannot cast anything, or die."

"If that is what must be done," she repeated.

I shook my head. I grabbed her head and forced her to look at me straight in the eye. "No, you will not risk your life for this," I said again. "There is no point for you to throw your life away, as there are better ways to atone for sins than killing yourself."

For a moment, I thought that she was going to lash out at me. It would be pretty easy to kill me, and she was technically more powerful than I was with her mageblade. She, however, nodded, and I let go of her face gently. I walked behind her, taking care not to step on her lower body, and placed a hand on her shoulder. With my other hand I motioned to Amara to come to me. At her hesitation, I nodded towards her, and she relented, placing a hand on the naga's unoccupied shoulder.

I could feel the naga's energy begin to come forth from our physical contact, and I gave her access to my stores of power. I could feel my own energy meld with hers, and Amara's power flowed to join the naga's flow. She began to murmur in a language I didn't understand, a combination of hissing in different pitches and spitting sounds. I didn't argue, as I could feel a spell of some sort come to existence.

The very ground shook softly, shoots of plants, vines, and all kinds of organic limbs coming from the very earth itself to surround the corpses on the ground. The growths would encase the corpse; wrapping themselves against the bodies, as the ground, from my point of view, seemed to rise to swallow the bodies into the earth. The ground seemed to glow green with magic for a moment, before it disappeared as it consumed the body. To my surprise, the naga drew more power from her own reserves, and I focused to keep up with her demand, supplementing all I could afford to her.

The glow returned to where bodies were swallowed by the earth. The earth began to slowly sprout grass. At first it was slow, but it began to happen faster as more shoots came from the earth in a rapid pace. Energy flowed underneath us, grass growing underneath our very feet, washing over the trees, breathing life once again into their old husks. Energy and magic pulsed all around us; verdant trees with new growth in their aged barked where moments ago there was nothing but a near dead forest. The naga slowly drew back from her spellwork, the pulses of magic slowing down before stopping as she finished channeling.

I looked around me, to be surrounded by living trees flourishing in the dim light. No evidence was left that an army was buried here, other than the now living trees to serve as witnesses. The naga turned to me, but immediately swooned, her upper body falling forward. I immediately reacted, stopping her from hitting the earth. I kneeled; laying her gently on the grass as gently as I could. I turned to face Amara, a frown upon her features as she looked at the naga.

"Yet another complication," I said, shaking my head.

"We could leave her here," Amara suggested, distrust clearly in her eyes

"I understand how you feel," I said gently. "But, if she doesn't come, the rift between the elves and naga may never heal. Both sides need to hear her story. Our word alone wouldn't prove much of anything."

She nodded. "Would you like some help moving her?" she asked

"Yes, please," I said, smiling. We lifted her as gently as we could from her upper torso to lay her underneath the trees. I hoped that the trees would give us enough cover that prying eyes would not notice us. Though, this forest sprouting from nothing is sure to draw attention of some kind.

As if reading my mind, Amara spoke. "We cannot stay here, Mistress," she said. "Someone is sure to come inspect why that human, or this naga, didn't report back to them."

I sighed. "I know, Amara. Pass me my bag, please."

She did so without question, but a puzzled look was on her face. I opened it, immediately finding what I sought. A vial filled with a glowing red substance. The potion was my own variation of a well-known waking draught. It would give you enough energy to wake the dead, but wouldn't kill you afterwards. I uncorked the bottle and slowly tipped the potion into the naga's mouth, letting it trickle in so as to not choke her.

Her eyes flew open and nearly choked on her breath as she spun into a tight coil, her fangs bared. As she was literally a hairs space away from me, I didn't move, but I could visually tell that she was calming down. I smiled as she lowered her stance, becoming less threatening, leaving her shaken.

"Welcome back to the living," I said

"Why did you bring me back?" she asked. "I wanted to die!"

"You won't be dying while I'm around," I said. "There's better ways to honor the dead, and being dead isn't one of them. I think I told you this before. Besides, you agreed to help me, and I intend to see you honor your word."

"I need time to rest," she said, frowning. I shook my head.

"No, you don't, trust me," I said. "What I just gave you has enough energy to make stone dance, so I don't want to hear it. Come on, we can't stay here for long. Someone is sure to notice you or your previous friend is missing, and will come to investigate."

The naga nodded, as we picked up our bags. A feeling of dread engulfed me, but I refused to let it get a hold of my mind. I knew that we were close. To what I hoped for, or to what I dreaded, I could not say. But I knew that today my questions would be answered. I just hoped that we would survive these events.

"What is your name, by the way?" I asked the naga

"Adamina, my Lady," she said softly

"Then I hope you're ready for what is to come, Adamina," I said, nodding, "for even I do not know what is up ahead."

=============== = ================== ==================

I did not dare stop inside the Dragon Wastes. Pushing any thought of exhaustion out of my mind, we pressed onwards. We ate while walking, but the only sounds I could hear was the howling of the wind, whipping its way past gigantic hollow bones, and the occasional shifting of the earth. Thunder and lightning played in the distance, flashing across the clouds and revealing a revolting display of a red, black and purple mixture of colors in the sky. Dust devils kicked up occasionally, but nothing too serious. Rain would fall, only to transform into hail in the span of a blink of an eye, only to transform into fine mist a blink later. I shivered, as I hoped it wasn't a precursor to a bigger weather threat.

"Mistress, how much farther do we have to go? There is nothing in sight!" Amara asked, revealing her observations. I pointed in front of us, through what seemed like an impassable stone in the way.

"My Lady, I believe Amara is right," Adamina said, raising her voice to be heard against the wind. "If we do not find shelter soon, we might be sucked into a portal!"

I shook my head. "You two don't see that the gigantic stone blocking the way is really an illusion!" I yelled through the wind. "Trust me!"

They both nodded, as we continued through the wastes. The path, if it could be called that, twisted and turned through small dunes and the bones of gigantic dragons. Though nothing eventful happened, I was constantly on guard, having the feeling that I was being watched the entire time. When we reached the seemingly impassible stone, I continued to walk, passing right through it. My vision adjusted instantly as soon as I passed through the illusion.

But as luck would have it, the dragon the reports said was here. An ancient wyrm, if I'm correct, and judging by the dragon's size and apparent age, I think my guess is correct. The dragon's head lifted and turned to face us, its massive neck allowing the dragon immense mobility. I had no doubt of my own power, even linked with Amara or with Adamina, but I knew at that moment, that if the dragon wanted us dead, it probably wouldn't spend a fraction of its power to do so.

The dragons' scales were of the hue of worn gold, its wings attached to his sides and powerful looking appendages acting as support and forflight towards the shoulders. Frills covered the dragons head, legs, and back, with the color of tarnished bronze and gold. As the dragon dropped its head closer, I could see that the eyes were of solid gold color; it was similar to asif you had melted down pure gold and molded it to be inside your eye socket. Two horns adorned his skull, like a bull's horns, decorated with both runes and draconic script. Rings attached to the bone hummed softly, even against the howl of wind that occasionally passed by.

"You're finally here," the dragon said softly. Softly enough, if you don't count the fact that it made the ground shake underneath my feet

"What do you mean I'm finally here?" I asked. "I have no idea who you are, my good dragon, or to why you are here?"

"Both very good questions, daughter," it said. "But you must believe me when I say that it is good to finally see you."

"I am your daughter?" I asked, shocked. "It's impossible! My mother was a human!"

"It is time that you know the legacy that you inherit," the dragon said. "You must know of what you inherit, so that you may understand why I regret to place this burden on you."

"What legacy?" I asked the senile dragon. "You must be out of your mind if you think I'll believe for even a second that you, of all beings, are my father." I crossed my arms, frowning. This changed everything. The possibility is there, I guess, but I need more proof.

"You understand the tongue of dragons," he said, heaving a great sigh. "I've been speaking in my tongue this entire time."

"Most, if not all magi, learn how to speak Dragon," I countered. "Even I had to learn how to speak, write, and understand the entire language, just like hundreds of mages, wizards and other sorcerers before me."

The dragon huffed again, closing his eyes. When he opened them, all I could see was him staring at me. I panicked, my mind being gently pulled out of my control. Fury and power bubbled inside of me, as I fought the dragons' mind control. I could see how his spells intertwined into and through each other, strengthening and supporting their weaknesses. Somewhere, I began to create barriers of similar scope, as his attacks constantly pushed and pulled my consciousness.

"Hang on, Mistress!" Amara yelled from somewhere. I couldn't look away from those golden orbs for the life of me. Her scream of pain tore through me like a lightning bolt splintering a tree. How DARE he!

Power and anger raged through me. I will make this dragon, ancient or not, pay for hurting Amara! I lashed out, as my hand became engulfed in blue fire, and launched it straight for his eye. It worked, momentarily, as he closed his eyes, freeing me from his attempt to wrestle control of my mind. He growled and opened his maw, a mass of energy forming, followed by a bellow as flames erupted.

I ran towards Amara's prone form, Adamina attending to her but not realizing the situation, and extended my arms in front of me. Power ran through me and did as I made it, forming a shield in front of us. The flames rammed into the shield with enoughforce to break or melt anything in its way. My shield held, if only just. Sweat poured down my face, as the heat of the flames began to increase while we were in the inferno. His eyes appeared again in my mind, the spells the dragon was using similar, but different composition. I screamed as more power rose up from inside to match the dragons.

Another wave of fire blasted my shield, and I almost fell to my knees. I grunted, and screamed back, feeling my power being taxed to the limit, but refusing to back down. I was fighting two battles against a far superior opponent, and I was relatively untrained in psionics. I willed lightning to form through my barrier, and attempted to shoot it through the dragons' flames, and I got a relatively good result, the flames stopping momentarily. I pressed the advantage, discharging another lightning bolt, but this time the energy dispersed before reaching the dragon.

I took a step forward, and I focused my power on the ground. Assaulting the dragon directly wasn't working, so then we try the indirect approach. Focusing a spell at the ground through my hands, I dropped to my knees and bit my finger, drawing a small amount of blood. I drew five runes in quick succession, two of Elven origin, one of Dragon, and the remaining two of Dwarf script, and pressed my hand down. The ground heaved instantly, a stone hand reaching from underneath the dragon and grappling him tightly. A roar of fury split the air as the stone hand tightened its grip on the squirming captive.

As I watched, however, the dragon lashed out, renewed strength returning to his body. His writhing limbs smashed through the stone's grasp like a child tearing through parchment. Roaring in triumph, he bound towards us, but instead of the wall of flame I expected, a wall of bluish gas escaped the dragons' maw. I gasped, realizing that the dragon intended to capture us. I tried to run, to use any spell to stop the gas from reaching us, but my mind went blank, golden eyes once again filling my vision. I was paralyzed, my body refusing to listen to what I willed it to do.

"Mistress, what's happening?" Amara asked, her voice reaching me, but unable to voice what I wanted. I wanted them to run, to get away from this beast. The gas was already on top of us when the eyes disappeared from my mind. I tried to yell, scream, but my conscious was ripped away from me, exhaustion like I've never felt before settling inside of me. It felt as if I had just gone through this entire journey all over again, but without any rest. Exhaustion claimed my body, though I was still screaming inside of my mind.

================= ========================== ===============

I gasped as my eyes flashed open, my voice barely there. I controlled myself, and it was only due to self-control and years of discipline that I was successful. I looked about, propping myself up to see that we weren't outside in the Dragon Waste anymore, but in what seemed like a decrepit old building. Stone, weathered by age, no decoration in the room survived the ravage of time. The bed that dominated the room must have been beautiful once, with possibly silk sheets and polished wood. Now, the remains of what looks like charred wood remain. The remains of other furniture lay about, from a multitude of dressers to the charred remains of a carpet on the floor. I sat up, noting that both Amara and Adamina were here with me. They were both asleep still.

I attempted to stand, my legs feeling numb. I stumbled, but I managed not to fall on my face. I kneeled next to Amara, shaking her gently to rouse her, but it didn't work. I pressed my fingers against her neck gently, and I could still feel her heart beat, the gentle pulses bringing calm to me, somewhat. I moved towards Adamina, doing the same, and giving a sigh of relief. I am thankful that both were among the living still.

"It wasn't my intention for that to go for so long."

I whipped around, to see an old man standing, a wild beard on his face. Gentle eyes looked upon me, his bald head wrinkled with apparent age. He was stooped, leaning on his cane heavily. He was dressed in a fancy robe of some kind, though I couldn't detect or feel if it was magical in nature or not. It occurred to me, bythe way he addressed himself, that this old man was the same dragon in disguise. I quickly prepared myself for battle, but the old man shook his head.

"It was not my intention to fight you in the first place, my daughter," he said. "I only wanted to show you of who you truly are. I imagine that you never learned to transform properly."

"You can't be my father," I said, shaking my head. "You don't have any proof."

"You say I don't," he said, smiling kindly. He waved his hands, and a piece of rolled parchment appeared, landing softly in his hands. He then proceeded to toss the roll at me. I caught it, giving the old man a hesitant look before taking a closer look at the seal, and to make sure it wasn't trapped.

The seal was the same one that the kingdom of Korst Lonal used, as the history books show it. The seal consisted of a shield, divided into two sections by a diagonal white line. On the top section, was a sword, axe, and arrow crossed together, tied together by a wreath. The bottom part was what looked like a coin, the borders of the coin looking to be dripping blood. The seal also had a famous quote the king was fond of saying, or at least, so says the history books. It was written in old common, and the translations varied in between who you talked to. The basic gist of it was "Live by war, kill by coin".

No surprise there, I thought grimly. It only proved to me that this must be a genuine seal. I couldn't detect any magic, other than to preserve its current condition. I inspected the actual parchment, but couldn't detect any more spellwork other than, again, to preserve the parchment from rotting away. I carefully removed the seal and unraveled the parchment. What was written inside startled me.

I quickly read the parchment, as I filed away important information in a semi organized manner. It all seemed correct. What almost made my blood run cold was the fact that these were the papers that proved I am the heir of the throne of Korst Lonal.

"Unfortunately, your mother never signed the paper before she died," the old man said, distracting me from my inspection. "She died soon after you were born, and it seemed that the world wept at her passing."

"How do you know all this?" I asked him. "I still have no idea who you are, much less believe you! This is all fine and dandy, but you still haven't told me your role in all of this!"

"You still won't believe that I'm your father?" he asked, shaking his head. His voice sounded sad, disappointed. "By the sky, she was right. I shouldn't have left you alone like I did."

I stared at him intently, as he removed a ring from inside of his robe. It was of a golden color, with a bright orange gem gleaming from it. He sighed as he walked forward towards me. In all truth, I wanted to back away from the old man, but if he was even hinting at the truth, I had to take the chance.

"Do you trust me?" he asked

"I want to, but no, I don't," I answered, shaking my head.

"This ring," he said, lifting it up, "will show you who you are. All you have to do is wear it."

"What will it do?" I asked

"It is hard to explain," he said, shrugging. "It is just best to do."

"And it won't just happen to kill me, too?" I asked sarcastically

Again, he shook his head. "My own daughter doesn't trust me," he said. His voice sounded defeated. He sighed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry for not being in your life, or following your mother's wishes. She always knew what was best."

"She's dead now," I said coldly. "The dead don't help the living, usually."

"If you ask nicely, they do," he said, this time smiling gently.

I rolled my eyes, but kept my retort to myself. No need to keep dredging up more of the past than we already were. I grimaced, not liking the situation I was presented with, but I had little choice in the matter. I frowned, swearing softly under my breath, taking a quick look around. Both Amara and Adamina were lying on the ground, curled up on top of each other, fast asleep. I slipped the ring on my right hand, and was instantly assaulted by visions that were clearly not my own.

I was in the same room, except the room wasn't destroyed by dragon fire. People were milling about, shadows that moved about with purpose and impossible to describe. I could not make out any details about them except that they were there. But, two people were clearly visible like the brightness of daylight. A woman lay on the bed, and I moved closer to the scene, the vividness of the situation grew and grew.

The woman, beautiful of face, her body was hidden by sheets and sweat. A man sat on a chair next to the bed, whispering to the woman in hushed tones and grasping onto her hand, gently removing any sweat off the woman's brow with a towel. The man I could see more clearly, noble clothing on every inch of him, a rugged face, gentle eyes and a smile that radiated when he showed it. The woman would laugh, but then her face would change to one of pain, as her mouth would open in a silent scream.

This kept going for what felt like decades, both man and woman finding comfort in the pain that I realized was childbirth. Voices began to join in the vision, as they began to speak.

"How is the child, doctor?" the man asked, standing from his chair. The expression of his face was tinged with worry, tears nearly falling from his eyes.

There was no voice for the doctor, but what was said, the man didn't like. The doctor handed the babe to the woman, and promptly left after a time. The room seemed to become quiet once again, but it wasn't long until the woman spoke for the first time.

"What should we name her?" the woman asked. Her voice was exhausted, as I could imagine what it would feel like laying a rock from your vagina.

The man shrugged, but smiled widely. "I have a few ideas, if you would care to hear them," he said softly, rubbing gently the crying babe. The babe's cries were muted in the vision, for which I was grateful. I don't think I could handle those cries at this moment.

The woman nodded, smiling at the man, while his face was frowned in concentration. He smiled again, when he spoke again.

"How about Jessica?" he asked, his face beaming

The woman shook her head. "That was my mother's name," she said, smiling. "Try again."

"And what's wrong with that?" he asked

"Nothing," the woman said, smiling. "But Mother would hate to be addressed as Queen Bellatroix all the time."

My breath was caught in my throat. It couldn't be, could it? Was this what I have been looking for? It didn't explain who the dragon was, but if this was true, then this woman was my mother, and the man would be my father?

"How about-"

"Anarillia," the woman said, smiling. "I believe that was one of the names we agreed upon."

"Indeed it is," the man said. I stepped closer to the scene, inspecting the child closer. Nothing told me that this child was me, but then, why would this dragon deceive me? As I understood, at least, gold dragons didn't lie. Or, at least, wouldn't outright lie to your face. If this dragon was, this was a very deliberate lie.

The vision blurred and slowly vanished, leaving me again in the present. The old man stood in front of me once again, though now I think I understood what he was saying. I could feel the stings of emotion beginning to well up, but I controlled them as best as I could. All my self-control couldn't help me, when the old man came up and embraced me, wrapping his arms around me. Tears ran down my face, as the old man supported me with gentle strength.

"It is good to see you once again, my daughter."

---