Forest Keep 46
#47 of Forest Keep
Chapter 46 â€" Flora’s secret
Dougal peered down at the shaggy unicorn mare as she looked up at him coyly.  â€Why Dug’gul!†she murmured, using the ancient form of his name.  â€You have been doing well, haven’t you?â€Â Her eyes flicked briefly up and down his plump form.
â€Hail, Flora!†replied Dougal, not rising to the bait but instead adding his own. â€What are you doing back here? I thought you had returned to rolling around in the peat bogs of Ireland.â€
He could see she was sorely in need of grooming, and her silky mane was full of knots. But her distinctive horn was as gleaming and sharp as he remembered.
Flora gave an expressive equine snort. â€I grew tired of the weeping and wailing of the faer and their cronies there, ‘ she replied. â€They are quite resigned to extinction, you know.â€
Dougal nodded. â€We also have had to hide in the deep forest,†he said, slipping onto a lower branch. â€Until recently, that is,†he added.
Flora could not keep a gleam of interest from showing in her glorious eyes. â€Oh? And why is that?†she asked innocently, idly scratching her rump against his tree.
Dougal pointed a finger. â€That’s your fault,†he stated. â€Or, more accurately, your horn’s fault!â€Â His digit shifted to point at the offending spiral extrusion.
Flora had the grace to look embarrassed and shuffled her hooves slowly. â€You know I can’t help it, its part of me,†she mumbled apologetically.
â€Thanks to you, we have a number of humans who are in love with other species!†Dougal exclaimed. â€Including a couple of dragons as well as who knows what else!â€
Flora let out a surprisingly girlish giggle and waved her head proudly. â€And is it causing problems?†she asked pointedly. â€Or are you just overreacting as usual?â€
Dougal held his temper in check. She knew all his weak spots; but, he reminded himself, he was older now and wiser too. â€It’s only a matter of time,†he told the unicorn. â€One of the humans has dragon mana now! What if he gets his mate pregnant?â€
Flora narrowed her eyes dangerously. â€You know my power only increases desires that are already present,†she pointed out. â€I do not cause the infatuation; I merely help it along…â€
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Moving slowly, she dipped her head into the pool and took a drink, her long horn lightly touching the water. Dougal could clearly see its radiant aura spreading into the water of the pool. Damn her, he thought, she was goading him!
He took a deep breath and continued. â€I know that, but now we have been dragged into an alliance with the humans and the gryphons. If there should be trouble between them, or with others…†He trailed off as Flora gave him a look.
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â€And what do you want me to do about it?†she asked, sighing gustily.
â€Go away,†Dougal replied flatly. â€At least minimize the damage! The pool will lose its power over time.â€
Flora seemed to slump into herself, lowering her head and muttering something.
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â€What was that?†asked Dougal sharply. He was losing patience rapidly.
Flora brought her head up again. â€I said I can’t! I need the pool to be powerful…†she finished evasively.
Dougal frowned. â€Why?†he demanded, his bushy brows beetling together. â€Wait a minute â€" you want to make this a proper unicorn pool?â€Â He felt a sudden shock run through him as he looked at her more closely. â€You’re pregnant, aren’t you?â€
Flora nodded slowly, not saying anything.
Dougal chewed on his mustache. Unicorns were extremely rare and to turn out a pregnant mare would be a crime that he would neither commit nor condone. But the repercussions of having a powerful unicorn pool here would be both a blessing and a curse. The silky water could nullify any poison and cure many diseases, but on the down side it would provide a fertile â€" he grimaced at the word â€" source of confused couples and possibly offspring.
â€Very well,†he sighed. â€Let me think on this â€" but I shall warn others to stay clear of the pool, and will think of some sort of ward as well.â€
Flora looked up at him with relief in her eyes. â€Thank you Dug’gul,†she murmured gratefully. â€I wanted to foal near my home.â€
Dougal nodded. â€I want you meet the humans too â€" if I have to do it, then so do you!â€
Flora’s eyes grew enormous. â€H-humans?†Her hindquarters tensed in fear. â€No! They will kill me!â€
Dougal shook his head. â€Not these ones, which you have already…†He paused, searching for the right word. ‘…Already affected…they will not harm you.â€
Flora looked panicky and her eyes rolled, as if seeking an escape. â€Think on it,†said Dougal. â€After all, you are responsible for their predicament!â€Â He stood up and flitted off the branch, heading back to the trod as Flora vanished into the rushes once more.
 Osedax returned to the barracks slowly, thinking about what had happened and the odd events that seemed to have woven the peculiar situation around the keep. Pushing open the door to Tomako’s room, he stepped inside and shut it behind him.
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Letting out a gusty sigh he moved up to the bed and tapped Tomako on the head. â€Tomakoliana, attend!†he said in a tone that brooked no disobedience.
Tomako raised his head miserably and regarded the elder through bloodshot yellow eyes. â€Yes, Clanmaster,†he murmured sadly. â€I shall go into exile. Do not hold anything against my sister, I beg you!â€
Osedax puffed a plume of smoke. â€Oh, enough of the self-pity, boy!†He brought his gnarled human fist down on Tomako’s snout, causing the younger dragon to rear back in shock, grasping his snout with both his paws. â€You made a mistake â€" a serious one I admit, and you are to be punished for acting foolishly and without thinking. But you shall learn from this - and learn how to focus that seething rage within you!â€
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He shifted back into his natural dragon form and clattered up and down slowly in front of the young dragon. â€What was the worst thing you did?†he asked shrewdly.
Tomako was still in shock. â€I killed humans,†he quavered in reply.
Osedax gave Tomako’s snout another smack. â€NO! Many of us have killed humans, myself included! The worst thing was that you lost control! You gave in to your rage, and then reveled in it - and in doing so let yourself become injured!â€
Tomako cowered back against the wall. â€I tried to stop…†he began.
â€Why did you start in the first place?†the Clanmaster asked, pointing a sharp talon at him. â€It is not your place to interfere with human business!â€
Tomako hesitated â€I-I don’t know,†he muttered. â€I just felt as if I had to do something, or …â€
â€Or what?†pushed Osedax, his curiosity pricking at him.
â€Or I would…lose a female…?†wondered Tomako as he recalled the initial surge of emotion, the residual effects of the strong drink, and the sensation of orgasm he had experienced, amplifying the desire to prove himself in front of a female.
Osedax nodded slowly, leaning back against the barracks wall, which creaked dangerously. â€And how do you think this female regards you now, after your rash actions?†he demanded.
Tomako gulped and looked down sheepishly. â€She hates me, though I saved her life twice.â€
Osedax nodded sagely. â€And that may be the one thing that gets through that thick skull of yours!†he said, rapping Tomako on the snout yet again. â€You, like James, need to learn control - and that will be your punishment!†He flexed his talons meaningfully. â€You shall be confined to human form, for as long as I deem necessary!â€
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Tomako’s ruffs went pale in poorly-controlled terror. â€N-no…even exile…†he stuttered, halting as the elder wyrm held up a warning paw.
â€You shall only be released once every three days to let your mana regain strength, then revert back to human,†Osedax told him. â€You cannot be trusted as a dragon, so you shall learn as a human!â€
Tomako nodded submissively, shuddering at the thought of being forced into human form all the time. How would he cope? Not able to fly, no claws, and that repulsively soft skin everywhere…
â€I shall inform the council of this decision, of course,†continued Osedax, the words sending a fresh chill down Tomako’s spine.
â€My father…†he began.
â€Will find out in due course,†finished Osedax. â€And will no doubt be even more displeased â€" especially since his mate has also left him.â€
Tomako blinked, and sat upright in alarm. â€My mother has left the lair? What happened to her?â€
Osedax shrugged. â€I am not entirely clear; however, I know she has sought sanctuary with Carlina and Nokala, whilst your father seems to have disappeared.â€
Tomako chewed a talon nervously. â€It’s all falling apart,†he muttered, â€and it’s all my fault.â€
Osedax sighed and settled next to him â€No, its mine…at least partly. It would have happened a little later perhaps, but everyone is safe, no one’s location has been compromised or endangered yet. You shall overcome this little setback in a century or so.â€
Tomako’s muzzle showed such shock that the Clanmaster couldn’t help grinning.
â€â€¦or perhaps sooner…†He raised his paw. â€Now â€" let us begin!â€
Cill muttered to herself as she moved round the room, resisting her housekeeping urge to kick a couple of walls in to enlarge the place. She occasionally made sure James was sleeping soundly, and fussed over him carefully while waiting for him to wake. She had made a rather acerbic call to Marre, letting him know what had happened and what she thought he should teach James next.
   Thinking hard about what Osedax had said about Caroline, she felt a surge of anger towards the human woman. No one had asked her to come, she had just assumed she would be welcomed and left it at that. Would Cill herself have dived in to rescue a human in trouble back then? She seriously doubted it, though of course now it would be different. She fondly caressed James’ tousled hair as he snored gently. What had happened to Tomako to make him act so rashly? She harbored dark thoughts about Caroline, but realized she had thought the same about Shalla; and look what had happened there.
She gave a small start as she remembered Shalla, her eyes suddenly brightening as she tentatively sought contact with the younger dragoness. She couldn’t help a sly smile as Shalla responded, her mental voice soothed and peaceful, almost languid.
â€So how do you like humans now?†Cill asked innocently, trying to hide her amusement.
â€Ohhh… now I know why you two run off so often,†Shalla purred back. She lay curled around Tommy, who was still sleeping off his exertions. â€It was so good, and so exciting…!â€
â€James spoke to him and gave him advice on how to pleasure you,†Cill murmured, smirking a bit to herself. â€I’m glad he listened.â€
Shalla gave a pleased shiver in remembrance. â€So am I.â€
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Cill hesitated saying anything further, as Shalla was obviously unaware of Tomako’s predicament. Should she tell her now, or let him do so? She decided not to destroy her friend’s newfound contentment by being the bearer of bad news. Best leave that to the Clanmaster - that was his job after all.
â€I’ll make sure Joe knows why Tommy is off for the day, and that you’re not to be bothered,†Cill chuckled. â€That will give you the rest of the day to enjoy yourselves.â€
Shalla happily agreed and broke off communication, leaving Cill to wonder how she would take Tomako’s news.
Divitchka cursed quietly to himself in the hidden chamber he and several select others used for clandestine meetings. He was running out of time and options. The council would be meeting soon and he would have to explain his actions and suffer the humiliation of admitting to his peers that he had failed to locate the human and his dragon-whore. He knew there had to be a simple way of finding where they were, and taking the appropriate action to remove the infection.
He briefly considered calling on the parents of the whore, but even in his carefully maintained state of rage he realized that he was unable to best a dragon like Nokala without suffering serious injury himself. That would also inform them of who had led the investigations to locate them and would also reveal that there were several more like-minded dragons who desired to see the end of the problem.
The interference of the Clanmaster was another worrying problem; why would the elder wyrm suddenly concern himself about the humans?
Working his way down the hall he paused as a sudden thought occurred to him. His daughter had friends; surely one of them would know where she was. He grinned toothily and flexed his claws. Yes. Fear would work on them.
Ploom stood in the ancient library of the sidhe, studying the scrolls in their slots until he found the one he was looking for. Tugging it from its place, he blew the dust from it and wandered over to a table where he spread it open. He nervously looked around, feeling guilty about keeping the knowledge to himself. The title of the scroll alone would cause alarm in anyone who knew the situation at the keep.
â€Thee Noble Dragonne and Thee Egges,†he read, running a finger down the text until he found what he was looking for.
Some elderly fairy scholar had done a lot of research and he read on with interest. â€Thee egges havve ye coate of dymonde,†he read, his finger tracing over the pictures that showed how the eggs were kept warm by the female’s flame and how the heating worked on the growing embryo.
He had no idea of how the high-pressure gaseous deposition of carbon atoms aligned over the developing bones, increasing their strength massively while reducing their weight. Almost hollow like birds, the pressure changed the carbon to the diamond isomer by forcing the atoms to bind together over the marrow. The combination sacs which produced the powerful flame were offshoots of the digestive process and were under control from an early age, able to reach temperatures normally only found inside volcanoes.
He read avidly until he reached the part about how long it took for a female dragon to show the ‘eggsign’ that announced her gravid state to other dragons. He looked at the picture again and thought back to what he had seen. If his calculations were correct, the egg Cill carried was developing twice as fast as normal.
Biting his nails, he realized that in little more than a month she would start to show. Then the problems would really start.
Nakkour sat back on her haunches and sighed as she finished telling Nokala and Carlina what had happened. Carlina’s expression was angry as she heard what Divitchka had done in the past, and about his most recent actions. Nokala’s own expression was merely thoughtful; he did feel that Divitchka needed a serious beating, however.
â€What do you think he is likely to do now?†he asked her quietly.
Nakkour shook her head. â€I don’t know for sure, but I think he will likely destroy things for a while and then try and find us. He does not like to be crossedâ€
There was a sudden loud bonging sound from the portal, and they all looked with alarm at the red sigil rotating above it - the mark of the Clanmaster. Both Carlina and Nokala stared at one another; to their certain knowledge, the Clanmaster never made house calls â€" usually he demanded that others report to him.
â€Well,†said Carlina, poking her mate. â€Don’t keep him waiting!â€
Nokala nodded and leapt to the portal, acknowledging the request rapidly and watching the portal with trepidation as the mist formed and the crotchety form of the Clanmaster was revealed.
The elder wyrm stamped his way from the portal and grunted in approval at the three dragons â€Good, you are all here,†he said brusquely. â€We need to talk.â€
To be continued…