Chapter 29
He whispered in her ear and she held onto that thick neck and whispered back in his ear. "You always have my heart son. Never doubt that words may separate us but blood will bind us to the gates of each of our heavens."
For a moment she felt his arms tighten around her and he tensed. The mention of the pantheon and heaven had reminded him of the wild ranting's of the mad goddess that had attacked him the past evening. He was then reminded of his talk with Grand Master Kane.
Tiny hands and arms reached around his legs and he looked down to see that Gillian was hugging his leg and holding onto the collar that Hemic wore around his neck. Gillian's great huge black eyes peered up at him and with the love he now held in his arms and at his legs he was a man comforted and whole once again.
A large dark shadow overhead covered the land as it swept over the docks and all eyes were turned to the sky. "DROC!" Gillian screamed seeing the great golden dragon that flew over head and circled to dive and plunge into the bay.
Marstoq slowly lowered M'lar to the ground and frowned. "That is not good." He muttered softly and noted the concern look come over Gillian's face. Then the great head of the golden dragon remerged with a large shark in his mouth and he gulped and swallowed.
Slowly the dragon drug himself towards the dock stopped and frowned and looked down and once again that massive head dunked under the water to come up with a huge squid in his mouth. Snapping it with his teeth he pitched it in the air, blew a long torch of fire at the squid and then opened his mouth and caught it then swallowed it and a look of consternation came over his great yellow eyes.
"Duck!" Marstoq called throwing M'lar and Gillian down and the long drawn out 'buuuuuuuurrrrrp' erupted with a puff of smoke that blew over the docks with the smell of sulfur, which made some dock hands pass out or throw up.
The large golden dragon got closer he blew hard and dissipated the smoke from the docks and raised his wings and one leg, he began to shimmer and shift. So that by the time the dragon had made it to the docks he was now standing in a dapper suit of gold and silver armor. He shifted his hair over his shoulder and then pulled out his friend Paul, the elephant mouse that had bonded with the large dragon.
Droconis dropped to his knees and this time his burp was more acceptable to those around him. "Damn should not eat before flying or changing. Just wanted a little snack before I go off to the Ice Dale Islands."
He held his arms wide and waited for Gillian to run full force into his arms and hugged his massive neck and then scratched Paul's chin and let him nibble her tiny finger with his little tongue licking over it. "Paul says you need to wash your hands and I need to brush my teeth." His big barrel chest rolled with the thunder of his base laughter.
M'lar watched her daughter hug the gentle dragon in human form with her tiny arms and nuzzled his cheek. "I missed you Uncle Droc!"
He sat her down and turned those golden eyes upon the woman that could have won his heart, and his home if she had just allowed herself to feel what he had felt. He held his arms wide and she ran to his arms and hugged him tightly.
Paul ran down his arms and jumped on her shoulder and skittered up her hair to sit behind her ear and wrap his tail around it to dangle and chitter in her ear excitedly.
Droc's nose wrinkled and then he looked at her. "What is wrong with you girl, you are looking pale." He gently set her down and reached over to pluck Paul from her ear and set him back in his beard.
"I have been working a lot lately, but that is about to change." He sniffed her again and frowned.
"What have you done to loose so much blood in a few days?" He held her back and glared over at Marstoq, "You promised me you would take care of her and watch over her."
M'lar frowned, "Droc? I don't know what you are talking about? Loosing blood? I was in a terrible accident last night when the ferry broke apart in the storm but I don't remember being injured"
Droc pulled her close and sighed. "I guess I am getting old. I thought I smelled something different and thought it might be in the blood." He walked with her towards Marstoq and reached over to lift the huge warrior up and hug him tightly turning him around to sit him down. "Marstoq boy! Good to see you looking so healthy."
Gillian moved back to Hemic and waited for the grown ups to finish their talk. She looked around and sighed, as most children her age she was easily distracted and watched the various people moved awkwardly around the odd threesome gathered on the docks.
"Ice Dales Droc? Why the Ice Dale Islands?" Marstoq turned to look for Gillian and saw that familiar bored look. "Come on we need to head to the park so the child can play and we can catch up before you move on."
The three moved towards Mars horse and his sister and all feel into a steady easy walk towards the park and the hilltop. The talk had been about the storm and why there was a large squid, which Droc said gives his heartburn when he eats them too fast and over done.
M'lar had offered up a concoction he could put together to help him with his heartburn and as they reached the top of the hill, they paused to watch Gillian looked at her mother and tugged her hand. "Com' on mommy, lets roll!"
M'lar laughed looked at her son and her friend, let her daughter lead her to the steep hill and laid down with her. "Beat you to the bottom!" Gillian had pushed off and began to roll down the hill to the bottom of the basin that was the common area of Foothills Park.
With mischief dancing in her eyes she laughed watching her daughter turned from her lying position and called, "See you down below!" She too began to roll and all she could see was sky, ground, sky, ground, sky, ground, sky ground, and finally rolling over at the bottom it was sky.
She could hear the roar of laughter turning to see Droc lie down and she watched astonished Droc rolling down in his golden armor creating quiet the sight to see as he rumbled and rolled and bounced to a grinding halt to the bottom and next to M'lar to lay on his back next to her.
The moment was charged with the shared moment of finding their childhood again and she laughed and felt his giant hand grasp her and could hear the annoyed squeak of Paul running down the hill with his tail flying behind to jump up on the massive chest of the man and run up his beard to shake a tiny fisted paw in his face.
Paul's roaring squeak just set Droc off on another round of heartfelt laughter. M'lar had laughed until she felt tears in her eyes and watched the sky above. The storm had washed the earth clean and settled the dust and cooled the island a bit but the sky was the most dramatic change.
Its brilliant blue hues peppered with the billowy white clouds that formed shapes and she laughed. "Look Droc, the gods smile down at you they made a cloud that looks like you." She pointed to the large cloud that looked like a huge dragon in flight.
Droc rolled his head to the side and studied her profile and found her to be one of the most breathtakingly beautiful creatures that had graced Toril. Not to mention she had a great shape too.
"Well they should make one that looks like you." He held his love he had felt for her deep in side and sighed, he knew it would never work and she would never join him in Dragon World, and they would not understand him forsaking one of their own to crown her his queen. So they allowed their love to bind them with their friendship.
"ice Dales? Why the cold country?" She rolled to look deep into his eyes and was always amazed at how they were shaped elliptically with the change and charge of his emotions.
"Word has it that there are dragon hunters hiding there and we are going to go and face them and stop them from killing any more dragons. It will be a grand battle I am sure want to come?"
M'lar was tempted and she did want to adventure but she had to finish up her business here. She knew he would be successful and that he would win the battle and she would not be in danger but she could not leave this island not at this time.
"I would love to but my duties to Oghma hold me here for now my dearest friend." She rolled over on top of him and bent and kissed him deeply. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close and cherished that kiss. Then as she broke the kiss he released his hold on her.
'I fear we will be facing our own challenges shortly my friend. It appears the scro navy seeks my return and there is a nasty Priest of Lovitar that seeks my head. So it seems that I might not be a good choice at this time."
Droc frowned, "Well if you ever need my help you know how to contact me." He reached to beneath the jacket she wore and pulled out the amulet that held the emblem of Bahamut on it. "Hold it to your lips and whisper my name. I will come."
She laughed and nodded, "You will be the first I call my dearest and loving friend." She pushed off his chest and reached her hand down to help him stand. Instead, he clasped her hand and jerked her down to his lap and in one fluid movement for a man so huge stood holding her close to his chest.
Once again that bond that had formed not that long ago but seemed a lifetime their eyes locked and she smiled. "Perhaps some day in another time and another world you and I will find each other and race, species and convention will not stop what should have been."
Her words were soft and warm against his cheek as she kissed it and he let her down on the ground slowly. "Aye lass we can hope that there is such a thing as Kismet and it waits for us."
He turned as he watched Marstoq approach and reached out for a warrior's handshake. "My friend if you could but fly as I do, I would take you with us. We go to eradicate the killer of my kind and could use the arm of such a strong warrior with us."
The shadows of several silver and bronze dragons appeared overhead as they flew over the park and let out a bellow that resounded and reacted off the basin walls of the park. The sound was enough to send several park dwellers to scatter in fear.
"Ahh, my army arrives." He stepped back and M'lar backed up and watched the huge man in golden armor began to shimmer and reform to that of a huge golden dragon that glistened in his magnificence in the morning light.
Gillian ran forward to his large foot and crawled up his leg. Droc lifted his leg and brought her close and she kissed his nose and he carefully set her down. "Gillian! Come now Uncle Droc has to leave."
M'lar had called to her daughter who turned and ran back to stand with her brother and her mother they watched him walk forward then flap his wings and joined the others over head him taking the front of the flying formation of silver golden and bronze dragons that were soon lost from sight.
With a sad soft sigh she turned to Gillian. "Well Marstoq wants us back at the Hoch sweetie you ready to go home?" She looked at her son and smiled.
Gillian nodded excitedly and sighed. "I liked being at Doctor Morgan's but I am ready to come home."
M'lar felt his arm tighten around her shoulder at the mention of Dr. Manshak but held her tongue he said nothing about where she had been staying for the past week. For once she was happy that she did not need to worry about another argument. That would wait all she wanted was to go home and find her old routine back.
They walked towards the Hoch she began to have a odd premonition that change was coming. Something that she was not prepared to accept or want.
She knew that it was not going to be happy or helpful change and that the world she had known was going to end. A part of her felt that it would become more tumultuous than any time she had previously known.
Both stopped to look up and she wondered if her feelings were because of what had just passed over head shadowing their bodies in a darkness that had floated over head slowly descending heading for the docks.
The moment it had passed overhead and its shadow had fallen on her; she felt encased the very darkness she had struggled to escape. In that moment she saw her future was not tied to the island but in that black spell-jamming ship that had just passed overhead. A feel of foreboding entered her and gave her pause for a shiver.
"Mother?" Marstoq looked down at her and held her close feeling the shiver.
"Its nothing dear. The Hoch?" She pushed aside the sickening feeling in her stomach and the unreasonable unease that seemed to encapsulate her with the presence of that ship that had passed over.
Pushing those thoughts aside she moved on with her son wising for a moment of happiness and the feeling of family. They looked a happy family moving down the pathway of the park, the handsome half elf, half scro trailing a large warhorse behind him, a wolfhound bounding playfully around a young girl with dark eyes and dark long hair wearing a ranger's uniform, and a tiny woman that was remarkable to all but her self.
The End
The nest chapter: Temptations and Conquests
