Rodney watched, dumbfounded. In the space of an hour, he'd accumulated four companions, all girls: two magicians, a druid, and some thing they'd called a trap-master or someotherthingy. Whatever that meant, it sounded useful. Anyway. Two elves, both children it seemed. Two humans. And he rather liked the one in pink, she was quite nice. Hm. Rodney wandered on, lost in his thoughts, slightly dull though they were, and checked behind once in a while.
He was interrupted in his consideration of the situation by Lori's voice. "Shall we stop and camp?" she inquired. Rodney looked around with surprise; night was falling! Wow, that day had gone by quickly. Maybe he didn't pay as much attention as he thought he did. Oh well.
Lori talked for most of the afternoon with Joan, both speaking in Elven, since they preferred that language, being elves. Besides, that way no one else could listen in, even accidentally. The two speculated about the magic thing together.
"What could this magic problem be? Random uncontrolled magic? Who's ever heard of such a thing?"
"Could it be a spell?" Joan suggested after a bit.
"No, too unlikely. Why would anyone cast a spell on you or me?"
"Good point. Uhm.."
"A hereditary something-or-other? No, wait, my mom didn't have this problem at all.. my dad!" Lori looked up, excited. Could this be a part of her dragon-ness? "My dad was a dragon, could that be it?"
"No," Joan said, "That wouldn't explain why I have it too."
"Maybe you have dragon blood?" Lori offered.
"But I don't have wings!" Joan protested. "Or... silver-ness, or sharp nails, or sharp- say, I do have sharp teeth.. erm.."
Lori looked at Joan. "Well, maybe you have a little bit of dragon blood. In any case, that might be it. I'd ask my dad, only..." she stalled out.
"Only what?" inquired Joan curiously.
"He left. I don't know why. He left a note and everything, but I haven't the faintest idea why he left.."
Joan patted Lori on the arm. "He'll come back. He's a dragon, what could hurt him?"
Lori smiled. "Good point. Er, look, nighttime.." They had indeed talked all afternoon. Lori raised her voice and spoke in Common. "Shall we stop and camp?" she inquired. Everyone agreed, and Rodney offered to go hunting.
Xena spent the day in her thoughts, reviewing spells she had memorized and thinking about the group she was now in.
However, Lindsay grinned silently. The elven girls were speaking elven. She, unlike Xena, had found it in her time to learn Elven, and she listened. Lori spoke first. "... Random uncontrolled magic? Who's ever heard of such a thing?" Random uncontrolled magic? Sounded familiar, she'd read something about that in a book once, hadn't she..? Lindsay wondered, thinking.
"Could it be a spell?" Joan, this time.
"No, too unlikely. Why would anyone cast a spell on you or me?"
"Good point. Uhm.."
"A hereditary something-or-other? No, wait, my mom didn't have this problem at all.. my dad! My dad was a dragon, could that be it?" Her dad was a dragon? Oh, right, the wings. She'd noticed before, but forgotten. Say! Lindsay had an idea. She and Xena could do the same thing Lori and Joan did- speak a language only they knew. Say, Halflingish? She'd say Draconic, the language of arcane magic, but Lori would most likely speak that.
"No, that wouldn't explain why I have it too," continued Joan.
"Maybe you have dragon blood?"
"But I don't have wings! Or... silver-ness, or sharp nails, or sharp- say, I do have sharp teeth.. erm.."
"Well, maybe you have a little bit of dragon blood. In any case, that might be it. I'd ask my dad, only..."
"Only what?" Exactly what Lindsay was wondering.
"He left. I don't know why. He left a note and everything, but I haven't the faintest idea why he left.."
"He'll come back. He's a dragon, what could hurt him?" Lindsay grinned. Indeed. It could pay to have a half-dragon in the group.
"Good point. Er, look, nighttime.." Lindsay looked up in surprise and found that it was true. Oh. She opened her mouth to suggest they camp, but was beaten to it by Lori, speaking in Common again. "Shall we stop and camp?" Along with everyone else, Lindsay agreed. As they were sitting around a fire, eating roasted squirbit (it turned out Rodney was good at hunting), the order was thus: Lindsay and Xena sat next to each other, with Lori on Lindsay's other side and Rodney on Xena's other side. Joan sat between Rodney and Lori. Lindsay leaned over and tapped Lori on the shoulder. She'd remembered what it was she'd read about that uncontrolled magic thing. "I think your problem might be sorcery, Lori. Practice controlling it, Xena and I can teach you spells if you have the talent."
Lori stared at Lindsay. "What?"
"I said, you two are going to be sorcerers."
