The trip to the port city was, compared to the first day out, uneventful. There were the usual attacks by bandits (Lina seemed to enjoy beating them a little too much to Kardray, but she wisely kept her mouth shut). Xelloss had rejoined the group and kept near Kardray a great deal. They didn't talk much, but seemed companionable. That made Zelgadiss uneasy, and unfortunately he was the only one bothered by it. As such, he kept a close eye on the two of them, mostly on Xelloss.
At the port, a captain was waiting to take them anywhere they wanted to go (Phil had sent a pigeon ahead with the promise of money). He was weary of Lina seeing as she'd destroyed the fleet the last time she'd been there (Kardray laughed when told that one). He did let them on anyway, and they set sail immediately. It would take a few days to get to the nearest landing that was closest to Filia's new home. The second night out at sea, Kardray was on deck, watching the waves. The wind had been strong at their backs the whole time, meaning they moved quickly. Xelloss came up behind her and stood next to her at the rail.
"What a lovely night, wouldn't you say?" He had the usual smile on his face; his eyes open with a spark of mischief in them.
"What did you do Xelloss?" Kardray had a small smile on her face. He was a tad mean now and then, but she found some of his pranks funny.
"Who me?" He tried to look innocent (tried, mind you, but failed miserably).
"Yes, you." She chuckled at the face he presented.
"Well…I moved the food all around, so it looks as though we may be out. Think how Lina will feel?" They both laughed at the mental image. One of the most important things in Lina's life was her food, heaven forbid it be gone.
Kardray calmed down and looked back out at the waves. A feeling was tugging her concentration out there, and she thought something was coming their way. Xelloss was content to just stand beside her, his body just touching hers. After a few minutes like this, the feeling in Kardray grew much stronger, and she looked toward the moon. Silhouetted for a moment was the shape of a dragon, somewhat small, with what seemed a bow on the end of its tail…
"Lina! Better come out here immediately! We have company!" Kardray called loudly, one of the only times she'd raised her voice around any of them. Lina and the others came running quickly, just as the dragon, a gold female, came and landed on the deck, changing form quickly to that of a young woman with long blond hair and in a pink frilled dress with white cloak. Xelloss was shocked by the surge of instant dislike he picked up from Kardray, even without touching her skin, but kept the smile on his face, if only to annoy the dragon maiden.
"Filia!" Lina came up to her friend, who promptly burst into tears. "Filia, what happened? We ran into Valgaav already." Filia cried harder at this news, and Kardray's feelings shifted to more of pity than dislike.
"It's terrible Miss Lina!" Filia wailed between sobs. "Someone came in the middle of the night and took him from the house! I felt this terrible presence and when I went to check on Val he was gone!" Amelia had come and put her arms around Filia to try and help comfort her.
"Wait." Kardray got their attention instantly; even Filia quieted a bit. "You were taking care of him?" Her confusion was quite evident.
"Yes. He tried to destroy the world before, and then he got a chance at a new beginning. My people, the Golden Dragons, they destroyed his race, the Ancient Dragons. I didn't know, but I still felt responsible. So when I was the last of the Golden Dragons who served the Fire Dragon King, I felt it was right that I should care for him. I never wanted him hurt in the first place, or any of his kind. What my people did was unforgivable." Filia went silent; her crying had subsided while she spoke.
Sirius came up from the shadows. "We're looking for the Dark Star weapons once again. We have reason to think that whomever forced us to scatter them may be responsible for Valgaav as well." Filia looked up at him before drying her eyes fully with her cloak.
"Then I'm coming as well. There has to be a way to save Valgaav. He's been so good lately Miss Lina, you'd never have thought he'd tried to destroy everything!"
"You call him Valgaav. The name has the sound of the Demon Dragon King's. Is there a reason?" Kardray was neutral in her feelings now, so that Xelloss couldn't tell what she felt.
"Ya, Gaav took Valgaav under his wing just after the Ancient Dragons were killed." Zelgadiss spoke up. "Was any of the monster still in him Filia?"
"No, not then at least. He was a full Ancient Dragon again." Filia sighed and straitened herself up. "So, where are we going?" She looked at Lina and tried a smile.
"Well, I don't know. We were going to see that you were alright." She scratched her head before turning to Sirius. "Any ideas? Which way to the first weapon?"
"You mean the second." He indicated the sword at Goury's side. He pulled out the stone he'd used before. The arrow was still within it, and pointed back toward land now. They were back outside where the magic barrier had been, so they still didn't know much about the area. "Some of the weapons may have sought places or things familiar to them. Galvera was in the Ancient Dragon Shrine, so it may actually seek out Valgaav, or the shrine once again, as they are the only Ancient Dragon things on the planet."
"Great! Now you tell us." Lina looked read to pound on him, so he took a small step back from her.
"We should tell the captain to head for land." Kardray spoke quietly as always, before turning back to the water.
"Oh, hello. I don't think we've met yet." Filia came over to where Kardray and Xelloss were. She was pointedly ignoring the monster.
"No, I don't believe we have." Kardray turned back to the dragon girl. "I'm Kardray. I just joined up recently with the group, when they were in Seyrune." Kardray extended a hand to shake, which Filia gladly accepted. Something felt strange to her about Kardray, but she had other things on her mind and ignored it.
"Hello Filia! So nice to see you!" Xelloss smiled broadly, one eye open at her.
"Go away you disgusting monster! I don't know why you're here!" Filia sounded extremely annoyed. She looked shocked when Kardray burst out laughing.
"Is this normal for her?" Kardray had turned to Xelloss.
He sighed in mock suffering. "Most unfortunately." He smiled at Filia again.
"I…what…why…" Zelgadiss came up behind the stuttering ex-priestess and led her inside the cabin before she hurt herself…or someone else with that damn mace of hers.
"This is going t be one interesting trip, huh?" Kardray looked at Xelloss.
He smirked. "You have no idea." Lina, Goury, and Sirius went back inside, so Xelloss put his hand around her waist. They stood like that for most of the night.
The ship found a safe place to put down anchor, and sent them to shore on a rowboat. They were on their own to get home. They walked strait from the water until they found a road, or the semblance of one. They followed the direction of the stone for more than a week before they came to a village. The little village was situated next to a canyon and a mountain, so it was uniquely isolated. The group restocked on supplies, using poor Filia's money, and then continued along the canyon, hoping to find a bridge since they needed to cross it (they would have flown, but it was that wonderful time of the month for both Lina and Amelia, so flying wasn't considered an option). It was heading toward sundown and they were looking for a good spot to make camp that night.
"Flare Arrow!" They looked up to see Valgaav briefly silhouetted by his spell before it launched at Lina. She dodged the blast and saw that there were a number of trolls coming toward them.
"Uh oh guys! We got a fight on our hands!" Lina pulled out her small sword, not sure how much she could do without her magic. Poor Amelia was completely defenseless, since she didn't use any sort of a weapon. Zelgadiss moved in front of her to try and keep her safe, while Goury did likewise for Lina. Sirius readied a spell against the trolls or Valgaav. Kardray pulled out her blade, which they hadn't yet seen. It was a length of black steel with silver runes fashioned along the flat of the blade. The runes flashed briefly before returning to normal; it was an enchanted sword.
"We need to do this carefully to keep Lina and Amelia safe." Kardray sounded deadly calm, which they hoped she really was. Xelloss stood near her, his staff held ready to fight.
"Valgaav, it's me, Filia!" She was turned toward Valgaav up in the air but he just looked at her without any recognition and powered another spell. The trolls attacked then and Filia cast a spell to protect them from Valgaav's spell. Unfortunately, the spell wasn't aimed at them but near them, at the cliff. It blasted the cliff under them and they had to move quickly to keep from falling. Amelia, being closest to the edge, wasn't fast enough. Zelgadiss was blasted backwards and Filia had to keep the shield up as Valgaav turned to firing spells at it.
"No! Amelia!" They all yelled, except Xelloss and Kardray. Kardray moved by them to the cliff in a flash, faster than they could easily follow. She jumped over the edge of the cliff in a swan dive and they lost sight of her.
Amelia was falling fast, rocks falling all around her. She tried casting anything, but it all failed. Then she saw Kardray coming toward her, but it looked as if she had wings! Kardray caught her and they reversed direction, Kardray dodging the rocks around them. Kardray's gray shirt was gone, and she wore something strange, but strange because it had been fashioned to accommodate dark wings on her back. Amelia looked at them in absolute wonder and disbelief. They looked surprisingly like the wings she'd once seen on Valgaav. Amelia held tight to Kardray's waist as they crested the edge of the cliff. Many of the trolls lay dead, but everyone stopped to see the sight of the woman with wings.
"K-Kardray?" Lina's voice came out as a squeak.
Kardray ignored her and fixed her dark eyes on Valgaav as her wings beat the air lightly, keeping her and Amelia up without any visible effort. "You are so determined to kill us Valgaav? Are you?" There was unmistakable anger in her voice.
"What of it? You stand in my way." He was looking at her uneasily, especially the wings. "What are you?"
She smiled slightly, a cold, humorless smile. "Something that has more in common with you than you think." She looked down at the girl holding on to her. "Keep a good grip Amelia, I need to cast a spell." Amelia nodded and gripped a bit tighter, not wanting to hurt her savior. "Soul's darkness, heart's light, filtered through a strong mind, bound by a stronger will." A strange ball of black and white energy was forming in her hands. She was facing the advancing trolls, who were moving nervously away from the group. "Black Elmekia Lance!" The ball of energy shot out and blasted through the trolls. The explosion was a black light that quickly dissipated.
"Wow." Lina turned back toward where Kardray hovered in the air. "Do it to Valgaav now!" Valgaav looked worried and retreated from Kardray at this statement. After a curse, he disappeared.
Kardray settled back to earth and Amelia stepped back from her. Kardray stood still for a moment and her wings flapped once, before glowing and retracting. She picked her shirt up from where she had dropped it and put it on, buttoning it up as if nothing had happened.
"Are you an Ancient Dragon?" Filia's voice was barely above a whisper.
Kardray sighed. "Not exactly. It's hard for me to explain." She looked at everyone, then at Sirius only. "Do you really think Galvera could have been attracted by Ancient Dragons?" He nodded. "We should make camp, then in the morning I'll show the way to my home."
"What is going on here?" Lina was somewhat out of her depth and that annoyed her.
"Please Lina." Kardray sounded tired and sad. "I will explain later, just not now." Lina relented and camp was set up, away from the cliff. Goury took first watch, though Kardray stayed up just out of the light from the fire, sitting on a rock.
"You do like surprising people, don't you?" Xelloss came up and sat down beside her. He would have sworn he'd nearly had a heart attack when she jumped off the cliff (though he'd only swear it to himself).
"I should hate you, you know that?" She turned to look at him. Her eyes were a much lighter blue than before, but seemed almost deeper for all that.
"Perhaps. But I take it you don't, huh?" Xelloss was being serious, his smile gone at the moment.
"No." Kardray laughed, but it had little mirth. The laugh ended abruptly and she looked up at the stars. "It's been a long while since I used my wings. I had forgotten the feeling of freedom." Xelloss stood up and offered his hand to her. She took it a little reluctantly and was pulled to her feet. Xelloss hands went to her blouse and began undoing the buttons. "Xelloss!"
He leaned in quickly and silenced her protest. "Come and fly with me. Enjoy a bit of freedom." His voice was low and held a pleading note. She nodded and let him undo all the buttons before slipping the shirt off her shoulders. The shirt underneath was form fitting, without sleeves. Her wings seemed to grow out of her back and had an impressive span. The feathers were the dark color of the Ancient Dragons, but held a slight iridescent shine. She leapt into the air, Xelloss following quickly behind.
"How fast can you go Xelloss?" Kardray loved flying, it had always been her favorite thing.
"Pretty fast, how about you?" His voice was teasing. Kardray sped away from him.
"Try to keep up and see!" She called after him, gaining speed and distance. He immediately followed, thinking this a wonderful new game. He knew he was probably faster than she was, but he let her have the lead, following just a little behind.
Kardray did spins and hairline turns, reorienting herself to flight. There was a lake a ways away from them, and she flew toward that. Xelloss had to increase his speed a great deal when she went into a dive toward the water. She immediately cruised above the lake, letting her hands trail in the water before turning around to look at Xelloss not far above her. Her wing tip just brushed the water making small waves. Xelloss couldn't resist and flew down so that he was just above her, almost touching. All this time they were still getting faster, nearing the end of the lake. Kardray moved up suddenly and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Xelloss held tight to her and angled their direction upward so as not to hit the rocks at the end of the lake. They got slower as they flew up to the clouds until they merely floated among the bits of white. Kardray finally pulled away from the kiss, a little breathless (to say the least). She kept her arms around Xelloss though.
"When was the last time you did that?" Xelloss looked pleased with himself.
"That? Never!" Kardray laughed. "That was the most fun I've ever had in my life. Thank you Xelloss." She rested her forehead against his, her wings beating lazily.
Xelloss was quickly drowning in his feelings. "We should head back to the camp." His voice came out husky and low.
"Why?" Kardray looked in his eyes, hers dark once again.
"Well, if you want to stay as wonderfully innocent as you are…" Xelloss couldn't continue as Kardray had moved and was kissing along his neck. Xelloss let go of his control and they vanished, only to reappear in a well-furnished room. There was a large bed, covered in purples and reds, all in silk. A large canopy, done in black covered the bed. Kardray stepped away from him to look around, smiling at the color scheme.
"This is your room somewhere?" Her voice held a touch of amusement. Xelloss came up to her, his eyes gleaming in the dark room.
"Yes. You have one chance to stop me from having you, and only right now. I want you far too much to stop after this." Kardray retracted her wings and undid her shirt, letting it fall to the floor. Xelloss moved closer and pulled her to him, kissing a line down her neck to her chest. Kardray gasped, unused to such physical contact. With barely a thought Xelloss was unclothed and picked her up to take her to the bed. With her on the bed, he promptly went to work getting her pants off her, marveling at how fragile she looked laying there.
Xelloss lay over her, kissing her passionately. He didn't want to hurt her, which she may have been the first to get such a thought from him. He pushed forward quickly, figuring faster was better than longer when it came to the pain a virgin went through. Kardray cried out and he lay still while she adjusted, her body trembling a little. Xelloss kissed her mouth, then a line down her throat and along her collarbone before moving gently. For once in his long life he wanted to be careful with someone. Kardray quickly matched his pace, and his strength, so that he was fast losing his sense of being careful. Not all of the women Xelloss had taken as lovers had always survived the night with him. As Xelloss pushed harder, he decided (well, it was more raw instinct) on a somewhat rash decision. As the pleasure was peaking, Xelloss bit down hard on Kardray's left shoulder, drawing a little blood but claiming her as his mate. The bond wouldn't be complete unless she did the same, but he didn't care. Not many monsters would attack her with his mark on her. She lay quiet in his arms, her face flushed. She ran her hand along his face, watching him smile at her.
Kardray leaned up to his ear. "Don't think I'm done yet." Xelloss was caught off guard when she rolled him over to straddle his lap. The look in her eyes was positively feral, which suited Xelloss plenty fine. Kardray moved slowly, for the first second or two before gaining confidence in the rhythm. She pulled Xelloss up into a sitting position to move her legs around his back for better purchase. Xelloss was lost in her, his hands moving over every curve while he kissed along her chest and neck. He cried out suddenly as she sank her teeth into his left shoulder, sending him over the edge again with her. She had finished the bond, making them full mates. Only death or extreme hatred could dissolve the bond.
Kardray sat purring in his lap, licking the bite wound gently, which sent little shivers down Xelloss' spine. Xelloss ran his hands down her back, enjoying the feel of muscle along her back. "Please say you have a strong stamina." His voice was a growl, low and very inviting to her.
"Honey, I might be able to outlast you." Xelloss laughed and rolled her back over, he was a very dominant male.