Skullreaver

“There weren’t always dragons in the Valley.” Lorelei’s lilting voice had a way of calming my nerves, regardless of what she was saying. That worried me.

“What is your point?” I snapped. Reliance on others was disagreeable – reliance on an outsider was maddening. Pain and discomfort remained my constant partners for the time being, however, rendering me vulnerable.

She stared down at me in disapproval, her palms upturned and glowing with soft, golden light. The hour had grown late and the cold vastness of my royal bedchamber was otherwise swallowed by darkness.

A growl rumbled in my throat. Though in my unbroken state I could snap her frail body like a twig, the eladrin priestess possessed a formidable will I couldn’t deny. “My Lady,” I added in a gentler tone, nodding in her direction.

Lorelei sat on the edge of my bed, her brazen familiarity and proximity once again testing my devotion. “My point, Lord Skullreaver, is that your kind is not native.” Her voice remained rhythmically disarming, though her words seemed to deliver another sort of test. She wrapped her soft hands around the coarse, ebony scales of my right shin.

“If you wish to exert influence over Ifelian, you would do well to recognize not only the interests of the Eladrin, but the history of our time here.” Her speech grew muted to my ears as regenerative warmth seeped through my protective skin and into the shattered bones beneath. The sensation was intoxicating. “… great sacrifice and hardship have forged a resolve that should not be dismissed – it cannot be.”

My jaw slackened and an unbidden groan escaped me. Lorelei’s face turned and a knowing smile curled her lips. I snapped my mouth shut and shook off the creeping euphoria of her healing magic, despite the blissful sensation of receding agony. With the aura of her spell extinguished, only a single lit candle remained to stave off night’s blackness. The slits of my golden pupils widened as the room’s illumination dropped below an invisible threshold. My draconic heritage asserted itself; dark-vision re-rendered the room into crisp delineations of gray. I could see my prey clearly—no, I reminded myself. That’s not what she is.

“What makes you think I don’t respect your heritage?” My voice seemed suddenly too loud for the dark. A surge of excitement quickened my blood – acknowledgement of the secret I flaunted before my guest. I knew that when she looked at me, she saw only the Nightwing. Would she speak differently if I revealed the other half of my blood to be eladrin?

“It’s not that I imagine you harbor disrespect, Lord Skullreaver.” Lorelei kept her gaze from mine, instead following her hands as they inspected the bandages around my torso. “Only, perhaps that you lack appreciation for the trials of those who came before you.”

I grunted, considering where I was now. “I know something of trials myself, Lady Lorelei. This body was broken while protecting Ifelian from the Spawn of Raug—”

“For which I am grateful.” One of Lorelei’s palms drifted from wrapped linen to the bare scales of my chest. Even devoid of Eriane’s grace, her touch was tortuously arousing. “Thaelios has made sure our Keeper is aware of your sacrifice,” she continued. Her genuine smile sent further warmth coursing through me. “And you are mending well. You won’t need my Goddess’s intervention much longer.”

“I’ll be glad for that.”

Lorelei stood and reached for the candle on the bedside table. I remained loyal to Nox, but I could not control my body’s response to viewing such a stunning woman, not when she insisted on remaining half-naked all the time … something about devotion to her role in fertility rites. My former lover’s transformation complicated the issue.

I shook such thoughts from my mind as the eladrin priestess bid farewell and took her leave, stealing all remaining light from the room. I could never know true darkness. My Nightwing heritage prevented it. I rested my horned head back on its pillow – still bound to my bed – and pondered what it might feel like to open one’s eyes and see absolutely nothing.

I awoke before sunrise and lay still for another hour at least, counting the folds in my bed’s canopy and pretending the throbbing of my bones wasn’t torture. Finally, a knock at the door signaled my caretaker’s return. Spring had taken hold on the mountain slopes outside my window, and I would have relinquished half of my new kingdom for the ability to go on a grand hunt.

“Fair morning to you, Lord Skullreaver,” Lorelei called as she entered, her unreasonably cheerful tone cutting through my melancholy. “I thought that, after another blessing, you might try standing today.”

Her declaration took me by surprise. Such progress would be more than welcome, but I tempered the hopefulness in my response. “If you think it best.”

Lorelei stopped at my bedside and placed her hands on her hips while considering me. The filtered morning sunlight danced off her unusually bright golden locks. The reflective motes of her eladrin skin made her look like a living treasure. Gods, but she’s stunning.

“You’re staring again, Lord Skullreaver.” Even her admonishments carried a playful tone, and she made no move to cover the exposed flesh of her torso, which her shirt of fine, interwoven silver strands did little to conceal.

I didn’t apologize for what I am. Other than brief glances through the distant window, I hadn’t seen Nox in weeks. Certainly hadn’t spoken with her. Still, out of respect, I averted my gaze. “How is Lady Nefzen doing?” Could I still call her that?

Lorelei sighed and took a seat on the mattress as I made the excruciating effort to prop myself up against the headboard. "I can imagine how hard it must be for you,” she said, her honeyed tone further eroding my fortitude. “Even though she still lives, your lover was taken from you. I lost my own brother recently …” Her eyes fell to her lap momentarily, before she lifted her chin. “I’m not going to tell you how to grieve, only that it’s important to do so.”

I clenched my jaw. “Nox remains my partner. Her becoming a dragon doesn’t change who she is—”

“Doesn’t it?” Lorelei shifted closer. “She must not need you the same way she used to. She now possesses the strength she once sought in you. Physical intimacy is important in such a relation—”

“You’ve been at Nightwing Castle for a month and think you know me?” I didn’t raise my voice much, but the challenge in it rang clearly.

Lorelei closed her mouth and slid off the bed to her feet. “My apologies, Lord Skullreaver. Your business is your own. Why don’t I channel Eriane’s blessing and then, we can try standing?”

I nodded. “Yes.” Lorelei had been kind to me, but I recognized her attempts to worm into my head. She kept pace with Shapers who remained political adversaries despite our cooperation overcoming the threats orchestrated by Izefet and The Name of the Beast.

She closed her eyes and chanted in the ancient tongue of our common ancestors, a language I wasn’t brought up with and never took the time to study properly. My eladrin vocabulary consisted only of a few short phrases. Lorelei’s devotion to her goddess was evident in the features of her concentrating face, and I was thankful for it. Without them, I had no doubt I’d never walk again.

When her words drifted off, Lorelei opened her eyes and held her glowing palm over my chest, silently awaiting permission before touching me.

I nodded, almost imperceptibly, and she pressed her hand onto the skin above my fractured ribs. The euphoric relief spread like warm syrup down a stack of flatcakes, and my eyes fluttered upward, beyond my control. The sensation was unrivalled except by the feeling I used to get releasing into my lover – a woman who was now something else.

Lorelei lifted her hand, her channeling spent, and I closed my lids, fighting back the formation of sudden tears. I was not going to weep, certainly not in front of my guest.

“How do you feel?” she asked while I composed myself. “Strong?”

I lied to myself and nodded.

“Good.” She threw back the covers that concealed me from the waist down and my eyes shot open at the exposure. I wore only a loincloth and, as usual, the healing magic had left me unintentionally aroused. Lorelei noticed, then pretended not to, and my throat rumbled in embarrassment.

“We’re going to try standing up, though I can see part of you has a head start,” she said, breaking into a smile. A pathetic, squeaking sound was the only protest I could muster in the face of such indignation.

She shook her head, sympathy in her face as she met my gaze. “It’s perfectly normal.” Her playfulness drained away as she took a half-step back and extended her arms. “Here, take my hands if you can, and I’ll help.”

Awareness of the hurt to come sobered me quickly and I regained my poise. I set my face into a countenance of grim resolve and reached out, rotating my body to face hers. The blackness of my hands completely engulfed the gold-tinged flesh of my nurse’s. While that movement alone sent predictable flashes of pain through my upper body, something had changed.

I exhaled deeply and Lorelei nodded. As she leaned back, pulling for all she was worth, I engaged my legs to lift off my mattress for the first time since returning to Nightwing Castle … not counting the agonizingly awkward twisting to use the chamber pot.

As my muscles tightened and my body screamed out to my brain with fresh pain, I expected to crumble back into a heap. Previous attempts prepared me for that. But it didn’t happen. I stood to my full height. Blood rushed to my head and made me dizzy. Lorelei maintained her grip to keep me steady. The sensation passed in a few moments and clarity returned.

“Your prayers seem to have worked,” I said blandly, tamping down on the joyful hope threatening to overwhelm me.

Lorelei broke into that annoying infectious smile. “Eriane is the great giver of life. I’m happy for you. Shall we try taking a few steps?”

I nodded.

She shifted to take a position beside me, allowing me to prop a hand against her far shoulder. Bending my knees again seemed like too much, so I attempted a stilted half-step while keeping my legs straight. I grimaced at the pain but remained upright.

Lorelei attempted to distract me. “I heard stories from my brother’s apprentices about what happened on the mountainside. Why don’t you tell me what you remember?”

I exhaled and took another step. Perhaps talking would give me something else to think about. “We faced many enemies that day, but none so imposing as the legendary Spawn of Raug.”

“What did it look like?” she asked in a stilted voice, clearly struggling under the weight I placed upon her.

“The Spawn was a horrible monster. Several times the size of my throne room. Fiercer than an angry bull with the horns to match. It had six legs and a great lashing tale.”

“Sounds frightening.”

We had nearly reached the edge of my bedchamber. Every step hurt, but I was getting the hang of it. We turned and started shuffling around the perimeter. “Given its massive bulk, I knew my greatest advantage lay in quickness. While Nox hovered and attacked from one side, I darted in-and-out of its reach, harrying it with strikes from Viper’s Kiss.”

“Your weapon has a name?”

I nodded and paused mid-step, emotion briefly getting the better of me. “An enchanted gift from my beloved.” I cleared my throat before continuing my narrative. “We were doing fine while the beast divided it attention between us. But suddenly, it turned and charged right for me. I had nowhere to go.” Lorelei and I had made it halfway around the room.

“What happened next?”

I shrugged. “I honestly don’t remember. It hit me, obviously, and that was that.” I took another step, but the continued strain was getting to me. Without giving an explanation, I turned toward my bed.

Lorelei seemed to understand. She gave an abbreviated laugh. “I don’t know if you can imagine the mixture of fright, confusion, and awe I felt when Thaelios returned to Blackwing Perch on the back of a Nightwing dragon. First, everyone in the tower thought we were under attack. Then I spotted Thaelios and just barely intervened before one of the other apprentice’s launched a spell in Nox’s direction.” Lorelei glanced at me then trained her eyes directly on our destination. “It was very brave of both of them.”

I suppose it was my turn to smile. “Bravery’s a trait Nox has never lacked.” My mind drifted further back to the hunting of my devious half-sister and Nox’s subsequent transformation. “Right along with impulsiveness …”

That was it. Exhaustion dropped like a hammer to my chest. I struggled the rest of the way to the bed and endured the discomfort of returning to a reclined position. “I need to rest, now.”

My words were true, though the irony that I’d done little but rest for weeks on end didn’t escape me. Mostly, I needed solitude to face whatever emotions seemed to be bubbling to the surface. Having a witness like Lorelei wouldn’t do.

“I understand,” she said, though I wondered to what extent she truly did. Perhaps, better than I. “You made significant progress this morning. I look forward to its continuation.”

I grumbled my assent, then barely moved, waiting for the Eladrin to show herself out. When the door closed behind her, I let out the breath I’d been holding and slumped deeper into the mattress.

Lorelei was right, of course. My heart ached for Nox. I’d been too long without her. I’d gone on extended trips before, journeys that left us parted for weeks at a time. But those always carried the expectation of returning to the way things were. I wanted to see Nox now, to bask in her presence, but she was no longer human. Our time together would never be the same.

Another couple weeks of treatment and rehabilitation went by, and finally, I could walk and perform other simple movements unassisted. According to Lorelei, my bones and organs had mended, though my muscles were still weak from atrophy. Being as active as I could would be the best remedy for that, she said, and there was little else she could do.

I thanked her and gave her a lordly gift – a necklace of wrought gold adorned with a small piece of Living Fire extracted from my mines. Nox professed that the Seeds of the Avatars held potent magical power, treasures to be guarded above all others, but as I saw it, Lorelei had given me my life back. I planned on not mentioning the present to my consort, just the same. Then, I sent Lorelei away, back to the woods of Ifelian. I’d grown eager to visit Nox in person and didn’t want an interloper around for it, indebted though I was.

I waited for the soft light of evening to bathe the western courtyard before making my way there. My chamberlain informed me that Nox often rested there during the golden hour, and I wanted to surprise her.

Dressed in a mail skirt and the crimson cloak I often wore to court, I stepped onto the balcony overlooking the courtyard. Indeed, Nox’s huge, scaled body lay splayed out upon the flagstones. She dozed in the orange light of the waning sun, chest rising and falling with the deep breaths of her expansive lungs. Quiet as I tried to be, my approach didn’t elude her draconic senses.

Nox opened her golden eyes and raised her head from the ground, her sinuous neck stretching to its full length as she peered up at me, navigating the stairs. “Lord Skullreaver,” she teased, though I sensed her formality was not purely jest. Our time apart had no doubt created an uncertainty as palpable as our physical distance.

“Lady Nefzen,” I countered, my descent achingly slow. She stood and stepped forward to greet me as I continued down the stone steps that spiraled around the edge of one of the courtyard towers. By the time I reached the bottom, Nox’s sleek, majestic form awaited me.

We stood motionless for a moment, taking in the sight of one another. I was still getting used to reading her emotions in her new body, but my legs felt on the verge of giving out beneath me. How long had it been since we’d touched?

Nox extended her neck, lowering her face within my reach. I placed my hand upon the glossy black scales between her nostrils, which flared and sniffed in response. I tried to speak, but my throat had become tight and dry. Clearing it, I tried again. “I’ve missed you, my love.”

Her head retreated a respectful distance before speaking. “I am glad to see you on your feet again, my Lord. I feared this day might never come.” She blinked and shifted her wings, drawing my attention away from her face. “How are things within Drachenmark?”

There was the old Nox – always more comfortable showing affection than speaking it. I surmised the feelings were still there … she just hadn’t yet figured out how to express them. I dared to lift my supporting hand from the railing and crossed my arms across my chest. “The kingdom’s faring well enough. Kazafor has been giving me daily updates and tells me you’ve received the same. We’ve never needed idle chat before, Nox; it’s not a habit I’d prefer to start.”

She huffed hot air from her nostrils and turned back toward the center of the courtyard. “Very well. How have you been enjoying your eladrin nurse?” she asked, taking slow steps away from me. “Putting the bed we used to share to good use, I presume?”

An uncontrolled growl rumbled in my throat. “Stop it, Nox.” I took a few, difficult paces after her. “Lorelei deserves our respect and gratitude. I doubt either of us would have done the same for our neighbors.”

“So now we’re lauding weakness?” Nox hissed as her neck snapped around.

I stood in place and exhaled deliberately. I was not going to get goaded into an argument during our long-awaited reunion. “Thank you for bringing me back to Nightwing Castle. I know the journey couldn’t have been easy with such a burden. Thank you … for not giving up on me.”

Nox’s head dropped perpendicular to the courtyard floor. “Thuvian.” Her voice was soft, almost meek. “I wouldn’t know how to live without you.”

A need to embrace my partner overwhelmed me, but as I started to walk, I stepped on the hem of my cape and stumbled forward. The unexpected movement and the force required to right myself sent surges of pain from my hips through my torso.

“My Lord, are you alright?”

Embarrassed, I tried to laugh, though it came out as a grimace. “I’ve still not gotten the hang of walking, apparently.”

Nox shuffled closer and lowered her belly to the ground. “Would you like to go for a ride, then? Do you have the strength to hold on?”

I looked up past Nox’s shoulders. Even resting on the ground, the high curve at the base of her neck would require jumping to reach, and I simply didn’t have it in me. “Alas, my love, it remains beyond my grasp.”

“Oh, yes. Well, I may have something for that.” I could hear the smile in her voice, though her draconic teeth massacred the accompanying gesture. “While you’ve been sleeping away the days, I’ve been working on how to use magic in my new form. It’s actually simpler as a dragon, once I got the hang of it. Here …”

“Illuten tomni.” A blue-tinged, translucent disc of force appeared beside me, knee-high off the ground. “It’s a useful spell I learned for transporting heavy objects I preferred not to carry. Go ahead, step on it.”

“Are you sure it’ll hold?” I asked. The disc was about an arm’s length wide, but thin as dinner plate.

Nox laughed. “The Lord of Drachenmark doesn’t trust me?”

I scowled but did as she asked, stepping onto the disc. It budged slightly as I lifted my second foot onto it, but otherwise remained sturdy. “What now?” Before I even finished the question, the disc started rising slowly. I extended my arms for balance, but the movement remained smooth, stopping when it reached the apex of Nox’s back.

“Can you manage from there?” she asked.

I kneeled onto the disc, then extended one arm and leg, hoisting myself across the ridge of Nox’s back. I’d ridden her before, thankfully, and leaned forward into position, wrapping both arms partially around her neck. I wasn’t much for the gods, but offered a silent prayer to Eriane that I had enough power left in my grip.

Nox rose to her feet and unfurled her leathery wings. After a few beats, she leapt into the air and flapped harder. I almost slipped at the sudden jerk but recovered as we moved forward and up, clearing the tops of the trees bordering the western edge of the courtyard. Then, we were soaring.

The wind rushing against my face quickened my blood, and the orange sunset over the eastern edge of the mountains painted the sky with glorious fire. Nox’s movements during flight had become more fluid since our last journey, and I marveled at the sheer power and synchronicity of her beating wings and undulating neck.

We circled the sky until the sun had vanished, giving me a specialized view of my budding realm, though Nox and I both knew its true value lay beneath the surface. The Mines of Living Fire and many of the orc tribes I’d labored to unite under my banner resided in caverns and twisted tunnels underground.

As the first stars pierced the falling veil of indigo above, Nox angled back to Nightwing Castle. The wind blowing constantly past my scales had acquired a chill bite, and I was eager to sit by the hearth and warm my skin. Funnily, during our flight, I hadn’t noticed any of the aches that had been my regular companions for the past moon-cycle.

Nox descended, then slowed her approach to the courtyard, where I spotted a pair of orcs waiting for us. One was my trusted lieutenant, Kazafor, but the other I didn’t recognize. It must have been important for them not to wait inside. They hesitated until I’d slid from Nox’s back to step forward.

“What is it?” I grunted in orcish for the benefit of the stranger.

Kazafor, dressed in his armor, bowed. “Lord Skullreaver, the orcs of the Jagged Blade from the northern Wyrmsmoke Mountains are here to call upon your assistance. The Kemen have attacked ...”