The Woodward Academy, Year 8

Chapter 10: March

"Hey, David... can I talk to you?" Gwen asked.  He was sitting in the lounge, relaxing for a while by reading something not work-related.

"Sure," David said.  He set his book on the side table and followed her down the hall to her bedroom.  Jess was still at work.

After closing the door, she said, "Look... I'm... I mean, I know this really is none of my business, but... How long are you planning to give Olissa the silent treatment?"

"What day is it?"

"Not funny," Gwen snapped.

"Wasn't trying to be," David replied.  "Olissa is being punished, Gwen.  She expects to be punished; I can't let it slide.  And, in truth, I am pretty peeved at what she did.  Her punishment, in order to remind her how important words can be, is that we are not speaking to each other for four weeks."

"Holy shit, that's harsh," Gwen said.

David snorted.  "Really, Gwen?  I'll be going back on duty on Saturday, and who the hell knows when I'll be back home?  It would be different if I was spending my days here... and I probably wouldn't have picked such a long amount of time, if I was."

"But she's still crying about it, on and off."

"I know that.  And I don't like that any more than you do.  But there's nothing I can do about it, and still be who she expects me to be."

"You could at least tell her you forgive her," Gwen said.

"I did that, as best I can," David said.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I can't fully forgive her until I know just how much damage she did."

"Well... you were with Zyla on Monday..."

"An outing that was about business, not personal stuff.  Zyla needed some help with the bank."

"Oh.  Um... look, I don't know if you know, but I... kind of went and talked to Zyla myself..."

"Yes, I know.  You and Anne.  Zyla mentioned it.  Thank you for giving it a try."

"It didn't work?" Gwen asked, distressed.

David shrugged.  "How the hell would I know?  I mean... she agreed to our date tomorrow night, so... maybe?  This is all so fucking confusing for me, Gwen.  I don't know what I'm doing here.  I have no right to even be asking her to accept me as a partner."

"What are you talking about?  You're a great guy!"

"Says one of the only women in his life he's not sleeping with..." David muttered.  "And that, frankly, only because you don't want to..."

Gwen blushed at that, but tried to push past it.  "You're as stuck on it as Zyla is," she said.

"How can I not be?  It's the thing that's going to end up keeping us apart!"

"You don't know that," Gwen said.  "Give her some time, and don't push too hard.  She might decide it's worth it."

"Right," David said sarcastically.  "Thanks for believing in a happy ending for me, Gwen.  Seriously.  But I don't see it."

"Just take it one day at a time.  For now, focus on your date tomorrow.  Where you taking her?"

"Dinner, dancing, and a walk down Fairy Street."

"Oooh.  Damn, I wish somebody'd take me on that kind of date!"

"I'll let Jess know," David said with a smirk.

Gwen blushed.

"Wow, Mommy, you look pretty," Grace said to Zyla.

Zyla was sitting at her dressing table, putting on makeup.  She blushed at her daughter's comment.

"Thank you, Sweetheart.  I hope David thinks so."

"How come?" Grace asked.

"Well, because I want to look nice for him."

"How come?" Grace asked.

Zyla smiled at her daughter.  "Because I like him."

"Did you not like him before?" Grace asked.

Zyla chuckled.  "I like him... differently... now."

"Huh?" Grace asked, confused.

"It's a grown-up thing, Sweetheart.  There are a lot of different ways that grown-ups like each other.  Sometimes, grown-ups like each other in a way that means they want to look nice for the other person."

"Oh."  Grace pondered that for a long moment.  "Does Uncle David like you, too?"

Zyla frowned for a moment, then smiled at Grace.  "I think so."

"Hey, Janine," David said warmly when he opened the door.  She had arrived to pick up Grace.  Grace would be staying overnight, just in case things went well this evening.

"Hey, David.  Whoa.  You're lookin' nice," Janine said.  David was wearing true dress clothes: slacks and shiny shoes, a button-up white shirt, and a formal coat.  He had stopped short of wearing a tie, however.

Grace said, "That's 'cause he likes Mommy."

"What?" Janine asked, shocked.

Zyla turned red in embarrassment, while David raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, it's time for you to go," Zyla said quickly, before her daughter could embarrass her further.

"But I wanna go with you!" Grace objected.  "I can dress nice!"

Zyla frowned, and looked at David for help.

David quickly said, "Well, okay, if you really want to."

Zyla gasped in shock.

David saw her, and winked.  Then he said to Grace, "But we're having fish..."

"EWWW!" Grace squealed.

"And I heard tell that Aunt Janine was planning to make cookies..."

"Giant Snickerdoodles," Janine confirmed.  "And then Lena and I are gonna play games all night."  Janine sighed melodramatically.  "Too bad you'll be off, eating your fish..."

"EWWW!" Grace squealed again.  "Uncle David, is it okay I stay with Aunt Janine?"

"But you'll miss out on the-"

"EWW EWW EWWWW!" Grace squealed and covered her ears.

The adults laughed, and Janine took Grace's hand.

David looked up at Janine, and realized just how often they were calling on her to help out lately.  "Thank you, for everything.  You've been a big help over the last year," he said, and gave her a gentle hug.

Janine blushed slightly.  "Least I can do for a friend."

David said, "As a small token of my appreciation..." he swept his hand upward, around her head, and back down.  A wreath of flowers suddenly appeared, entwined in her hair.

"Ooh!" Grace gushed.

Janine pulled out her mirror to look, and blushed again.

"Thank you, David.  It's lovely!  Now, I guess we'd better get going.  Say good-night, Grace."

"G'night, Mommy!" Grace enthused.

"Good night, Sweetheart," she said, hugging her daughter.

"G'night, Uncle David," she said, and promptly crushed his neck.

"G'night, Gracie," he croaked out.  She let him go, and then followed Janine down the sidewalk and down the street.

"That was quick thinking," Zyla said with a grin.  "She could have made a heck of a scene."

David smiled.  He said, "Before we go, I did want to say that you look very nice this evening."

Zyla blushed and put her hand on his chest.  "You're looking pretty spiffy yourself."

David chuckled, then gently slipped his arm through hers, and led her to the carriage.

 "And for you, sir?" the waiter asked.

"Poached zeppelin fish with risotto... and, please, no olives in the salad."

"Very good, sir.  Madam," the waiter said, nodding to both as he moved off to fill their orders.

Zyla looked at David with a grin.  "You ordered that just so you wouldn't be lying to Grace, didn't you?"

David grinned.  "Well, I happen to like zeppelin fish..." he said weakly.

"Uh-huh," she said, chuckling.

After dinner, the couple took a carriage ride to the same dance hall that David had once taken Olissa to.  For a while, they sat and watched the experts dancing, but that wasn't the point of the evening, so David led Zyla out onto the beginners floor.

Turning to her, he stepped close, gently clasping her left hand with his right, and slipping his left hand down onto her waist.  The two didn't try anything fancy, but they knew the moves to a few dances, so when those songs arose, they tried to join in.

After a few songs, Zyla let go of David's hand and instead wrapped her arms around his neck.  She stepped closer as his hand slipped onto her other hip.  Like that, they danced more slowly for the next few songs.

They didn't say a lot to each other, but near the end of one song, Zyla finally said, "Not that I want to seem like a jealous shrew, but... how come I didn't get a flower wreath in my hair?"  She smiled to show she was teasing.  He knew, though, that there was a part of her that really wondered why.

David slipped his hand off her waist, and tenderly ran the back of his fingers along her cheek, pushing one of her loose brown curls out of her face.

"I can give you one, if you want," David said, "but I just didn't think you needed any help looking beautiful."

Zyla blushed, and the two of them kissed softly.  They kept it brief, since they were in public, but when they stopped, Zyla pressed herself tightly against David, resting her head on his shoulder now.  His hands slipped around to her lower back, and the two danced on.

After they had their fill of the dance floor, David escorted Zyla back out to a carriage.

"The Kosh Hall of Mysteries, please," David said.

"Really?" Zyla asked as the driver pulled away.

"Don't worry, it's just the stopping point."

"Hmm," she said.

The ride was short, and they were soon in front of the museum.  David helped Zyla down from the carriage, and then, taking her hand gently, he started to walk down the street.  After a block, the scenery changed.

"What is this?" Zyla asked.

Around them were fountains of water, softly glowing with internal light.  Little sparks of light danced near the ground, bouncing from place to place.  Butterflies were flittering to and fro, despite the late hour.

"Welcome to Fairy Street," David said quietly.

Fairy Street was not the name of the street.  In actuality, it was named Durbin Place.  But for six blocks along its length, the fairies were allowed to play.  The city had created a park, with the fountains and the small pools and gardens, and then turned it over to the fairies, who filled the gardens with flowers and aromatic plants.  The sprites lit up the fountains and played chase among the grass.

David and Zyla ambled down the street together, just enjoying the soothing atmosphere.  As a pixie zoomed near, David motioned to her.  He brought her close in, and whispered something to her.  She giggled, then zoomed upward.

Suddenly, David and Zyla were surrounded by fireflies.  They kept their light dim, but still filled the area with a warm orange glow.  Sprites were acting like shooting stars, streaking across the road where they were walking.  The pavement beneath them was suddenly transformed, covered in a thick layer of grass and wildflowers.

"What did you say to her?" Zyla asked, looking around in wonder.

"I told her we were on our first date," David said.  He let loose Zyla's hand so he could wrap his arm around her waist.  She immediately moved closer, snuggling against him as they walked.  They didn't say a lot, they just enjoyed the atmosphere, and enjoyed spending time together.

Once they reached the end of Fairy Street, which took over a half hour, David turned to Zyla.

"That was beautiful, David, thank you," Zyla told him.  She leaned in and kissed him softly, but for a long moment.

"I'm glad you liked it," he replied once they'd separated.

"What now?" she asked.

"I figured now we'd just head home and relax for a while.  I bought a nice wine I think you'll like.  We can make a fire and just enjoy some quiet moments."

"That sounds nice," Zyla told him.

There was a carriage already waiting for them - people often needed rides home from Fairy Street - and so they were soon on their way.

 Once they were back at Zyla's house, David said, "Beautiful as you are in that dress, why don't you go put on something comfortable?  Hard to relax when you're feeling trapped in your own clothing.  I'll get the wine out while you change."

"Okay, sounds good," she said.  She leaned in and kissed him briefly, and then headed to her bedroom.  David shucked his coat and undid the top button on his shirt, then kicked off his shoes.  That done, he headed for the kitchen, where he'd put the wine.

It didn't take him long to prepare the wine, and he was getting the fire going when Zyla returned from the bedroom.  He was a bit surprised to see her wearing her nightgown.

Seeing his gaze, Zyla blushed.  "I was spending too much time trying to decide what to put on," she said softly.  "And since I'm not leaving the house again, I figured... you're not upset, are you?"

David smiled softly.  "I will never be upset by seeing you in that."

Zyla's blush deepened.  David motioned her over to the couch, and he joined her.  As soon as he sat down, she slipped closer.  He picked up the wine glasses and handed one to her, then they snuggled together.

Zyla tasted the wine.  "Wow, this is wonderful.  Where did you get it?"

"The little shop on Concord Street."

"Little shop... are you referring to Mallard's?"

"Yes."

"Just what year is this?"

David smiled.  "1912."

"My lord, this must have cost a fortune."

"Nope, I still have plenty of fortune left," he said with a chuckle.  Holding her a little more tightly, he said, "I wanted something special for you."

"Thank you," she said quietly, and took another sip of her wine.

The two sat together on the sofa, cuddling, drinking wine, and chatting about peaceful things for a long time.  After she'd finished her glass, she set it on the coffee table.  She gently took David's from him - he was only half done with his - and set it on the table, as well.

Turning to him, Zyla slid against him and they kissed.  At first, the kiss was gentle, but it soon began to grow in passion.  It wasn't too long before Zyla slipped her tongue out and ran it across David's lips.  He quickly admitted it, and their tongues slipped wetly against each other.

David turned slightly toward Zyla, and he slipped his hands along her sides, rubbing gently as they kissed.  He reveled in the feel of her tongue in his mouth, the feel of her body pressed against him.

Suddenly, he was reveling in the feel of her hand pressing against his dick, which had hardened a long time before.  Zyla moaned softly as she stroked him through his clothing.

As Zyla's hand continued to caress David's cock, he slipped his hand up onto her breast, squeezing gently and rubbing his thumb over her nipple.  Zyla moaned strongly into his mouth, encouraging him to keep it up.

After another long moment, Zyla unzipped David's slacks.  She reached into his pants and through the slit in his boxers, to caress his dick directly.  David groaned in pleasure at the feel of her dainty fingers on his cock.  It wasn't long before she pulled it free of its confines, and was able to stroke it properly.

After only a little while, Zyla broke their kiss.  She looked down at David's cock as she stroked it, and then she slid herself down until she could take the head of his dick into her mouth.  She slid her tongue all the way around the head several times, and then pushed forward, taking more of him in.

"Oh, god, that feels so nice," David told her quietly.  He stroked her back with his hand as she worked him over, pushing him ever closer to his peak.

As he neared his apex, he warned Zyla, but she merely kept moving on him, her hand still stroking the part of him not in her mouth.  She could feel him tensing, and was ready for his seed.  In a few more seconds, she received it, as he grunted strongly and filled her mouth with his cum.  She swallowed, closing her eyes to help her savor the experience.

It wasn't long before David had recovered himself.  Zyla was still stroking his dick slightly, and she saw that he was becoming hard again.  She smiled about that.

David pulled her up from his lap to gaze into her eyes, and he kissed her strongly.  Their tongues were soon mingling again.

After a long moment, David pulled back.

"Let's go to the bedroom," he said.

Zyla just smiled and nodded slightly.  She rose, and he followed her.

As she untied her gown and let it drop to the floor, David was removing his own clothing.

Zyla crawled onto the bed, and was about to turn over when David said, "No, stay just like that."  She smiled; she liked this position.

But David wasn't thinking of his cock just yet.  Once he'd removed all his clothes, he knelt on the bed, and then pressed his face into her groin.  Zyla moaned loudly as David let his tongue slip out, sliding along her clit.  His nose was pressed against her groin, and his hands rested on her ass, squeezing and kneading her cheeks.

Zyla lowered her upper body, resting her head on her pillow.  Her hips rocked of their own accord, pressing her more firmly into David's face.  He continued to lick, driving her wild with delight.  She was soon panting, the first warnings of her impending bliss filling her mind.  She moaned and arched her back as David suddenly sucked her clit between his lips.  He flicked it with the tip of his tongue, and Zyla exploded in ecstasy, her whole body shuddering as she let the pleasure flow over her.

As her climax reached its peak, David pulled back.  He sat up and moved a little closer, stroking her ass now, and occasionally running his hands up her back, hoping to make her feel good without overwhelming her.

After a long moment, Zyla let out a long sigh, which told David she had greatly enjoyed what he'd done... and that she was ready for him to do something more.

David obliged, placing the head of his dick at her opening, and slowly pressing forward.  Zyla groaned in pleasure as he filled her up.  Her hips rolled slightly to help him get a better angle, and she was immediately rewarded as his cock slid over a good spot.  She cried out in joy.

David took hold of her hips and began to slide in and out of her, repeatedly hitting that good spot.  Zyla was quickly on the verge of orgasm, but David slowed down, preventing her from coming yet.  He kept her right on the knife edge for a couple minutes.

"David, please!" she pleaded.

David immediately thrust harder and faster, and in only a few seconds, Zyla cried out, "Oh, god, David!"  Her hips rolled and shuddered, and she bucked on his cock for a long moment before her body finally settled.  David pulled out of her, causing her to moan slightly in loss, and then she slowly collapsed onto the bed.

David gently rolled Zyla over, and the smile on her face was one any man would hope to see.  He leaned down and kissed her, and their tongues were soon dancing again.

Without breaking their kiss, David moved between Zyla's legs.  She lifted her knees to give him access, and he slipped his cock back inside of her once again.  She moaned at the feel of it, and wrapped her arms tightly around him.  He kept his motions smooth and gentle for the moment, letting her recover from her previous peak.

After a while, however, he did speed up again.  She moaned and then broke their kiss so she could breathe.  David leaned up slightly, looking down at her and smiling.  She ran her hands along his sides and mewled in bliss.

David sped up further, feeling his own orgasm approaching.  He ran his hand over Zyla's breast, massaging it, and then rolling her nipple between his fingers.

"Oh, that feels so good," Zyla told him.  "Suck on the other one, please?"

David leaned down and took her other nipple between his lips, sucking it and licking it while he continued to thrust into her.

Zyla was ramping up to a major event, and David wasn't far behind her.  She started to cry out in joy, her body rocking and twisting beneath him.  Finally, she went over the cliff into pure ecstasy, screaming out David's name and bucking her hips up at him.

As her pussy massaged his cock, he exploded inside her, his thrusts becoming jerky and uncoordinated.  Finally, he pressed his groin firmly to hers and just stopped, enjoying the feel of them together.

For a long moment, the two just enjoyed their climaxes.  David descended first, but he didn't move; he remained locked inside of Zyla, their bodies pressed tightly together.  As he sensed she was beginning to recover, he gently wrapped his arms around her and rolled to the side, but did not remove his dick from within her.

Zyla finally looked deep into his eyes, and smiled.  They didn't say anything for a long while.  Finally, Zyla shifted.  David let her go as she moved away from him.  He looked a little concerned, since they hadn't, in fact, said anything.

She saw the look on his face.

"I have to use the restroom," she told him, to ease his concern.

David smiled.  He would have blushed, if he could have.

When Zyla returned, David had turned down the covers.  He was sitting on the end of the bed.

"Aren't you staying?" she asked, frowning slightly.

"I didn't want to make any assumptions," he told her quietly.

She came over to him and slipped her arms around his neck, then leaned down and kissed him for a long moment.  Finally, she leaned back.

"I want you to stay," she told him.

"Thank you," he said sincerely.  He held up the covers so she could slip in, and then he slipped in beside her.  He extinguished the candles in the room, and then lay down on his side, facing her.  She rolled on her side away from him, and then scooted back, cuddling in tight against him.  He rested his hand on her side and stroked her skin gently, helping her relax and settle from their exertions.

The two didn't say anything for a long time, and David was very nearly drifting into sleep, when Zyla asked, "David?"

"Hmm?" he responded sleepily.

"If something happened to me... what would you do about Grace?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, trying to wake up, since this was apparently a serious conversation.

"You're her godfather.  She'd be your responsibility.  What would you do about her?"

"Raise her myself, as best I could.  What else would I do?"

"You wouldn't send her to a home, or let someone else adopt her?"

"No, definitely not.  I may not be the greatest parent ever, but at least Grace knows me.  If, God forbid, something happened to you, Grace would have lost two of the major adults in her life.  I couldn't let her lose the third.  And I couldn't leave her future to chance...  If she couldn't have her parents, she would at least have everything else I could give her."

David pulled Zyla more tightly against him.  "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"No.  It's just one of the things I worry about."

"Well, you don't need to worry about that.  Grace will always be taken care of.  You have my word on that."

Zyla pressed herself backward into David, and then reached up to take his hand in hers.  She pulled his hand down so that his arm was draped over her, and her hand was held gently in his.

"Good night, David," she said quietly.

"Good night," he replied, then leaned forward and kissed her softly on the cheek before laying his head down on the pillow.

He had a little trouble going to sleep after that conversation, but he did eventually drift off into slumber.

David woke four hours later, as was his routine.  He was still spooned with Zyla, his arm still wrapped around her, though he had let go of her hand at some point during sleep.

He leaned up on his elbow, looking down at her and watching her sleep.

I so wish this was going somewhere.  I need someone like you in my life.  You talked about how Joe didn't know his own value... I don't think you know yours, either.  If you did, you really wouldn't want anything to do with me.

If only...  But I'm not going to delude myself.  It's not going to happen.  I'm not sure why you agreed to last night, but I'm glad that you did.  At least I'll have that memory.

David continued to gaze down at her, and his hand caressed her abdomen.  After a while, he got a mischievous smirk on his face, and moved his hand up to caress the swell of her breast.  It wasn't long before he was gently rubbing her nipple, making it fully erect.  He switched to the other one, and it wasn't long before that one, too, was nice and hard.

Well, that's two... shall we go for three little nubbins? David asked himself.

Slowly, David slid his hand downward, until he was tracing through Zyla's pubic hair.  She moaned quietly in her sleep and shifted.  In doing so, she parted her legs slightly, making David's mission easier.

David gently pressed his hand between her thighs until his finger slipped over her clit.  Zyla moaned again.  He moved his hand further, to feel her pussy.  He felt wetness, and so slipped his finger gently into her, getting himself nice and lubed.  He then went back to rubbing her clit.

Zyla moaned louder now, and David could tell she was waking up.

"Oh, God, David..." she moaned, and then jolted awake.  She looked back over her shoulder, and settled.  "Oh, thank God it actually is you."

"Thinking of someone else, were you?" David asked softly.

"For a panicky second, I thought you were Joe," she said, frowning.

David leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, then nibbled on her ear.

"What time is it?" she asked.

David responded with a noise of ignorance.

"You don't want me to get any sleep tonight, do you?" Zyla asked with a sleepy grin.

"I'm sorry.  I woke up and you were there, looking sweet and beautiful and sexy, and I couldn't stop myself."

"Mmm.  Well, are you planning to use... something bigger than your finger?" she asked, rolling her hips against his hand.

"If you'd like that..." David said.

In answer, Zyla merely lifted her leg to give him room.

David shifted, moving himself so his dick could slide easily into her pussy.  As it did so, she sighed in pleasure.  He continued to rub her clit as he thrust smoothly into her.  The two remained that way, coupling for long minutes, as their passions slowly rose.

Finally, Zyla broke over, crying out in passion and shuddering on David's cock for a long moment.  David slowed to a stop and removed his hand from her clit, and then just held onto her, letting her enjoy the afterglow of a very nice orgasm.  He shifted so that he was spooning with her again.

"You didn't come," she said softly.

"I don't care," David replied.  "I made you feel good, and that's all that matters."

Zyla turned over and embraced him, then kissed him passionately.

"Will you stay and snuggle with me till I fall back asleep?" she asked when they parted.

"Sure.  And I promise not to molest you in your sleep again... tonight..."

Zyla giggled at his last word.

David stroked Zyla's hair as she slowly drifted back into slumber.  Getting out from beneath her without waking her was tricky, but he couldn't just lie there for the next three hours.  He dressed and left the room, stopping at the door to look back at her for a long moment, then turning to go to the kitchen to contemplate his life, and breakfast.

 David jolted when he felt soft arms encircle his neck from behind.  He'd been lost in thought, staring out the window.  Zyla pressed her apparently naked body against him and held him tightly, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Whatcha thinkin' about?" she asked lightly.

"Work," David said.  His voice didn't show distress over it.

Zyla frowned.  "Now?"

"Not the nasty parts of work.  The mental parts.  I had to do something while you slept.  And... shit, I haven't started your breakfast yet."

"That's a good thing," Zyla informed him.  "Come take a shower with me."

"You're not likely to get very clean that way," David warned her.

"Getting clean isn't my goal," she retorted with a grin.

"Oh-ho, so that's how it is."

David followed her back to the bathroom, and he stripped his clothes in just a few seconds.  Zyla, being already naked, had turned on the shower while he was disrobing, and the two kissed while waiting for it to warm up.

Finally, they stepped into the shower.

Zyla immediately dropped to her knees and took David's cock into her hands.  It took only a few seconds of her gentle manipulation before he was as hard as a rock.  She slipped her lips over the head of his dick and pressed forward, taking as much of him in as she could manage.  She held it for a long moment, then began to slide back off him.  She repeated this process over and over, taking a little more each time, but ultimately had to settle for just most of him.  She began to suck him as she moved, trying to draw the cum out of his balls.

David was trying to envision werewolves wearing tutus jumping over Volkswagens, but it wasn't working.  His passion was rising fast.  In less than a minute, he grunted in warning, which was followed almost immediately by a blast of cum filling Zyla's mouth.

Zyla continued to suck David while he came.  Only when his hips stopped jerking did she slowly pull back until just the head of his dick was in her mouth, and then she swallowed.  She slowly licked the head of his dick, causing him to shudder hard, before she let him loose and rose to her feet.

"That was for my mid-dream pleasure," she told him with a smile.

David held her in his arms and said, "You didn't have to pay me back... but that felt very damn nice."

"Hmm," she said with a grin.  "Am I wearing you out yet?"

"Are you trying to?" David responded.

"Nope, just don't want to be too pushy."

His embrace tightened.  "I'm just fine.  Was there something I could do for you this morning?"

"Not until you get hard again," Zyla said, then blushed.

David brushed her hair out of her face with his hand.  He gazed at her silently, a slight smile on his face.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked.

"Just trying to burn this image into my memory," he told her truthfully.

Zyla blushed further.

It wasn't long, with Zyla's wet and wonderful body pressed against him, before David was once again fully erect.

"Now, just what did you have in mind?" David asked, rocking his hips slightly so that his hard dick slipped back and forth across her pussy lips.

"Oh, god, that feels good all by itself," she moaned.  After a minute of just enjoying his motions, she said, "I just want you to make me feel good... mmm... I mean, better than you're already doing.  You can do that... ngh... any way you like."

David raised an eyebrow.  "Any way I like?" he asked in confusion.

"I'm open to all possibilities," she confirmed.

"Um... well, only one thing immediately springs to mind right now, but... have you ever had anal sex before?"

"No," she said, her voice still jittery thanks to what his dick was doing to her clit.  "But if that's what you want to do..." she said, but he interrupted her.

"No, we're not trying that today.  I don't want to ruin a really, really great night with something you really might not enjoy."

"Well, that's your choice... but could you pick something soon?  Please?"

David chuckled, and then gently turned her around.  This took his cock away from her clit, which caused her to whine slightly.  He slipped his cock back between her thighs once she was turned around, and then he reached around to cup and fondle her breasts as he rocked his hips again.

"Oh, god... this is... hngh..."

David gently bent forward, but didn't let go of her.  Once she was bent forward enough, he rocked his hips a little further back, changed his angle, and pressed forward.  This time, his cock penetrated her pussy, slipping almost all the way in with one thrust.

"Hungh!" Zyla cried.  She was so aroused at this point that she was having trouble thinking.  David started to slip in and out of her pussy at a smooth and steady pace.  He let one of his hands trail down and begin to finger her clit.  Zyla was moaning and crying out, lost to the pleasure.  Her pussy was rippling along David's cock, which felt wonderful, but he was a long way from coming.

Zyla was not.  In mere seconds, she screamed out and thrust her hips strongly back into him.  David did not stop.  He slowed down slightly, but continued to caress her tits, and continued to thrust into her.  He did remove his finger from her clit for the moment.  Once she seemed to be settling from her orgasm, however, he put his finger back, and Zyla was quickly ascending toward climax again.

Again and again, Zyla came.  Finally, David felt himself near his own orgasm.  He increased the speed of his thrusts a little, and he moved his lower hand back up to fondle her free breast.  Zyla was almost unaware of his movements at this point, so awash in a sea of bliss was she.

David began to grunt, and finally, he pressed his hips against her ass and blew his load deep into her.  The feel of him filling her up sent Zyla into another climax, and she cried out.

"Oh, god!"

The two of them shuddered, and David had to hold Zyla up.  She was shaky and her legs felt like Jell-o.  It was a couple minutes before they fully recovered.

Zyla turned around to face David, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him passionately for a very long time.

When they separated, she said, "Thank you for a very wonderful night... and morning.  I know things are... complicated... between us, but...  I want you to know that, in some way, I will always want you in my life."

"Thank you," David said quietly.  He turned his head slightly and looked off into space.

After a long moment, Zyla asked, "What is it?"

David shook his head.  "I'm not sure I should say."

"I thought we didn't keep secrets," Zyla said with a frown.

"This... isn't a secret.  It's just about how I feel, and... after what you just said, you might not want to know exactly how I feel."

"David," she said, gently turning his face back to meet her gaze and then placing her hands on his chest, "I will always want to know how you feel.  About life, about yourself... especially about me.  Tell me."

David sighed, then took a deep breath.  Here goes nothing...

"Do you remember asking me last month, whether or not I was in love with you, and I didn't answer you?"

"Of course."

"The reason I didn't answer you was because I didn't know how to express what I felt. I spent a good portion of the last month thinking about it, trying to put my feelings into words.  I'm going to tell you now, but I don't want you to respond to it. Just... let it be what it is. Will you do that for me?"

Zyla nodded.  "Yes," she said quietly.

David took another deep breath before he spoke.

"You remember how I became a demighost."  He waited for, and received, a nod of agreement, so he continued.  "For a few months, I was pretty angry about it. Angry enough to do things I shouldn't have.  After a while, I calmed down, and over a couple years, I finally became okay with what had happened.

"But for the first time in all those eight years, I am happy that I died that day."

Zyla looked at him, confusion written across her face.

"Because if I hadn't died, there, on that day," he said, then moved ever so slightly closer to her and put his hands on her hips, "then I couldn't be here, with you, on this day. It took me nearly eight years after dying, but I finally found my angel. Yes, Zyla, I am in love with you. If some super-wizard came along and said he could take that night back, that I wouldn't have to die, I wouldn't have to come to Dugerra, wouldn't have to go through, all that I've..." David trailed off, trying to collect himself.

After a moment, he continued, "I would say no. Because I also wouldn't have the chance to know you, and to love you... and I love you more than I ever loved life. 

"I will gratefully accept whatever you're willing to grant me, but the truth is, there is only one role that I really want to play in your life."

David kissed Zyla tenderly for a long moment, and then stepped back slightly. He ran his fingers along her cheek and stared into her eyes. She was crying now, her emotions overwhelming her.

"I'll go make us breakfast while you finish up here," he said to her softly, then slipped out of the shower.

Zyla slowly and shakily put her hand up against the tile and leaned slightly forward, her eyes staring at nothing as her mind tried to process the emotions that David's words had stirred in her. Only one thing was absolutely clear to her.

He really loves me!

 Breakfast was slightly awkward and quiet between the two.  David had no more to say, and Zyla had no idea what to say.

Finally, David said, "I guess I'd better get back to base."

"Oh, no you don't," Zyla said sternly.

David looked at her in surprise.

"You're not bailing on Grace twice in a row!  You didn't hear the fuss I had to deal with last time!  You go down and get your goddaughter and tell her you're leaving!"

"Yes, ma'am," David said in a mock-timid voice.  Zyla grinned at him, but shooed him out the door.

It was a quick trip to retrieve Grace, since Janine only lived down the block.  She ran in the door and hugged her mother.

"Mommy!"

"Hey, Sweetheart.  Did you have fun?"

"Uh-huh.  I ate three cookies!" she said, holding up four fingers.

"Uh-oh.  Did you brush your teeth?"

Grace blushed and said, "Whoopsie,"

Zyla chuckled.  "Well, as soon as you say good-bye to David, you go change your clothes and brush your teeth."

Grace turned to David, frowning.  "You going bye?"

David knelt down.  "Sorry, I have to.  I have to go back to work."

"We didn't play," Grace said, frowning.

"I know.  I promise, we'll do something together the next time I'm here.  How about a nice picnic?"

"Yay!" Grace said with a big grin.

"C'mon, give me a hug to take with me."

Grace did her usual best at breaking David's neck, and then she gave him a kiss.  This one at least hit the right target.

David rubbed Grace's hair for a moment, then he said.  "Okay, you be good, and I'll see you... uh... in a couple weeks."

"'kay.  Bye!"

David stood as Grace ran down the hallway.

"Wish I was that happy to meet the day," David said to himself.  Zyla chuckled, and then moved to him.  The two embraced tightly for a long moment before Zyla pulled back so she could look him in the face.

"I'm... not sure what to say now."

David nodded soberly.  "Told you that you probably didn't want to know..."

Zyla's grip tightened on him.  "I did want to know.  I'm not sorry you said it.  I just... I'm not sure how to react yet."

"Then don't.  Like I said, just let it be what it is.  To use your word, what's between us is complicated.  I know your feelings aren't the same as mine."

"David, I..."

"Shh," he said, gently putting his fingers to her lips.  "I'm not making any assumptions about what you do feel, I'm just saying it's not the same thing.  Where we go from here... well, that's really in your hands, but I don't want you to feel pressured.  My feelings for you aren't likely to change; I can wait for you to decide."

"And... if I decided that we couldn't be together, would you stop coming to see me?"

"Only if you asked me to.  No matter what happens from this point forward, you and Grace are part of my family."

"You said that once before... and Gwen mentioned it, too.  What do you really mean by that?"

"My biological family lives in Earth, and we're not on the best terms.  When I came to Dugerra, I was essentially alone.  I had to start over.

"I decided some time ago that I was going to create my own extended family, made up of those people I really care about, whose opinions are important to me, and who I would... do very bad things in defense of.  You and Grace were members of my family long before Joe died, and no matter what you decide, that's not going to change."

There were tears in Zyla's eyes, and she kissed him strongly for a long moment.

"Thank you, David.  Please, come back home soon."

"I'll try."

"Do you know your orders this time?" she asked.

"No, not yet.  I only had them last time because the mission was... er... 'special'."

"Oh.  I know, you can't talk about it.  Be careful?"

"Do my best."

She hugged him tightly again, and they kissed once more before David headed out.

A little while later, Grace came out of the bathroom.  "All clean!  Mommy?  Are you okay?"

Zyla was staring out the window, tears still glistening in her eyes.

"I'm fine, Sweetheart.  Just fine.  Did you have breakfast yet?"

"Aunt Janine made orange rolls."

"Did you like them?"

"Yuck," Grace said, sticking out her tongue.

Zyla chuckled.  "Well, okay, let me make you something, then.

"Mommy?" Grace asked.

"What?" Zyla asked patiently.

"Did Uncle David like you, too?"

Zyla blushed crimson.  "Yes, Sweetheart, he does."

"Yay!" she enthused quietly.

Yay, indeed, Zyla thought to herself.

"You don't normally ask me in here, Vocator.  Is something wrong?" Giendia asked.

"Yes, something's wrong.  You've apparently forgotten how to pronounce my name," David said sternly.

Giendia blushed strawberry.  "Sorry, David, but... there are others."

"And they all work for me, and if I say you should call me George, then dammit, you should call me George."

"Okay, George," Vivian chimed in with a grin.

David threw an InkyQuill at her, but missed.

"Your reflexes are getting better," David teased.

"Hmph," Vivian said.

"We've been assigned a psy-ops mission," he told the people gathered, "and it's going to require some research before we can begin."

"What is psy-ops?" Giendia asked.

"It's short for 'Psychological Operations'.  In other words, psychological warfare.  We're going to fuck with their minds."

"What is it we need to research?" one of the vigaxes present asked.

"We're looking into the White Wolf legend.  It's something the werewolves believe in.  We need to understand it fully in order to make this thing work."

"What are we actually going to do?" Vivian wanted to know.

"That really depends on the nature of the legend.  The brass just told us to use the White Wolf in some way to attempt to demoralize the enemy.  Before we can figure out how to do that, we have to understand how the enemy views the White Wolf."

"And this will take five people to research?" another vigax asked.

"No, it will take four people to research.  One of us has to do his homework before he can go play outside."

The others chuckled at him.

"Take two days to run down this legend in every detail.  I want to know everything.  The wolf's eye color.  The wolf's fur markings.  Is it a wolf or a werewolf?  What does it represent?  Where did it come from?  The wolf's dick size.  Does the wolf even have a dick?  I want to know every fucking thing you can find out."

"Yes, sir.  We'll get right on it," the senior vigax said.

"I'll be in my office."

"Run it down for me," David ordered.

"The White Wolf is a goddess to the werewolves.  She is the legendary mother of the weres.  By joining with another god, one that looked human, they had werewolf offspring, and thus the creation of the were race," the vigax said.

"Is that it?  That's gonna be hard to work with..." David complained.

"No, that's not it," Vivian said.  "There are a half dozen legends about the White Wolf that we might be able to use.  Truthfully, there's about a hundred different legends about her, but most of those aren't in any way helpful to us... unless you want to know that she breast-feeds six dire wolves at once..."

David shrugged.  "Do any of the six you mentioned show more promise than others?" David asked.

"I think one stands out.  There is a legend about the White Wolf predicting the outcomes of war."

"Really?" David said, intrigued.  "Do tell."

And so Vivian did.  By the time she was done, David was nodding.

"Okay, I can see how to use that.  Give me some time to work out a full plan.  You two," David said, pointing to the vigaxes, "can return to your duties.  Good job."

"Yes, sir!" the two said, and left.

"We're probably in for night ops, you guys, so you might want to take the day and try to reorient your sleep schedule.  We won't leave here until at least tomorrow."

"Where are we actually going?"

"To Hurmich.  The weres have congregated on the Tyrex Peninsula.  Don't spread that around, obviously."

"Yes, sir," Giendia said for both of them.

"Two syllables.  My name has two syllables," David told her, causing her to blush.

Vivian jumped to Giendia's defense.  "What she said had two syllables.  Yes, and sir!"

Giendia tried to hide her giggle while David scowled at Vivian.

"Out!" David grumped good-naturedly. " I have work to do."

"Lena's growing like a weed," Zyla said, watching her and Grace play together in Janine's backyard.  Zyla had come over for some tea and conversation.

"I know.  I keep having to morph her clothes every month, just so they'll fit."

Zyla chuckled.

"Any luck with a better treatment for Grace?"

"I haven't been looking.  With all the chaos and everything... I just can't find the energy to deal with it.  The current treatment works, it's just... annoying."

Janine nodded.  "You seem upset.  Is something wrong?"

Zyla sighed.  "It's David."

Janine looked puzzled.  "What's wrong with him?  He looked pretty happy when he came to get Grace..."

"He's in love with me," Zyla said.

"And this is a problem?  He seems like a damned nice guy."

"Janine... you know how Joe felt about David.  Me dating David... it feels like I'm stabbing Joe in the back."

Janine snorted.  "Sweetie, two things.  I know you think that you're disrespecting Joe if you go with David, but you're looking at it the wrong way.  You'd be going with David only because Joe isn't available.  It's not like you were just waiting for Joe to kick the bucket so you could date David.  Or, if you two'd been doing it while Joe was alive, then, yeah, that's a whole different thing, but... Joe's not here to help you anymore.  You keep telling me you need somebody to be.  David sure seems willing to take up the task."

"And he's wonderful in that regard.  Better than Joe ever was... and even saying that feels wrong!"

"And that brings me to point number two.  You know damn well that your marriage wasn't in great shape when Joe died.  You're turning the man into a saint, but let's face it, ever since Grace's diagnosis, he... well, you know what he did.  I mean, how long was it, before David at Christmas?"

Zyla hesitated a long time, then mumbled, "Year and a half?"

"Sweetie, no girl should go that long without, 'specially not when married.  Speaking of," Janine said, lowering her voice, "How is Mr. David?"

"Janine!" Zyla scolded.  Janine grinned.  Zyla lifted her tea cup and, right before she took a sip, she said, "Goosebumps and an inability to walk afterward."

Janine hummed appreciatively at that.  "Better than Joe, then."

"I don't want to make that kind of comparison, Janine."

"Maybe not, but I can, from what you've told me before."

"Joe was a wonderful lover."

"Uh-huh.  So, he's good in bed, adores your daughter, loves you... what's he do for a living, when he's not off killin' bad guys?"

"He's a Rimohr, just like Joe."

"So, not the greatest income, but..."

Zyla snorted.

"Something funny?"

"David makes more money off the interest he gets from the bank than he does from his job.  The only person in Callamandia richer than David is the king."

"He... doesn't act like that."

"I know."

"Damn, now his little flower wreath seems like a wimpy thank-you gift," Janine joked.

"Don't say that when he's in earshot.  He's liable to buy you a new house.  You know what it must have cost him to fix up ours..."

"He paid for all that?"

"Yes.  It's why there's still a plaque stuck on the door that says "Grace's Room."

"And you say this boy's in love with you?"

"He called me his angel.  I couldn't ask him this... what the heck's an angel?"

Janine chuckled.  "Earth lore.  Angels are beings created directly by God, so are perfect.  They are also pure and virtuous, radiant beings of light and goodness.  And if he really thinks of you as his angel, girl...  I mean, c'mon.  In love with you, rich, responsible, good with your kid, and good in the sack?  If you don't want him, can I have him?" she concluded with a grin.

Zyla smiled, but then frowned and shook her head.  "There's a problem."

"You don't love him?" Janine guessed.

"I'm not sure exactly how I feel... because of the problem."

"What is it, then?"

"David doesn't come alone."

"He has his own kids?"

"That would be a blessing, not a problem," Zyla said.  "You know I always wanted more than one."

"So, what do you mean, he doesn't come alone?"

Zyla explained the situation to her concerning David's commitments.  She left out Olissa's visions.

"And he expects you to accept all that?" Janine asked with exasperation.

"No," Zyla replied.

"Huh?  Now I'm confused."

"David doesn't expect me to stay with him.  He doesn't expect that I will accept his lifestyle.  He expects me to reject him."

"Well, at least he's realistic about things," Janine said.  "Why did you even agree to go out with him, if you knew all that already?"

"Because I'm not sure how I feel about him."

"Sweetie, you just told me he will sleep around on you!  That's a no-no in marriage!"

"I know that's how it works normally.  But... we spent that whole evening and night together, and... I completely forgot about the others.  He didn't mention them, I never thought he was thinking about someone else...  Dammit, now I sound just like his former girlfriend."

"Huh?"

Zyla explained about Anne.

"Well, at least she had the sense to get out," Janine said.

"Janine, she got out before she fell too far in.  She still loves him.  She told me, if he changed his job, she'd probably take him back, even knowing what he will bring with him.  It's not like I'm his only option.  I'm his choice."

"And what is your choice?  You're not seriously considering... are you crazy, woman?"

"Maybe, a little bit.  Or maybe in love.  I don't know.  I mean, you're right, his lifestyle is very unusual, and I don't know if I could adjust to it.  But every time I think about pushing him even slightly out of my life, I almost feel sick."

"You'd get over that as soon as you found another guy."

"Do you see them lining up on my doorstep?  I'm in my thirties, and I have a daughter."

"Girl, you've basically been with another guy since you lost Joe.  You two might not have been actually dating, but if you were in public, he was with you.  No one was going to approach you that way."

"Maybe," Zyla said.  "But I haven't noticed any second glances, either.  How many guys are hitting on you?  You're in the same boat I'd be..."

Janine frowned.  "I'm not as pretty as you are," she deflected.

"That's hufflepuff, and you know it," Zyla said.  "How long's it been since you had anything longer than a one-night stand?"

Janine snorted.  "Can't remember when I had one of those.  It's been a few years, I admit."

"And he was with you for, what, a month, two?  I don't want to do that to Grace, have a parade of guys in her life.  That's an awful way to grow up. 

"And what do I do, for that period between telling David no, and finding another guy, which you just admitted could take me years?  That wouldn't be so great for Grace, either.  She is very fond of David, and taking him out of her life would hurt her almost as much as Joe's death has."

"So he's given you an ultimatum?  Dating, or he abandons you?"

"No.  He said he wouldn't leave me unless I asked him to.  But Janine, if he's there, and if he is all those things we just said he was - and he is... why am I going to want to take chances with someone else?  He's not saying it's all or nothing... but it pretty much is.

"I'm not saying he's my only choice, but I'm also not going to automatically say he's a bad choice.  He's here, now.  He knows how to take care of things.  He's stable, and responsible.  He dotes on my little girl, even knowing what's wrong with her.

"And he loves me.  Janine, if you'd seen some of what his other choices are...  This is a guy who could be dating the king's daughter, but he wants to be with me instead!  I mean... when was the last time you had a guy call you an angel?"

"And when was the last time you had your husband tell you, 'Sorry, I can't come home for dinner, I have a date tonight.'?"

Zyla frowned.  "I'm not going to lie.  I'm not sure how to accept that.  But I'm also not certain it's something I couldn't find a way for us to make it work."

"You're nuts," Janine said.  "Absolutely out of your mind.  You're talking about having a polygamous marriage."

"Those sometimes work, don't they?" Zyla asked.

Janine opened her mouth, then closed it again.  "I actually don't know, Sweetie.  But seriously, what would your parents say, if they could?"

"Daddy likes David.  They met a couple years ago."

"Liking someone isn't the same as saying, 'Okay, you can bop my little girl and those other chicks, too.'"

Zyla blushed and giggled.  "I'm pretty sure Daddy never used the word "chick" in his life."

Janine chuckled, but then grew serious.  "You're not messing with my head?  You're really, seriously considering this?"

"I am.  I don't know why, but I am."

"Well, I can tell you why.  Because you're certifiably, one hundred percent, nuts."

Zyla frowned.

"And since, in the six years I've known you, you've been a pretty stable girl with her head screwed on firmly, there's only one reason I can think of that you'd suddenly lose your marbles like that," Janine said.

"Why?" Zyla asked, fearing she knew the answer.

"Because you're just as in love as he is."

"How do we-" Vivian started to ask, then David clamped his hand over her mouth.

"Would you like to keep your voice down?" David asked in as angry a whisper as he could manage.  "There are about five thousand weres less than a quarter mile from here."

Vivian paled and her eyes widened in fright.  Though she knew this already, it hadn't sunk in just how close to danger they were.

David removed his hand, and then said, "This is going to be complex.  The first thing we need to do is find a good-sized rock."

"What's 'good-sized' in this case?" Giendia asked.

"The size of a wolf, or as close to it as we can come."

The trio searched for a half hour before finding exactly what it was they needed.  David crouched down next to Vivian.

"Okay, this is going to be your part of the operation.  We need this to resemble a dire wolf, only larger.  It doesn't need to be exact, but it does need to look pretty much like a wolf."

Vivian nodded, and then began to work the spell.  It didn't take her too long before she had a decent replica of a dire wolf, standing on all four legs.

"Now, how well can you morph something without seeing it?" David asked Vivian.

"I don't know anyone who can do that," Vivian said.

"Shit," David grumbled.  "I need to make changes to the wolf during.  Wait... Giendia, how have you gotten using the NVGs?"

"About half as good as I am without them in the daytime," she replied.

"That should be good enough.  Could you hit this stone ear or a leg at four hundred yards?"

"Not if it's moving."

"Not a problem." 

David then sat down and opened a book.  He looked up at the other two.  "You might as well relax.  We can't do anything until nightfall."

"So what are you doing?" Vivian asked as she sat down next to him.

"Studying the enchantment I have to do.  Also, you've used spells on Giendia's arrows before.  Do you know one that will cause an explosion just strong enough to blow a chunk of this wolf off?"

"How big a chunk?"

"Like the ear."

"Yeah, I can figure a way to do that," she said.

"Okay.  I'll want you to do that, then."

"I'll get to work on it."

David finished up the spell, and a silvery light washed back and forth over the wolf-shaped rock.  After a moment, the rock shuddered, then shook, and its head turned left and right.  It moved in a circle, and then it turned back to stare at David.

"East for five hundred yards, then south.  Pause often."

The animated rock nodded in understanding, and it then moved off.

"Come on," David said quietly, and the trio moved through the forest until they were just in sight of the were base, on a slight rise, so they had a good view into the encampment.

"Jailla," David whispered to his familiar, "You're going to have to stand guard for us.  With Giendia an active part of this mission, no one else is going to be observing our surroundings."

Jailla chirped quietly, then flew off to a nearby tree.

"What do you want me to do?" Giendia asked.  She looked very odd wearing the NVGs, but David shook that off.

"What I'm going to do, is I'm occasionally going to tap you on a body part.  I want you to target that body part on the wolf.  So, if I hit your ear, aim for the ear.  If I tap your forearm, aim for the lower front leg, and so on."

"But my forearm doesn't match her lower front leg," Giendia objected.  "That's the first part of her foot."

"I know, but it's visually the same."

Giendia nodded.

"Pay attention to side, as well.  Your arrows have to match up with my illusion, so if I tap you on the left side, you need to hit the left side of the wolf."

"Right."

"No, left," David said with a grin.

Giendia giggled.

"And what do you want me to do?" Vivian asked.

"I'm going to need you to perform an audio illusion.  We need ghostly howls, like they were way in the distance, or down in a well... quiet, but still easily audible.  I will raise and lower my hand, and that will mean to make it louder or quieter.  Feel free to get creative, if you think of something.  This is just to create atmosphere.  The more mystical we can make this, the more impact it will have."

Vivian and Giendia both nodded.

Just then, the wolf entered the north side of the camp.  Part of the legend was that the White Wolf would move in the direction of attack, so it needed to move from north to south to be accurate.

David enacted his illusion, which glamoured the wolf-rock with a glowing white dire wolf with ice blue eyes.  He motioned to Vivian, and she started her spell, causing howls to echo around the camp.  Werewolves were soon up and looking.  It didn't take long before they spotted the wolf illusion.  Some brave souls approached, but were unwilling to get closer than a few feet from it.

"Good thing we sprayed it with Ain't Nobody Here," Vivian muttered.

David grunted.  As the wolf began to move forward, at first, David didn't do anything.  Then, after about twenty feet, he changed his illusion, and the wolf's fur started to drift off with the wind.  The wolf began to look a bit ragged, not as pristine and lustrous as she had first appeared.

After a while, when the fur was looking decidedly bedraggled, David changed the illusion once again.  The wolf began to limp, and there were tears in her eyes.  Cuts appeared on her limbs, working upward until they were marking her body, as well.

The werewolves witnessing this could not take their eyes off the sight.  They were cringing in horror at the vision before them.

Reaching up, David flicked Giendia's right ear.  She aimed and let her arrow fly.

Suddenly, an explosion engulfed the head of the White Wolf.  When the flames cleared, her ear was missing, blood oozing down the side of her head.  The weres gasped.

As the wolf limped on, David reached over and tapped Giendia's left forearm.  Another arrow was soon flying, and in a second, the explosion tore away the wolf's left front leg.  The arrows were, of course, destroyed in the explosion, so no evidence of their existence would be found.

The White Wolf carried on, now limping on one leg, and hobbling thanks to one that was completely missing.  David changed the illusion, and slowly, the White Wolf's left eye dissolved, leaving an empty eye socket behind, which the weres couldn't look at without feeling sick.

The wolf was nearing the south end of camp now, and David waved to Vivian to ramp up the volume of the howling.  She did, and it filled the camp, echoing round and sending shivers up everyone's spine.  A lot of fur was standing on end.

The White Wolf turned to look back at the camp, and David motioned Vivian to lower the volume of the howls.  She did, and the howls trailed off.  David then reached over and tapped the middle of Giendia's chest, hard.  She aimed for the wolf's heart, and the arrow flew.  The explosion was intense, and the flames engulfed the entire visage of the wolf.  David cut off his illusion at that point, as if the explosion had destroyed the White Wolf altogether.  Unseen, the wolf-rock moved out of the camp.  David ended the illusion, and had Vivian cut off the howling completely.  David then muttered something that Vivian didn't hear.

"What was that?" she whispered.

"Ending the enchantment on the rock."

"But... now won't they find the rock?  Won't that tell them it was a put-on?"

"No.  This is part of the legend, remember?  The body of the White Wolf found petrified is a sign of impending disaster."

"Oh!  Right!  But, say, why didn't we just put the morphed rock there to begin with?  Why did you have to animate it?"

"Footprints," David said.

"Huh?"

"The rock wolf left footprints through the camp.  It makes the illusion more convincing because there's real evidence she was there."

Vivian nodded in somewhat impressed understanding.

"Those werewolves look pretty anxious," Giendia said, looking at them through her NVGs.

"Yeah.  Let's get out of here.  I don't want to be around if they come looking.  I think any enemy found near this camp tonight would be in deep shit.  Giendia, for speed reasons, you've just become our transport."

"Yes, sir."

David didn't bother to grumble at her this time.

 For five nights, Troop 42 repeated the White Wolf operation.  In the end, over fifteen thousand werewolves were beset with a vision of doom.  Callamandian offensive operations would begin the next day, and Troop 42 was ordered out of the area, back to base.

"You guys can apply for leave if you want it," David said as they rode the peg carriage back to base.  "I'm going to be on temporary duty off-base for a while."

"How long?" Giendia asked.

David shrugged.  "It's another research mission, so I don't know.  Several days, at least."

"I still don't have anywhere else to go," Vivian said.

"You're always welcome at Pendergrast Manor.  Both of you are, in fact, if you want to visit."

"I haven't been there," Giendia said.

"Oh.  In that case, maybe we should go, so you can see it," Vivian said.

"Where are you off to this time?" Giendia asked David.

"Sopasante, and The Eternal Storm."

Giendia shivered.

"What?" Vivian asked her.

"We have stories about that.  They're the sort of thing you tell around campfires to scare people."

"Gee, thanks," David said.

Giendia blushed.

"Officer Kirkland," David intoned officiously and loudly, causing everyone in the bullpen to jump.

Chloe turned quickly at her name, not recognizing the voice at first.  When she saw him, her eyes lit up.  "David!" she screamed, and ran and gave him a huge hug.

"My god, it's been so long!  Good to see you!  Still in one piece, I see..."

David snorted.

"So what brings you back to the old stomping ground?"

"You are being temporarily enlisted," David replied.

"What?"

"Your skills are needed on a mission.  I am requesting that you accompany me."

"And if I refuse your request?" Chloe asked with a mischievous grin.

"Then I will go through channels, make it official, and it will be... seriously less temporary," David grinned evilly.  "'Request' was... kind of just me being polite."

"When did you start doing that?" Chloe asked, teasing him.

"Well, as you can see, I'm not very good at it yet," he retorted.

Chloe laughed.  "Where is it we're going?"

"Sopasante.  I need your language skills."

"So... no fighting?"

"I hope not."

She let out a sigh of relief.  "When do we leave?"

"As soon as you go home and pack.  My glidetruck is outside."

"But she has active cases," another Rimohr protested.

"The national security of the Kingdom comes before any criminal matter," David replied matter-of-factly.

The Rimohr snorted in derision.  "What would you be doing that was a matter of national security?"

"None of your business, and you should know that even asking that question is a borderline criminal offense during a time of war."

The Rimohr blushed at the rebuke, and kept his mouth shut after that.

"Seriously, we're going now?" Chloe asked.

"You have no court dates within the next three weeks.  I checked.  Everything else, really can wait.  This is... potentially war-critical."

"Oh.  Okay.  Let's go, then.  Uh, Boss..."

Keef was standing in his office door.  "Yes, I know.  The army needs you.  Seems like they keep taking all my best people," he said, looking at David.

"Yeah, well, call this one payback for giving my name to that asshole, Potter," David said.

Keef blushed slightly.

"And count your blessings.  I'll return this one when I'm done with her."

Chloe blushed.  That sounded rather obscene.  David saw the blush, and chuckled.

"Any idea how long?" Keef asked.

"Hopefully just a few days.  Maybe a week."

Keef nodded.  "Good luck, whatever it is."

David nodded, then turned to Chloe.  "Come on," he said.  She followed him out to his truck.

"So... what is it we're doing?" Chloe asked.  They were on an airplane from Boston bound for Sao Paulo, Brazil.

"Looking for Apraxis."

"Who?"

"The electric dragon.  He lives in The Eternal Storm."

"You don't expect me to go into that thing, do you?"

"No.  But I don't know exactly where it's located, nor how to find Apraxis within it.  There are several tribes of daubentonians in the area, all of them highly tied in to the elements.  I'm hoping one of them can tell us how to find Apraxis."

"So all I have to do is talk."

"Hopefully."

"I can manage that."

David chuckled.  "You'd do fine in the army, Chloe.  Just as glad you're not there, though."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to lose anyone else close to me."

Chloe blushed, and frowned.  "I heard about Garibaldi."

David grunted.  "Prof. Fibblebitz is dead, too."

"Oh, no!  What happened?"

"She was in Erle when it was overrun."

"Shit.  You two were pretty close, weren't you?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry.  Anyone else we know?"

"I don't know if you knew Nick Hasterscant."

"I know of the Hasterscant family.  I don't know any of them personally."

"I know the entire family.  I had to kill Nick.  He'd become a werewolf, and a traitor."

"Oh, no."

"Yeah.  It's not been a lot of fun."

"Doesn't sound like it.  Every day, when I read about it in the Bolmont Times, I'm glad that guy didn't call my name.  I know how cowardly that sounds..."

"Shit, Chloe, I wish he hadn't called mine.  That's not cowardice, that's good sense."

"Thanks, David.  So... what rank are you?  I don't have a handle on the insignias."

"Vocator."

"Already?  Damn."

"Yes, well... with my pre-military training, I started out as a vigax, so..."

"Right.  Gargoyles, Lord Woodward... why don't they have you running the war, again?" she asked, teasing.

"Shut up, woman!  They might hear you!" David growled.

Chloe giggled.  "I think you're probably safe, from 35,000 feet and a travel gate away..."

"Not the way my luck's been running, I'm not," David said.

"Sorry," Chloe said, a bit sobered by his tone.

"Don't worry about it.  How's the job been over the last months?"

"Busy.  As you could see, we're still understaffed, and the level of crime has picked up.  Mostly petty stuff, people acting out because they think they can get away with it, or as a stress reaction to the war, but... it's a lot to deal with."

"Maybe I should ask Vivian to drop in and help out when I'm off base."

"It wouldn't work.  She'd miss too much between visits."

David nodded.  "That's true.  Well, it was a thought."

"Yeah.  We'll manage.  Just get this damned war over with, so we can have you guys back!"

David snorted.  "Right.  See what I can do, just for your sake," he replied.

Chloe giggled and blushed.

 "How did you figure out where that travel gate was?" Chloe asked.

"Thankfully, the government has a resource for that kind of thing," David told her.

Upon emerging from the small building that housed the travel gate, they were greeted by two daubentonians.  David gathered that one was a female from his usual observation: this daubentonian had chest bumps.

"Hello," Chloe said in daubentonese.  She carried on a brief conversation with them, then turned to David.  "What, exactly, am I trying to ask them?"

"I would like to speak to their tribal elders."

Chloe nodded, and turned to speak to their greeters.  After another exchange, she asked, "Why?"

"Well, you know that.  We're trying to find Apraxis."

There was a distinct reaction from both daubentonians before Chloe even translated.  When she did, both daubentonians opened their eyes very wide.  They motioned for David and Chloe to follow.

Chloe looked at David and shrugged, then followed them.  David did likewise.

It took them almost an hour to reach the daubentonian village, through a fairly dense jungle.  When they entered the clearing, they saw a collection of huts made of wood and mud brick construction.  Children were running about and playing, and the adults were performing various tasks.

The two "daubs" with David and Chloe motioned them forward again, and led them to the center of the village, where there was a cook fire, and many places to sit.

"They want to know if we'd like something to eat," Chloe said.

"Um... is that safe, and is it impolite to say no?"

"Yes, and yes."

"In that case, we'd be delighted to have something to eat."

Chloe smiled before she translated.  The two were motioned to sit on a log that was supported by other logs, to keep it off the ground.  In a moment they were given a stew, which contained vegetables and some kind of meat that David didn't wish to guess at.  It tasted fine, which was good enough for him.

As they finished up their meal, some other daubs came near and sat around the cook fire.  These all seemed older; their fur wasn't as shiny, and seemed to contain some gray.

"I'm guessing these are the elders," David said.

"Most likely," Chloe confirmed.

"Chloe... you may be about to hear some very disturbing things.  Try not to react too harshly while we're here, okay?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You'll find out, I'm sure," David said.

One of the first daubs came over to Chloe, and introduced the elders.  Chloe put her hands together and bowed to them slightly, and David mimicked her move.

One of the elders directly across from David said something.

"What is it you seek, friend?" Chloe translated.

"Friend?" David asked Chloe.

"Daubentonians are very welcoming.  Friend is not an exaggeration on his part.  He will consider you his friend until you prove you aren't."

David nodded, and turned to the elder.

"I am trying to gather the pieces of the primal aegis.  It's an elemental shield that my country needs in its war with its northern neighbor.  I have been told that Apraxis, the electric dragon, possesses the piece I'm looking for, but I don't know how to find him.  I was hoping you could give some direction."

After Chloe translated, there was much murmuring among the daubs.  Finally, the leader turned back to them.

"You know, of course, that we cannot just tell you where he is.  You must first prove that you are still able to possess the shield."

David sighed quietly, then nodded.  "Yes, I expected as much."

"You will come with us."

David and Chloe rose and followed the elders into a large meeting hut.  They were directed to sit down on a mat near a fire.  The elders sat on other mats, also near the fire.

"You need not do anything but sit comfortably.  This will take some time, however."

David nodded.  He crossed his legs, put his hands, palms-down, on his knees, closed his eyes and breathed regularly.  The daubentonian, seeing that, nodded to the others, and the ritual began.

David could sense the divinatory energy around him, but he didn't grasp any of its meaning.  It wasn't important, however, and so he simply sat, trying to keep calm and let them do whatever they were going to do.

Finally, Chloe nudged David, and he opened his eyes.

"You have murdered a great many people," Chloe said, her eyes going wide as she translated.

"Murder is not a term that applies during war," David replied calmly.  "I have killed many people, yes.  That is my job."

"And the battalion commander?  Was it your job to nearly kill him?"

"That was... a means to an end."

"And end of his life, yes."

"Removing him from his position would have saved hundreds of lives," David replied.

"And he was removed, without your atrocity."

David nodded.  "I would point out, in my defense, that he would not have been removed if he had not revealed his true personality to his commander, and that happened pretty much because I almost killed him."

"So you have no remorse for what you did?"

"Not really.  That man was responsible for the deaths and debilitation of an awful lot of people."

"And the hoodlum who robbed the shop?  Was he responsible for many deaths?"

David's look grew angry.  "He threatened someone important to me.  That's a bad idea."

"If you had killed him, how would you be any better than him?"

"I was defending an innocent woman.  He was defending a criminal," David said.

"And if you had gone to prison for killing him, she would have had no one to defend her next time."

David nodded.  "True.  I didn't say I was reasoning things out at the time."

"Don't you consider that a problem?"

"My entire life is a problem right now," David said.  "This is just one part of it."

"Do you see hope for the future?"

"For the future in general?  There's always hope.  For me, personally?  I don't know."

"That is not the answer you have given previously," Chloe said, now really confused about the conversation she was translating.

"That was then.  This is now.  Life changes."

"You think it unlikely you will defeat the evil within, now?"

"I think it is somewhat more difficult now than it was a month ago.  I didn't know then, and I don't know now, whether I will conquer the beast."

The daubentonian nodded.

"We must confer," Chloe said, staring at David as the daubs moved to a larger mat, further away, so they could discuss in private.

"Later," David said in response to the look Chloe was giving him.

After a very long discussion, the elders returned.

"Some among us think I should not tell you where to find Apraxis."

"I can understand that.  Were they in the majority?"

"No, they were not.  But it was close.  Your attitude is worrying.  It is almost as if you have given up trying to fight."

"I haven't given up.  I just haven't found a better method for fighting it, and I can see that the method I'm currently using, isn't working."

The daub nodded.  "In any case, I will tell you.  Apraxis resides within the Eternal Storm.  It exists off the eastern shore.  The edge of the storm is some five miles from the coast.  The center of the storm, more like two hundred miles."

"Holy shit," David gasped.  "Don't translate that," he said hurriedly.

Chloe grinned.

"Apraxis does not live in the exact center of the storm.  He moves to always find its most energetic spots."

"Great, so he goes looking for the worst possible place for me to try to get to him," David said.

"You want me to translate that?" Chloe asked with a grin.

"No," David grumbled.  "Ask him if he has any suggestions about reaching Apraxis."

"Obviously, you must fly.  How you do that, we are uncertain.  We do not have the magic to fly."

"Is there a..." David started, then stopped.  Chloe looked at him.

"What?"

"I don't know how to ask the question without being completely rude."

"What is it you want to know?"

"Well, obviously, flying magic exists.  We have SkyRiders, I have a glidetruck.  These guys may not have heard of them yet.  I'm wondering if there is a more up-to-date settlement nearby.  Maybe a human colony, or at least daubentonians that are more modern."

Chloe nodded, and she turned back to the elders.

"There is, actually, a human settlement on the coast.  They keep to themselves, so we do not know whether they have the means to help you or not."

"Thank you for your assistance," David said.

The elders nodded.  Chloe and David rose, and they bowed to the elders before leaving.

"We're going to the coast now, aren't we?" Chloe asked.

"Yup."

 "Look, mate, if you're gonna take this thing into that thing..." the man said, pointing out to sea.  The edge of the storm was clearly visible from where they stood, "...you're crazy, and I'm not gonna warranty it for nothin'."

"I don't expect you to," David said.  "Especially since I plan to modify the hell out of it.  I just want you to tell me how bad changing its shape can change its flight characteristics."

"What do you plan on doin' to it?"

"Make it wider, give it actual wings for stability, create sides... I intend to sit down on it, rather than stand."

"Well, that will make it safer, of course," the man said.  "But the wings are going to mess with your ability to maneuver.  The magic spell's pretty specific to the shape of a SkyRider."

"Can that spell be changed?"

"Not by me, I don't make SkyRiders, I just sell 'em."

David frowned.  "So, you're saying it will... what?  Not be able to turn?"

"I don't know.  I'm sayin' that it's not used to having all that extra size on it, and it could do damned near anything.  I'd suggest some very low-height tests, first."

David grunted.  "What about connecting two SkyRiders together?"

"You'd never get them to respond the same way.  The thing would pull itself apart, mate."

David nodded.  "Okay.  Give me... three of your best SkyRiders."

"You're gonna try to connect three?" the man gasped.

"No.  I think I'm gonna screw up twice," David said with a smirk.

The man chuckled at that.  "Well, these are the best ones we've got, performance-wise.  I know, those are more expensive, but that's more about the jewelry than the dress, if you know what I mean."

David nodded.

"You look a tad wet," Chloe said to David.

"Oh, shut up," he grumped.  He had just taken his sixth bath in the South Abaian Ocean.  After two full days of building, he still hadn't fully stabilized his custom SkyRider.

Chloe giggled as David dried himself off with his wand again.

Growing more serious, Chloe said, "Hey, when I've seen pictures of those airplane-things... don't they have a big fin sticking up at the back?  Maybe you need one of those."

David looked at her in surprise.  "Well, they do call it a vertical stabilizer..." David said, then shook his head.  "Sometimes I wonder about me."

David set the SkyRider down on the ground, and pulled his wand again.  He concentrated and cast the morph charm.  His tail fin wasn't pretty, but it would hopefully do the job.

"Time to go swimming again?" Chloe asked with a grin.

"Keep it up, Chuckles," David grumbled.  "I can still fill out the paperwork to have you conscripted..."

"Eep," Chloe said.  "No thank you."

"Uh-huh."

David sat down in the SkyRider and took a deep breath.  As he let it out, the device lifted off the ground.  David shifted himself slightly, and the board zipped forward, out over the water.  In a few more seconds, he was at twenty feet.

Carefully, he leaned to the left.  The SkyRider started to tilt rapidly.  Previously, shifting back to the right wouldn't do anything.  This time, when he tried it, the tilt slowed, and then started to shift back to level.  It wasn't long before it was starting to tilt to the right, however, and David had to shift left to counteract that.

This is why I hate these goddamned things! David grumbled.  But there was no way he could dare ask a pegasus to take him into the storm; that would be insanity.

After a half hour of maneuvers and practice, David made his way back to the shore and lowered himself to the ground.

"Hey, you're dry!" Chloe said with mirth.

Growling, David waved his hand.

"AAAH!" Chloe screamed as a huge fountain of water erupted out of the ocean and landed right on her head, drenching her from head to foot and knocking her to the sand.

"You're not," David said with a vicious smirk on his face.

"You bastard!" Chloe said, laughing so hard David almost couldn't understand her.  He helped her up, and then he dried her off with his wand.

As they walked back toward the small beach house they had rented, Chloe asked, "So, what now?"

"It's too late in the day to go now.  Tomorrow morning, I'll head out to the storm, and see if I can find Apraxis."

"They said the most 'energetic' part of the storm.  What do you think they meant by that?"

"Given that he's an electric dragon?  I think I've got a good chance of getting fried by lightning."

"Fun," Chloe said.  "Glad I'm staying here."

"Oh, didn't I tell you, I built in a co-pilot's seat, just for you!" David said with a grin.

"I'll build you a dummy to take my place.  That way, there'll be two of them on that thing!"

"Ouch," David said with a grin.

Chloe just smiled.

The next morning, an hour after sunrise, David took his StormRider, as he had chosen to name it, out to the beach and set it in the sand.  He paced back and forth a few times, trying to calm himself.  Apart from not knowing where, exactly, he was going, David had no idea how his little plane would handle whatever kind of weather was inside the unending whirlwind he was planning to enter.

Well, no point in waiting.  It's not going to get easier as the day goes on.

Sitting down on his StormRider, David closed his eyes and meditated for a minute.  After that, he took a deep breath, and let it out.  He could feel the StormRider rise as he exhaled, and by the time he opened his eyes, he was thirty feet off the ground.  Another thought, and he went zipping out to sea at a hundred miles an hour.

As he entered the edges of the Eternal Storm, the wind began to pick up.  David decided his most comfortable bet was a tailwind, so he turned left slightly.  Being in the southern hemisphere, the storm rotated clockwise, and so turning left would put the wind at his back.

David realized quickly that this didn't help a whole lot.  The rain was pelting him furiously, and he swore his speed had jumped to a hundred fifty.  He leaned back slightly to slow down, and that helped, but leaning back also caused him to rise, and by the time he corrected for that, he was nearly a thousand feet up, skimming the bottom of the clouds.

Holy shit, this is stupid!

Suddenly, a strong gust came along, and David couldn't counteract the effect fast enough.  His StormRider flipped, and it was flying upside-down.  Thankfully, he had considered this problem beforehand, and he was magically held inside the vehicle.  He was, unfortunately, still upside-down, but at least he wasn't plummeting a thousand feet to his unfortunate not-death.

David wasn't sure how to right himself.  He tried rocking back and forth, but he couldn't get enough momentum to turn right-side up.

A Split-S would be a good maneuver here, but that guy warned me several times never to take a SkyRider completely vertical...

Suddenly, he had an idea.  I hope I have enough time to make this work...

David dove toward the surface.  Once he was very close to vertical, he rocked hard to his left.  The StormRider spun, and soon it was upright.

And then upside-down.

And then upright.

And then upside-down.

As it went through its fifth roll, David was finally able to jerk his body right hard enough to stop the StormRider.  He had to fight through his dizziness, and pulled the little plane level just a hundred feet over the water.

"Caput calitatem," David said.  Even his voice sounded dizzy.  The spell did its job, however, and David was restored to his normal equilibrium.

"This fucking dragon had better not give me any goddamned shit when I do find him!  I'll wrap the motherfucker in copper and tether him to a power pole!"

David tried to look around at the storm, to see if he could spot areas where there was more lightning, but he could barely see anything.

What the fuck am I doing?  This is insane!  I can't see anything, I can barely control this stupid little plane, I'm drenched, I nearly half-killed myself...  There has to be a better way to find this asshole!

David flew on.  In another hour, he made it to the eye of the storm, which was blessedly calm in comparison to the chaos around him.

"No, you couldn't be all nice and fly around here, could you, you ass?" David said to the empty sky.  "No, got to be hiding in 'the most energetic' spots.

"Don't really like company, do you?" David shouted to the sky.

He, of course, received no answer.

"How the hell am I supposed to find this stupid dragon?  Well, wait... he likes electricity.  I know how to manipulate electricity.  Maybe, rather than trying to find him, which is only going to get me hurt, maybe I could draw him to me?"

David took a deep breath and headed for the eye wall.  He'd formulated his plan almost instantly, once the idea had come to him.

In seconds, David was being buffeted by 200-mph winds.  He tried to keep them at his back, but there was little point to that.  David decided to simply let the wind carry him where it was going to.  He closed his eyes and concentrated, keeping the plane level, but not worrying about its course or speed.  He put most of his attention toward gathering the electrical charge that was all around him.

Soon, David was buffeted not just by wind, but by horrendous claps of thunder, as strokes of lightning flashed over and over again, mere yards away.  David cast a hearing protection charm, and then returned to his electromandy.

After thirty minutes of this, David finally figured he might have at least got the dragon's attention.  He shouted, as loud as he could, "APRAXIS!  DRAGON OF THE SKIES!  I NEED TO SPEAK WITH YOU!"

"So speak, human," a voice said.

David's StormRider did an entire roll as David jumped in shock.  His head whipped around to see... or almost to not see... the dragon flying beside him.  Apraxis was so well camouflaged, his body a mottled gray, that David could barely see him apart from the clouds, even with him only yards away.  Electric arcs passed over his body, and especially between his claws.  St. Elmo's fire flew from the various tips of his wings.

"COULD WE GO INTO THE EYE OF THE STORM, SO WE WON'T HAVE TO SHOUT AT EACH OTHER?" David asked.

"If you must," the dragon replied.  It had never raised its voice, yet somehow the sound cut straight through the wind, rain, and thunder.  The dragon whirled so rapidly that David lost sight of him.  He pivoted his StormRider, and soon he was back inside the eye of the Eternal Storm.  Here, Apraxis' camouflage wasn't as useful, for the cloud wall was white with the light of the sun shining down on it from above.

"What is it you want, human?" Apraxis asked.

David shook his head a few times to clear out the noise of the thunder.  Even with the hearing charm, it was still pretty nasty.  Finally, he turned to the dragon.

"I'm sure you've been forewarned of my visit," David said.  "My name is David Stroud.  I've come to ask you for a piece of the primal aegis."

Apraxis sneered.  "Yes, they told me you'd be coming for my crystal.  I see no real reason to give it over to you, some wishy-washy little cretin, unsure if he's good or evil.  If you simply embraced your dark side, I could at least respect that.  Terrible for those around you, but you would have a great deal of fun.

"Or, if you walked into the light, I could respect that.  Boring, but solid.

"But you... you waver back and forth, this way and that.  You're like... why, you're just like your little sky-boat.  Thrown this way and that by whatever winds of life push at you.  You have no rudder, no sense of direction."

"I'm trying, dragon.  All of the directions I'd prefer to go are being closed off to me."

"Yes, whine, whine, whine.  Stand up for yourself, man!"

"Doing that leads to my dark side," David complained.

"And?"

"What do you mean, and?  I don't want to be evil!"

"Then stop acting that way."

"Don't you think I would if I could?" David demanded.

"You're not insane, human.  Therefore, every action you take is a choice.  You choose to be evil.  And then, later, you choose to feel guilty about being evil.  But then you choose to be evil again, knowing you will feel guilty about your choice!  You are worse than insane, you are a fool!  Either embrace being evil, or do not choose that path!"

"And let thousands die?" David growled.

"Ah, but how many will you kill, if you go down that road?" Apraxis asked.

"I don't know.  But I do know how many I will kill by not going down that road."

"Yes.  The conundrum.  Man, wishes to be good, but being truly good means acting in a way perceived as evil.  If the man acts evilly, he will be doing good, but at what cost to his soul... and really, will those evil acts wind up being better, or worse, for everyone?"

"Well?  What's the answer?" David demanded.

"I am not here to give you answers!" Apraxis snarled.  "I am not your mother, your priest, or your counselor!"

"Then will you at least give me the piece of the shield?" David asked, pleading.

"I will.  Hesitantly.  I don't think you are stable enough to handle the power it offers you.  Still, I sense that you may yet figure out your path... if you are strong enough to realize when good is evil, and evil is good.  Or, perhaps, when you are evil, and when you are good.  For your biggest problem is that, when you embrace the evil, you no longer see it as evil."

David frowned.  He knew this was true; during the event, he hadn't felt any hesitation about killing Batalo Clayton.  And he had been looking forward to the death of the hoodlum that had threatened Zyla.  Only when things were over did he look back and realize how out of control he had been.

David's thoughts were derailed by a brilliant flash of green lightning.  Suddenly a purple crystal, about six inches long and three-quarters of an inch thick, dropped into David's lap.

"Take the Lightning Wand, human.  Good luck.  I dare say that convincing the last dragon to give you the Blazestone will probably thwart you... assuming you even make it that far.

"Now leave my home, and leave me be, or I will turn your little sky-boat into matchsticks, and you into a very poor bird."

"Thank you, dragon," David said.  He decided his best course of action was, in fact, to go upward.  Though the top of the storm was thousands and thousands of feet up, David didn't need to breathe, and he had spells to use to keep him warm.  It was better than going back through the nightmare of the storm.

It took him an hour to spiral up to the top of the Eternal Storm's eye.  He could see a long way, and the pleasing part of that was what he saw was clear sky.

Let's get the fuck out of here.

And... shit, he didn't give me any clues.  Where the hell am I supposed to find the Blazestone dragon?

 When Cupcake landed on the lawn at the king's Cormatsen residence this time, she was not accosted.  David had returned Chloe to Bolmont, and the Rimohr office had delivered a message that he was to report to the king, so here he was, in late afternoon, entering the king's residence once again.

David made his way to the king's work room, and entered.  The king and an arkigo looked up as the doors opened.

David stepped up and bowed to the king.

"Stop that," the king said.  David smirked.

"Reporting as ordered, Your Majesty," David said.

"Any luck finding the dragon?" the king asked.

"Yes, sir.  I have the Lightning Wand.  That leaves only one piece left to locate."

"Did he give you any hints as to how to find it?"

"No, sir.  He was... fairly uncooperative in general."

"You didn't have to fight him for it, did you?" the arkigo asked.

David snorted.  "Even I don't want to know how such a battle would turn out, sir.  No, he was simply... well, rude.  Even for a dragon."

"That's saying something," the king said.  "I've had my fair share of dealings with dragons."

"I'd gathered, from Stillwell's comment."

"Ah, about his daughter's habit.  I'm not sure he'd like me mentioning it, so don't go telling anyone else, but she used to chew on the end of her tail."

David snorted in amusement.  "And how did you stop her?"

"I gave him a potion to make her tail taste like applesauce."

"Applesauce?" David asked.

"She hates applesauce," the king said with a grin.

"How would she even know that?" David wanted to know.

"She was old enough to have taken human form, and so tried human foods."

David nodded.  "Gotcha."

"Your Majesty, we do have work to do," the arkigo said.

"Cool your heels, Tiberius.  Frankly, David's done more for the war effort than you have.  I think he deserves a little friendly chat before we dive right in to ordering him about like a zombie."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Tiberius replied.

"I appreciate the kindness, Your Majesty.  But he's right, you do have work to do.  And, since I'm here, I assume I do, as well.  What can I do for you today?"

The king nodded.  "We need you to go back to Mirelia."

"To do what?" David asked.

"Ask them about the portals.  See if they know anything about the location of the OmniPortal."

"Are you sure you want to give them that information, Majesty?"

"Our enemy already knows.  Hiding it from our friends, if they don't already know, can only hurt both of us."

"Yes, sir.  Sir... I meant to ask you this when you sent me to ask about the elemental shield... you have an ambassador there, with one of the communications portals.  Why don't you just ask them directly?"

"We have some indications that one of Queen Diana's communications people isn't loyal.  We don't have enough proof yet to do anything about that, but we're limiting the kinds of things we send over the portal.  We've been sending written messages mostly, but this is something I don't want to trust to... what did they call it, Tiberius?"

"The postal service."

David snorted.  "You're sending important messages through the US Mail?"

"Is that not wise?" the king asked innocently.

David tried not to snort again.  "I'd personally sooner send it via rabid mestapir."

The king chuckled.  Mestapirs, when rabid, ran in circles until they fell over.  Then they would get up and do it again, and again.

"It can't be that bad," the arkigo sniffed.  "Our messages have gotten through."

"No, sir, it's really not," David said seriously.  "But the postal service has a horrible reputation in the United States for inefficiency and a bad habit of losing important things."

"Yes, well... that's why we want this sent more... securely."

"Yes, sir.  I can understand that.  You just want me to find out what they know?"

"Yes.  I will also have a packet of papers for you to deliver to Ambassador Stevenson.  Since we're sending you, might as well make use of you as a courier."

"Yes, sir.  I'll leave in the morning... how quickly do you want me to get there?"

"Speed is not crucial, but don't dawdle."

"Yes, sir.  In that case, I'll travel by pegasus."

"That will be fine."

"Do you wish me to remain here, Majesty, or should I find lodgings in the city?"

"I'm sure Christa already knows you're here, which means your room will have already been prepared.  I imagine she might be offended if you didn't use it..."  The king grinned at David.

David was once again happy that he could not blush.  "Yes, Your Majesty.  In that case, I will see you later."

"You will join us for dinner," the king ordered gently.

"Yes, Majesty."

"Dismissed," the arkigo said, since the king seemed unwilling to be so blunt.

David snapped to attention, and then turned and left the room.

 David came in for a landing just outside the palace walls.  Cupcake slowed to a trot, and then walked up to the front gate.  David dismounted and approached the guards.  He recognized Jedrak from his last visit.

"Name?"

"Vocator David Stroud, Royal Paladin and representative of the King of Callamandia to Her Royal Majesty, Queen Diana," he said, rolling off as important a title as he could think of.

"Purpose of visit?" Jedrak intoned, unimpressed.

"I have a matter to discuss with the queen."

"And what is that matter?" Jedrak queried.

"None of your business," David replied bluntly.

"Listen, Vocator David Stroud, I do not have to allow you entrance."

"Listen, Guard Jedrak, I'm a demighost.  You cannot prevent my entrance.  I'm being polite.  Now announce me and get the fuck out of my way, or I will simply bypass you altogether."

"How dare you threaten to invade the palace!" Jedrak snarled.  Jedrak pulled his wand.

In the blink of an eye, Jedrak was on the ground with his arm twisted around behind his back, his face planted in three inches of icy snow.

David looked up at the other guard.  "You will open the gate.  Now."

"Yes, sir!" the guard said.  He had never seen anyone move that fast.

David yanked Jedrak up from the ground.  "Why is it," David growled, "that people surrounding royal families tend to be both arrogant and stupid?"  David shoved Jedrak forward, continuing to hold his arm behind his back.  "Come on, Cupcake," David said.  The pegasus followed behind him calmly.

"You will never make it in the building," Jedrak sneered.

As they approached the front door, the guards stiffened.  Jedrak snapped, "Take him!"

"If either of you does anything other than open that door, I will snap his arm off and shove it up your ass," David warned darkly.

The guards looked at each other, then back at David...

And opened the door.

"You cowards!" Jedrak screamed.

"Maybe they didn't like the idea of you fingering their colon," David said with a smirk.

Turning, David pulled his wand and waved it at Cupcake.  She was suddenly adorned in a ComfortCloak blanket.  She couldn't wear it while flying, as it was covering her wings, but she would now be kept warm despite the weather.  She nickered in appreciation.

"Walk, shithead," David said.  Jedrak stumbled forward.

David soon saw one of the queen's daughters approaching.

"Sis, get this yeti off me!" Jedrak screamed.

"Modify your tone, Jedrak, I'm sure he has a reason.  Paladin... Stroud, wasn't it?"

"You have a great memory, Your Highness.  Unfortunately, mine's not quite as good.  I'm sorry that I can't remember your name."

"No harm.  It's Talisa.  Why are you attempting to dismantle my little brother?"  Her tone indicated more amusement than actual concern.

"I wanted to see if he had a brain, since I've seen no particular evidence of it," David replied with a wink.

"Asshole!" Jedrak snarled.

David yanked on his arm, causing him to screech.  "See?  No brain.  Guy's holding his arm in a very painful position, and he decides to get abusive."

"I'll admit, he's not too bright.  Especially since he has specific orders regarding you," Talisa said, looking at Jedrak darkly.

"No one gets special treatment from the guards," Jedrak snapped.

"They do when mother tells you they do, you ass.  Mother is in her work room.  I'll assume you came to see her?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Oh, please don't call me ma'am.  I hate that.  Especially when it comes from someone with so much more stature than I possess."

"You're a crown princess.  I'm a soldier."

"Right.  Calling you a soldier is like calling Mother a mildly important lady.  Mother is keeping tabs on you, in case you were wondering."

"I'm honored."

Talisa snorted.  "Come on, I'll take you to her.  Are you going to drag him everywhere now?"

"He makes a nice shield... he'd probably absorb two... maybe three werewolves before I had to discard him..."

Talisa giggled.  Jedrak growled.

"I do have a reason for bringing him with me," David said.

"Okay.  It's this way."

They entered the queen's work room to find Ambassador Stevenson already there.  The two seemed to be discussing some aspect of the war.  Ambassador Stevenson rose upon David's entrance.

"Paladin Stroud!  Release him at once!"

"I don't work for you, Ambassador, therefore I don't take orders from you, either," David said.  He stepped up to a table in the room and slammed Jedrak's face down into it.

"Your Majesty, your son was in serious violation of security protocol.  I felt it best if I brought him along so he could explain himself to you."

The queen frowned mightily.  "What did he do?"

"He questioned me about the subjects I needed to discuss with you, and he intimated that if I did not tell him what they were, he would not admit me to the palace.

"I would also point out that he attempted to threaten me with his wand, but as this was a very foolhardy and potentially fatal thing to do, for which he now has an extremely sore arm, I think he's already been punished for that."

"Jedrak, explain yourself!" the queen demanded.

"Get this bastard to let me up, and I will!"

"I think you're doing just fine where you are," the queen retorted.  "Perhaps what you need is a good bit of physical discipline to wake you up.  Maybe Paladin Stroud should take you down to the training hall for some lessons."

"Your son would not survive that, ma'am," David said quickly.

"You think you're such hot shit," Jedrak snarled.

"Watch your language!" The queen shouted.

David let the boy up.  Jedrak shook himself, and then turned around.

David decked him.

Jedrak went tumbling over the table, hit the floor and rolled twice before coming to a stop.

David looked down at him.  "I spent two years training under the best weapons master in Callamandia.  I spent four months training with the biggest damned gargoyle you'd ever want to see.  I have spent the last ten months fighting with werewolves.  You have apparently been sitting on your ass, acting important, and not learning a damned thing.

"If I were to take you down to the 'training hall', and were we to engage in actual fighting, you would be dead within the first ten seconds.  You've shown no actual combat ability.  Yes, compared to you, I do think that I'm... excuse me, Your Majesty... 'hot shit'.  Because compared to you, a six-year-old dwarf with a pointy stick would also be, ahem, 'hot shit.'"

The queen chuckled at that remark.  "A little harsher lesson than I normally provide, Paladin... but then, perhaps it might actually get through to him."

"You want to get through to him, send him to the Callamandian Army for a few months."

"You wouldn't dare!" Jedrak gasped at his mother, finally rising from the floor.

"Hmm.  A thought to consider.  In any case, I'm sure you didn't come here to discuss Jedrak's behavior.  That would be a rather long trip just for that.  How can we help the kingdom today?  Or is this a personal visit?"

David merely looked at Jedrak, and then back to the queen.

"Right.  Jedrak, you're dismissed."

"You're not even going to protest what he did to me?" Jedrak whined.

"If you don't leave the room, I may ask him to do it again," Diana retorted.  "And you and I will speak later about your behavior."

Jedrak glared at David as he left the room.

Talisa said, "I'll look after your pegasus."

"Her name is Cupcake.  And she hasn't eaten since this morning, so..."

"Right."

"Oh!" David reached into his pocket and pulled out a callum apple.  "I don't know if you have any of these.  It's her reward for getting us here."

Talisa smiled and took the apple.  "I'll make sure she gets it."

"Thank you."

With the two of them gone, David turned back to the queen.

"Your Majesty, I hated to be difficult, but the reason I didn't want your son here is because I was told you have a security problem.  Given what he was trying to do to me at the gate, I have to wonder if he might not be either the cause, or the source, of the problem."

"Wouldn't cause and source be the same thing?" Stevenson asked.

"Not necessarily, sir.  The cause would be the person doing the actual leaking to the enemy.  The source could just be a person who talks too much, to make himself seem more important... perhaps to a lady friend."

"You're suggesting that perhaps Jedrak is trying to woo a woman by giving her secrets?"

"I don't think he'd be doing it with the intent of giving information to the enemy, ma'am.  More to impress her, prove how important he is, how much he knows.  Men have been compromised that way for... ever."

Diana smiled.  "Women aren't much better, trust me.  We just tend to do it for slightly different reasons."

David nodded.  "In any case, since what we have to discuss is somewhat sensitive, I didn't want his ears to hear it."

"Completely understandable."

"And, ma'am, I do want to apologize - to you - for manhandling your child."

Diana giggled.  "But not to him."

"Not in the slightest."

"Well, you are forgiven, in this case.  He almost certainly deserved it.  Now, what is it we need to discuss?"

"Your Majesty, have you ever heard of things called portals?"

"Travel gates, certainly."

"No, ma'am.  These aren't... well, they are similar to travel gates.  But instead of leading to Earth, portals lead from one place in Dugerra, to another place in Dugerra."

Ambassador Stevenson said, "That's fiction.  No such thing exists."

"You'd better tell the portals in my attic back home that they don't exist, then," David replied.

"You just happen to have portals in your attic?" Stevenson asked.

"I live in the home of the person who discovered portals.  She had the house built where it is, because the portals were there."  Turning to the queen, David said, "You might know them by some other name, but essentially, they are places where you can build a gateway that will lead from one spot to another.  Some portals lead to places that are just a few yards apart.  Others lead to places on the other side of the planet from each other."

"My word.  I haven't personally heard of anything like this.  You said it was discovered by the woman who owned your house... why not ask her?"

"She has discorporated already," David said.

"How old is this information?" the ambassador asked.

"It was first discovered over a hundred fifty years ago by us.  How long ago Mirelia might have found out about them, we don't know.  The Vrudenans know about them now.  We're not sure whether they stole that information from us, or if they stumbled upon it somehow."

"Well, as I said, I've never heard of it.  I will, however, have the archivists look into it.  How long will you be staying?"

"Just a couple days, Your Majesty.  If at all possible, I'd like to find a way to pin down your security leak while I'm here.  I have the start of an idea, but I haven't worked it through yet."

"That's generous of you, Paladin, but our security problem isn't really your concern..."

"I'm a Rimohr, ma'am.  Your security problem is a national security issue... technically it is still my concern, since I'm currently operating within your nation."

The queen smiled at him.  "You take all your duties this seriously?"

"I try."

"Well, if you work out your plan, let me know.  You will join me and the girls for dinner?"

"I would be honored, ma'am.  Your sons won't be joining us?"

"I don't think you want to eat with Jedrak, and Kundrek is away on business."

"I see."

"I'll have someone... oh, Relana, good.  Could you show Paladin Stroud to a room?  He'll be here a couple days."

"Certainly, Mother."

"Oh," David said, remembering.  He snapped his fingers, and a huge bundle of parchment and folders appeared on the table in front of him.  "These are for you, Ambassador.  Various files and communications from the king that they hadn't gotten around to sending yet."

"Very good.  Thank you, Paladin."

David nodded to the ambassador, bowed to the queen, and then turned to Relana, who led him out of the room.

It wasn't long after Relana had shown him to his room that Talisa showed up at his door.

"You know, attacking palace guards will not usually work out in your favor," Talisa said by way of introduction.  Her tone was still friendly, and she smiled as David turned from the window.

"Your brother irritated me when I was here last time.  When he started to mouth off this time... well..."

"You decided to educate him about the difference between a guard and a soldier?"

David smirked.  "More about the difference between a boy and a man, actually."

"Ooh," Talisa said with a grin.  "I'm gonna use that line on him.  That'll really get his griffin."

David smiled.

"So, have you seen Christa recently?"

"Several times.  She's doing well, although she's missing a year of school because of this stupid war."

"How bad is it?  Ramone doesn't say much when I'm around, and Mother won't tell me.  How she expects me to learn to lead this way..." she grumped, trailing off.

David replied, "We're losing.  That's why I'm here.  We're grasping at straws at this point.  If we don't find something that can turn things around, we're going to be overrun."

Talisa frowned.  "What would the king do, you think, if he was forced to surrender?"

"I don't know.  That's way above my pay grade."

"Well... As a member of the Mirelian government, let me tell you this.  Mother would say it, but she thinks it's disrespectful.  Maybe it is, but I'm gonna say it anyway.  If it really goes that badly... you would have a job here, in our government, if you wanted it."

David's eyebrows shot up at that.  "Thank you, ma...er, Your Highness," David said.  She smiled at him.  "I'm honored that the offer was even thought of, let alone made.  But my first loyalty is to Callamandia and her king."

"Oh, we know that.  We just want you to know that, should there come a time when that loyalty... is no longer relevant..."

"Right.  I understand.  Thank you, seriously."

"As I said, Mother's been keeping tabs on you.  She knows all the stuff you've done."

"Ugh.  Not sure whether that's a good thing or not," David said with a smirk.

Talisa giggled.  "Anyway, what would you like for dinner?"

"Your mother said I was eating with her and you."

"Yes, I know that.  As the guest, though, what we have is your choice."

"Oh.  I... well, I don't know what dishes you normally eat here."

"I'll have them bring you a menu," Talisa offered.

"Thanks."

"You want me to what?" Ambassador Stevenson gasped.

"Just send the message, as you would normally."

"We can't let important information get into the hands of the Vrudenans!  This mentions the king's daughter!"

"It's also completely fake," David said.

Ambassador Stevenson frowned.  "Will the king know that?"

"There are references in there that he will grasp, and he will ask Christa about the rest.  Just send it, Ambassador.  This is actually outside your purview."

Stevenson frowned, but took the message.  David accompanied him down the hall and into the communications center.

"Send this message, verbatim," the ambassador ordered the communicator.

"Yes, sir," the man said.

Once the connection was open, the communicator said, "Critical message for TRIQUETRA."

"Ready to copy," the person at the other end said.

"OPERATION LYDIA set to proceed.  ICE QUEEN has approved.  FAIRCHILD to travel via northern route ELMORE on the 26th.  Unit 1-19 in support.  Expected duration: five days."

"Understood and copied.  Anything further?"

"ICE PRINCESS will meet FAIRCHILD at point FARGO, to escort.  Rendezvous expected on the 28th."

"Understood and copied.  Anything further?"

"GHOSTRIDER is scouting near ANFCC-NORTH for unfriendly activity.  Further information will be forwarded as it becomes available.  Message terminates."

"Understood and copied.  Do you have further communications to send?"

"Negative."

"Have a good one," the other communicator said, and closed the connection.  With that, David and the ambassador left the room.

"I don't even understand the message.  Well, I get the first part, I guess.  Fairchild being Christa, you're saying that she's going to do something... called Operation Lydia?"

"The gist of the message, which I'm sure the Vrudenans will have no trouble interpreting, is that Christa is coming to Mirelia for something.  They won't know what, but it's not important.  The message also tells them Talisa will be meeting her about halfway.  Route Elmore and point Fargo are standard, but confidential, geographical references that I'm quite sure the Vrudenans already know about.

"So, basically, we told them that Christa and Talisa are going to be exposed and vulnerable early next week."

"And the part about Ghostrider?  There's no such facility as ANFCC-North, only East and West."

"As I command one of those facilities, I know that.  Ghostrider would be me.  I'm a demighost, and I am a Peg Rider.  The king knows both these things.  ANFCC-North should be easily interpreted to mean us, as soon as they figure out the message is a fake.  The point of that sentence is to tell them why this message was sent: to find the leaker."

"And you're sure he'll know this is fake?"

"Christa knows who Lydia is.  It won't take her long to figure it out.  For all her flaws, Christa's damned smart when she wants to be."

"I hope you're right about this, Paladin.  If they send Christa off on some journey..."

"How could they?  They have no idea what Operation Lydia is any more than you do!"

"Quite so.  All right, let's just hope it works."

"Too bad I can't stick around to find out.  I'll be heading back tomorrow morning."

"Sorry you didn't gain any insight into the portals."

David shrugged.  "I honestly didn't expect them to know any more than we did.  I'm surprised they don't have any information at all.  Mirelia seems to be older and slightly wiser than Callamandia."

The ambassador chuckled.  "You think Diana is a better ruler than King Jonathan?"

"Not as such.  Mirelia just has more of a feel of wisdom about it... perhaps just due to its age.  Or maybe I just like the fact that all its rulers are pretty girls," David said with a grin.

"I heard that," Queen Diana said from behind him as she came into the room.

David turned and bowed to her.  "Your Majesty," he said.

"Have designs on one of my daughters, do you?" Queen Diana asked with a grin.

David smirked.  "No, ma'am.  I am, in fact, already spoken for... I hope..." he said, frowning slightly for a moment.  Then he said, "But why couldn't I have had designs on you, yourself?  Is it reaching too far for a lowly soldier to wish to wed a beautiful queen?"

Diana blushed.  After a moment to recover, she said, "I'm just a bit old for you, don't you think?"

"As a demighost, it wouldn't be wise of me to consider age in any way, shape, or form when choosing partners.  Otherwise, all my potential partners will very quickly become relative infants."

Diana chuckled.  "True enough.  In any case, I am not available, as High Priestess."

"Aww," David said, then sighed theatrically.  "There go my dreams."

"Not necessarily," Diana said.  "Perhaps Talisa is interested in you."

David chuckled.  "She is almost as beautiful as her mother, but, as I said, I am already spoken for."

"You hope," Diana said, reminding him of what he said.

"Yes."

"She hasn't spoken... clearly enough?"

"She hasn't decided yet."

"I see.  Well, best of luck in that," Diana said.  "Also, how has your journey been?"

David knew she was referring to his fight with the dark side of his nature.

"Still looking for those crossroads," David said.

Diana nodded seriously.  "Please be careful."

"I am as careful as I am being allowed to be," David said.

Diana considered that statement for a moment, then nodded.  "I understand.  Well, I will leave you to your evening."

Before she left the room, she turned with a mischievous grin.  "Also, don't tell her I told you this, but... in case the other lady refuses to speak... Relana thinks you're cute."  She winked at him, and slipped from the room.

David chuckled at what she'd said, and then turned to the ambassador.

"If you have no further need of me, I'll be heading to bed.  Did you have any messages you needed delivered to the king?"

"Yes.  They're already in your room.  Just take the entire case with you."

"Yes, sir.  Good night, Ambassador."

"You, too, Paladin."

"Sir, really?  Can't Potter do any of his own work?" David complained.

"This one actually requires you," DeSantis said.

"Why?"

"Because arrests may need to be made."

"Oh?  What the hell is it?"

"Apparently, looters are attempting to sell the possessions of those killed in battles, or who have evacuated and left things behind."

"So you want us to go in, find the plunderers, and arrest them."

"Yes."

"Fine.  No big deal, should be easy to spot.  What area are we talking about?"

"They're actually up in Bolmont."

"They're trying to sell shit... in Bolmont.  Headquarters of the Rimohrs for the area.  Wait, why do you need me, then?  Just have Keef send someone!"

"Actually, he is sending somebody, but due to the fact that these are war crimes, he's concerned the perpetrators might be armed, and he wants serious backup for that.  Also, because they are war crimes, they'll have to be turned over to the military for tribunal, anyway."

"Fun.  Who's he sending in on this?"

"Officer Kirkland."

"Well, at least not a dipshit," David said.

DeSantis chuckled.

"I'll be on my way shortly.  I'll take Vivian with me, so that no one can bitch we didn't take the matter seriously.  If they're to be turned over to us, where do we house them?  We have a stockade, but that's for military personnel only."

"You'll hold them at Rimohr HQ until a coach comes up to collect them.  They'll be housed at Chatsaw."

"That's a minimum-security facility."

"Not anymore, it's not."

"Oh.  Gotcha.  Since I'm going to be up in Bolmont already, boss, when this is done, I'm taking a few days' leave.  The mission assignments are all worked up and ready to be sent out."

"Fair enough.  When will you be back?"

"On the first."

"Okay.  Oh, did you find out anything useful from the Mirelians on... that matter you were sent there about?"

"No.  They had no information at all.  Not even what we already knew."

"Damn.  Okay, I'll pass that along."

"I already sent a message down to the king about it."

"Oh, all right, so they know already."

"Yes, sir."

"Okay.  Get moving on those plunderers."

"Yes, sir."

"And Vocator?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Try not to kill anyone.  These are civilians."

"Picky, picky, picky," David replied with a grin.

DeSantis chuckled, and signed off.

David rose, said thank you to the soldier, and moved off to find Vivian.

"Hey, Chloe," Vivian said.  The two ladies hugged.

"Good to see you, Vivian.  You keeping this joker out of trouble for us?"

David snorted.

Vivian just shook her head.  "I think I get him into more trouble than I keep him out of."

"But at least she's cute," David said.

Vivian whacked him on the arm.

"Ow!  Hey, that's assaulting your superior..."

"You want me to kiss something and make it better?" Vivian challenged.  Chloe gawked.

"Maybe later," David replied nonchalantly.  Chloe now gawked at him.

Getting serious, David asked Chloe, "So what do we know about our plunderers?"

"Supposedly, the materials they're selling came from Erle.  Erle was ravaged about-"

"I'm well aware of when Erle was overrun," David said shortly.  "We were there."

"Oh.  Sorry.  Um... anyway, so they certainly took their own sweet time about it."

"Probably wanted to avoid being eaten," Vivian offered.

David grunted.

"Do we know if they have a particular street corner?"

"No, they move around quite a bit, they say.  They do tend to stay in this general area, though."

David nodded.

The three walked down the street, trying to look inconspicuous, but this is a difficult thing for people to do when two of them are dressed as soldiers, and one is dressed as a Rimohr officer.

"We should probably change," David suggested.

"I don't have spare clothes on me," Chloe objected.

David snorted and pulled out his wand.  He flicked his wand at her and cast a silent spell.  She was soon wearing a basic light blue dress with short heels.

"Now me!  And no BDSM gear!" Vivian commanded.

"Not even the gag?" David objected.

"Nnno!" she said.

"Fine," David sighed.  He flicked his wand at her and she was wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt that said, "Vampires Suck".

"Wait, she gets a pretty dress, and I get jeans and a T-shirt?" Vivian complained.

"No offense, but I can't picture you in a dress, so I can't put you in one."

"Hmph."

David then morphed his own clothes, which mimicked his old school uniform, only with much different colors.  His coat was dark green and his inner clothes were khaki.  His boots were black.

"Well, now we look about as little like law enforcement as it's possible to," David said.  "Let's go find some scumbags."

Two hours of walking around and making discreet inquiries hadn't led to anything useful.  It was getting late in the day, and they were discussing whether to call it a day and try again the next.

As they came around a corner, however, they spotted what looked like a possible suspect.  Someone had set up a crate of stuff and was trying to hawk the goods.  Another guy was further out, trying to convince passersby to stop and look.

"Great items, cheap!" the talkative one said.  "Come have a look!  Top-flight items at bargain prices!  Lightly used, great condition!"

"What've you got?" David asked the sales guy.

"We've got anything you might need.  We've got potions, we've got herbs, we've got silver candle holders.  We've got a set of dragonscale tarot cards.  Worth three thousand granas, we're practically giving it away, for four hundred!

"Not into divination?  We've got-"

"Oh, no, I'm very much into divination.  In fact, I can predict your future," David said to the man.

"Oh?" the sales guy said.

"Yes.  I predict that tonight you'll be sleeping in a jail cell.  Hands up, you're under arrest.  We're Rimohrs."

Suddenly, there was a scream behind them.  Vivian was knocked to the ground as David turned.  Before him was a seven-foot tall werewolf, one of the largest he'd ever seen.

It didn't matter very much how big he was, however.  David judged the distance and leapt, spinning as he went.  His foot connected with the were's stomach and sent him flying to the ground.  David landed, then drew his wand.  The other were was about to attack, but David's paralio spell stopped him cold.

Turning back to the first were, who was already struggling to his feet, David put away his wand, and then pulled his sword.

"On your knees, now, or I will kill you.  I don't care if you're a Vrudenan or just a fool.  I'm not toying with you, fucker."

The werewolf growled and lunged.  David planted his foot and pushed off.  His sword pierced the were's chest, and David's lunge pushed it all the way through his body.  David's hand, in fact, entered the were's chest cavity, and the two of them fell.  David jerked sideways, causing them to roll.  He did this to protect his sword from damage.  Once they had stopped moving, David shoved at the werewolf, pushing the body off himself, and then yanking his sword free.

Rising, David went to Vivian.  "You okay?" he asked her, offering a hand.

"Yeah.  Damn, he was huge."

Looking to Chloe, he said, "That's what she said."

Chloe blushed crimson.

As Vivian got to her feet, she looked at the dead were.  "How the hell did you take him so easily?"

"A seven foot were may be tough, but he's not a five-hundred pound winged gargoyle."

Vivian grunted.

Chloe said, "I'm sorry, you two.  I didn't-"

"Chloe," David said, stopping her.  "This was combat.  You weren't expected to get involved.  This is what we're trained for.  You're not."

"Thanks, David.  I felt really damned stupid... I mean, if Vivian had been seriously hurt, I'd..."

"There wasn't anything you could have done to prevent it," Vivian said.  "Hell, even I didn't see it coming.  We were both looking the wrong way."

"Still."

"Don't let it eat at you, Chloe.  You're a Rimohr.  We're the soldiers.  You were expecting humans, not werewolves.  Question still is, is this guy a Callamandian, or a Vrudenan?"

"Does it matter?" Chloe asked.

"Very much so," David said.

"Why?"

Vivian replied, "Because the only way he's going to live through the next five minutes is to be a Callamandian."

David unparalyzed the were.  "Your license," David demanded.

"Fuck you, pig,  Mmm.  Pigs taste good..."

"Trust me, asshole, I'd give you heartburn.  Your license.  Now."

"I have no need of licenses.  I am a proud member of the Were Nation!"

In a flash, David's sword was back in his hand.  In another flash, the were's head was lying on the ground, and his body was following suit.

"Now you're a proud member of the Dead Nation," David spat, and kicked the head.  After a minute, he vaporized the two bodies.

"You think there are any more?" David asked Chloe.

"I don't think so.  We were only getting reports of one person."

"Well, obviously that's bogus.  There were two here," Vivian objected.

"Yeah, but you know how people are," David said.  "One 'incident' means one person."

"I guess," Vivian said.

"In any case, we'll let it go for now.  If there are more incidents that come in... do not let anyone from the office try to take this on," David told Chloe.  "This needs to be handled by Scout Company 1."

Chloe nodded.  "I'll let Keef know."

"Fucking Vrudenans," David snarled, taking one last look at the loot they'd been trying to sell.

"What do we do with that stuff?" Chloe asked.  "There's no possible way to know who it belongs to."

David pulled out his wand and vaporized all of it.

"Problem solved," David said.  "Come on."

As they were walking back down the street, Vivian said, "You really can't see me in a dress?"

"Do you even own a dress?" David asked in reply.

"Three!" Vivian retorted.

"And when did you last wear any of them?" David asked.

"Hmph."

"Look, I'm not saying you're not feminine.  You're just not girly.  Chloe pulls off girly."

"Thanks, I think," Chloe said.  David grinned at her.

"One of these days, I'm putting on a dress, and makeup! and making you take me out to dinner."

"My pleasure," David said.

"Um... speaking of dressing up, can I have my uniform back?" Chloe asked.

David grinned, then pulled his wand.  He transformed Chloe's clothes back no problem.  Vivian's outfit was restored to her army uniform...

...with a gag in her mouth.

"MMPH!" she growled.

"Did you hear something, Chloe?" David asked.

Chloe blushed and laughed at the same time.

Vivian yanked out her own wand and vaporized the gag.

"Not funny!" Vivian growled.

David sighed theatrically.  "It was so peaceful for a second..."

Vivian whacked him on the arm again.

After a bit more walking, Vivian said, "David?"

"Yeah?"

"What does it tell us, that the Vrudenans felt comfortable, coming all the way into Bolmont to sell that shit?"

"Nothing good," David replied with a distinct frown.

"Master?" Olissa asked hesitantly.

"What is it, Little One?" David asked.

Olissa sighed in relief.  "I wasn't sure if I was allowed to talk to you or not yet."

"Your month was up yesterday," David reminded her.  "Come here," he told her.

Olissa collapsed against him and wept in relief.

"I love you, Olissa," David told her quietly.

"I love you, too, Master.  I'm so sorry about what I did."

"I know.  It'll be all right."  I hope.

"How long will you be home?" she asked.

"Tonight, tomorrow morning.  I'll be at Zyla's tomorrow night and the day after.  Then probably back here to get caught up on whatever business needs dealing with."

"Tomorrow... night?  Do you have another date with her?" Olissa asked.

"Not a date as such.  We're just spending the evening at home together, relaxing.  Grace will be having another sleepover at Janine's, though."

Olissa nodded.

"Still not going to tell me if she's the one or not, are you?" David asked.

"Master, you know I can't."

"You can.  You won't.  There's a difference.  Own your decision."

Olissa blushed.  "Yes, Master.  I'm sorry.  I meant that I can't allow myself to tell you."

"Again, not can't.  Won't.  Can't implies an inability.  Won't implies a decision.  You can tell me.  You have the ability to form the words that would deliver the information.  You won't, because you think it will hurt me in some way."

"Yes, sir," Olissa said, bowing her head.

David pulled her close and kissed her on the top of the head.  She snuggled in close and held on to him.  She had sorely missed him while he'd been gone, especially because she knew he was still upset with her.  She knew that was still the case, though he was trying to hide it.

"So, how have things been here?" David asked.

Thankful to be able to move on to a neutral topic, Olissa began to fill him in on all of the goings-on at Pendergrast Manor over the last three weeks.

"So you made up your mind to stay with him, huh?" Janine asked quietly.

"No," Zyla replied.

"So, you're... leading him on? That doesn't sound like you..."

"I wouldn't do that to David. I haven't made any decisions, Janine."

"Don't you think this is just going to make things more confusing?"

"I don't care," Zyla said with a shrug.

"Okay..."

"Janine, haven't you ever just wanted someone to be nice to you for a while?"

"Sure, Sweetie, we all do."

"David makes me feel special, and he lets me relax. For instance, I can tell you, though we haven't talked about it, he will not let me make him dinner tonight. We will either go out, or he will cook for me."

"He cooks?"

"David is a good cook... for normal foods," she said with a grin. "He tried cooking dragon once... It was... not successful."

Janine chuckled. Getting back to the conversation, though, she said, "But he will, of course, expect sex."

"Expect it, probably, given how our last night alone went... but he wouldn't push if I wasn't in the mood."

"Right. This guy is not a saint."

"No, he's not a saint. But he has always treated me very well. And besides... the chance of me not being in the mood is pretty small," Zyla said with a grin.

Janine just shook her head. "I think it's a mistake, but it's your life. I really think what you need is to find a way past this honeymoon version of him, and see the real him."

"What do you mean?"

"Right now, you're seeing an idealized version of him."

"Oh, no I'm not," Zyla said. "I can't tell you about them, but David's told me about some of his missions... some of the things he's done on his missions. If I was able to tell you, they would make you lose your appetite."

"Still, that's not part of your relationship. I think you need to find out what it's like when he comes home from the job after a bad day, his boss yelling at him and his coworkers being assholes. You need to see the real David Stroud. The one you're seeing now is only presenting himself to you when he's in control of his situation."

"Except for when he's almost killing someone who threatened me..."

"What?" Janine gasped.

Zyla explained the incident with the thieves to her.

Janine shook her head.  "And he was just gonna kill him, right there in front of you."

"As you said, David isn't a saint.  He saw it as protecting me."

"So why did he stop?"

"Because I asked him to."

Janine shook her head.  "That makes everything even sketchier to me, girl.  I swear, you need to find a way to see the real version of this guy."

Zyla frowned. "Maybe," she said. "But, for tonight, I'm okay with the honeymoon version," she said.

Janine just shrugged. "I've had my say."

"Oh, by the way," Zyla said right before she left. "Grace doesn't like your orange rolls."

Janine laughed. "Neither did Lena. It was a new recipe. Never making it again!"

Zyla chuckled, and waved. She had to go get ready for David's arrival.

"Morning," Zyla said as she came into the kitchen the next day.  She stepped up next to David and they shared a long kiss.

"Morning to you, too, Angel," David said.  He motioned her to her seat and set down a plate of eggs and sausage for her.  He also gave her the usual cup of tea.

"So, what did you want to do today?" Zyla asked between bites of egg.

"Now, you know we have to go on a picnic.  I promised Grace."

"Oh, that's right!  I'd forgotten.  Good thing you remembered," Zyla said with a grin.

"Yeah, something tells me that Grace would not have forgotten for long," David said.

"Probably not," Zyla agreed.

The two ate in a more comfortable silence than they'd been experiencing up to now.  Their night together had been both passionate, and very relaxed.  It was as if some of the tension had left things... or at least, they'd decided not to worry about things for a little while.

With breakfast gone and the dishes cleaned up, the two got dressed and were doing small chores when the front door burst open and Grace came bouncing in.

"Mommy!" she screamed and jumped into Zyla's arms for a hug.

That only lasted until David came out from the bedroom.

"Uncle David!" Grace cried, wiggling from her mother's grasp to hug David.

"Hmph.  I see how it is," Zyla said with a grin.

"Did you have fun, Gracie?" David asked her.

"Uh-huh!  We played hide and seek!"

"Did you find her?"

Grace nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay, Grace," Zyla said.  "Go get changed.  Put on play clothes, we'll be going on a picnic today."

"Yay!" Grace cried, and ran down the hallway to her room.

"Thanks, Janine," Zyla said.

"No problem, but if you could watch Lena for a few minutes, I think David and I need to have a chat," she said.

"Janine," Zyla started, a bit worried.

David put his hand on Zyla's arm. "It's okay, Angel," he said, kissing her on the cheek. Turning to Janine, he motioned her out the door. Zyla watched nervously as they left.

Nothing was said until they were out of earshot of Zyla's house. David then asked, "So, what's on your mind?"

"I want you to play it straight with me, David. Are you just screwing with Zyla, or did you mean what you said?"

"I don't say things I don't mean, Janine. I love Zyla. I am in love with Zyla."

"But you expect her to just blithely accept your harem."

"I'll assume she's told you most everything I said," David replied. Janine just grunted.

"First off, it's not a 'harem'. That implies that I own them, or that they can't leave. In most cases, they don't even live with me. Yes, I have one slave, at her insistence. And yes, there is another woman who lives with me, again at her request. There are others who pass in and out of my life at regular or irregular intervals, who I am intimate with.

"And second... no, I honestly don't think she's going to accept me at all. I am sure that you're not the only person telling her how stupid she is for even thinking of a relationship with me."

"I never said that..." Janine objected.

"No, you said she was crazy."

"She told you, huh?"

"We don't keep too many secrets from each other," David replied.

"I don't want to be the enemy here, David. I just want to look out for Zyla. Can you at least see how it looks from the outside?"

"Of course I can. That's why I don't expect her to agree. I hope she does... if I prayed, I would pray that she does... But the truth is, I know I have a very unhappy future ahead of me at some point."

"Unhappy?"

"I don't want to live my life without Zyla in it. If she finds someone else, they're not likely to want me around."

"But you won't leave just because she decides not to date you."

"No. Even if I hadn't made a promise to Joe to look after her, I consider her family at this point, and I don't abandon my family. But I will respect her wishes if she asks me to stop coming around."

"Tell me something. If we went up this sidewalk here and walked into my house, and I came on to you, would you sleep with me?"

"Not today," David said.

"Maybe tomorrow, then?" she asked.

"No. Maybe in three, six months... depending."

"Depending on what?"

"Whether we developed that kind of relationship. I don't sleep with every girl I meet, Janine. With... one or two exceptions, I have to have a fairly close relationship with a woman before I have sex with her."

"So, how did you choose the women that you're already sleeping with?"

"I didn't."

"Huh?"

"I wasn't pursuing them. I was merely receptive to the direction our relationships took. Yes, there have been a few girls since I entered college that I actually pursued as girlfriends. I'm not dating any of them right now. All the girls who are currently in my life, they made the first move. I just... didn't say no."

"And so why would you say no if I made the first move?"

"Well, for one thing, because I know you'd be doing it to prove something to Zyla."

Janine blushed slightly.

"But, as I said, you and I aren't that close. We're friendly... I'd like to even think of us as friends, though the current situation is probably making that more unlikely... but we are not in a relationship where sex would be a logical next step."

"So you've never had a one-night stand."

David carefully thought through that before answering. "Not that I can recall, no. I have, yes, had one or two casual, purely sexual relationships, but they were ongoing, not a single night. I have no reason to do that, Janine. If I want sex for sex's sake... I have a slave. I have no reason to go looking for sex elsewhere. But I have a habit of becoming close to women."

"Why?"

"Well, up until now, it's been because I was looking for... well, Zyla, apparently."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I've been trying to 'fulfill prophecy'," David said in a melodramatic voice.

"Huh?"

"So, Zyla didn't tell you that part?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The reason Olissa is not my wife."

"No... she never mentioned that was an option."

"Well, that's because it isn't. But why it isn't, is complicated. Olissa had some prophetic visions during a vacation we took together. Those visions told her that she was supposed to be my slave, and that there was supposed to be another woman. Now, she refuses to tell me if Zyla is the woman she saw in her visions, and I, honestly, don't really care if she is or not. I'm looking for someone to be close to on every level. Olissa and I love each other, but there is a fairly big gap between us in certain ways."

"And with Zyla?"

"Zyla's only imperfection is that she almost certainly doesn't want me," David said with a frown.

"You can't think of anything wrong with her? She ticks all the boxes?"

"It's honestly hard to think about it that way, Janine, because I love her so much. I'm not thinking of anything about her I would change, though. Well, you know, except the whole, 'won't accept my life' thing."

"But you're not willing to give up those other women for her."

"I can't... and you should be glad that I can't."

"That makes no sense to me."

"I can't give them up because I made them a promise. I don't break my promises. And if the universe smiles at me, and Zyla decides to stay with me, she, too, will have my promise. And that's a promise I would sooner be shot in the head again than break."

"Again?"

"Oh, come on. I know she told you about the king and the assassination."

"No..."

David rolled his eyes. "Before the war started, they attempted to assassinate the king."

"Well, I know that. Everyone knows that. They said it was stopped by the quick action of the Rimohrs."

"It was stopped by my head," David said bluntly. "They tried to shoot the king with a sniper rifle. I got in the way."

"And you lived through that?"

"I'm a demighost, Janine. I live through everything. I've been told that you could vaporize my entire body, and I would eventually grow right back."

"Wow. And... was she kidding me, when she said you could marry the king's daughter?"

David grunted. "If I was interested in Christa that way, I think I would have the king's blessing. I know I would have the queen's blessing, as she's as much as said so."

"But?"

"But I'm not in love with Christa. She's a very nice person, and we're friends. And yes, we've had sex. But I'm not in love with her, and that's pretty much my requirement for getting married."

"There's nothing I could say to make you leave Zyla, is there?"

"No. Only Zyla can do that. I don't know why you're worried about it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I already told you, I'm quite sure she's going to say no eventually. Why rush the inevitable?"

"Maybe I don't think it's as much a sure thing as you do," Janine replied.

"I wish that were true," David said.

"So, if you're so sure she's going to say no, why torture yourself?"

"Because being away from her is a far worse torture," David said simply.

"That sounds like a corny cliche," Janine told him.

David shrugged. "What about love isn't cliched? Almost everyone goes through it at some point or another in their lives. Almost everyone experiences the same emotions. If you're really in love, there are only two states of being. Overwhelming joy, and life completely sucking."

Janine chuckled. She knew it was an exaggeration, but more or less true. "So, standing here, right now..."

"Life sucks," David replied.

"Because..."

"Because she's not here, and we're talking about her not being here anymore," he said, motioning to the spot beside him.

"You really are that far gone, aren't you?" Janine asked.

David shrugged.

"Let's walk back," Janine said, turning to go back toward Zyla's house.

"So did this change anything?" David asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I know you've been trying to talk Zyla out of being with me. Are you going to try harder now?"

Janine didn't answer for a long time. Finally, she said, "No."

"I know you're not going to switch sides," David said.

"Actually, I'm not sure where I stand at the moment," Janine told him. "I'm still not sure you're a good idea... but now I'm not so sure you're a bad idea, either."

"What makes you waver?" David asked.

"David, I have had a couple dozen boyfriends in my life. At least six of them have asked me to marry them. I stupidly said yes to three of them. The only good thing to come out of all three marriages put together was Lena, and her dad hasn't bothered to see her in two years.

"Of all those men, not a single one of them was as devoted to me as you are to her, despite having all those other playmates."

"Zyla is not a playmate," David said rather strongly.

"I know. I said they were, not that she was. And that's kind of why I'm up in the air about you. I thought, when she told me about your life, that you saw Zyla as just another conquest, that the I love yous were part of your game. Obviously that's not the truth."

"No. I don't mess with people that way," David said.

Janine nodded. "Having said that, I'm still not sure that your lifestyle is right for Zyla."

"I understand that. I'm not sure it's right for any woman. Only Olissa seems to be absolutely certain of the outcome."

"But she won't tell you."

"No. She said she was willing to endure continuing punishment for disobedience, rather than tell me the specifics."

"Wow. Do you actually punish her?"

"That's part of her being a slave. She expects me to do that. I don't do it very often, because she doesn't do things that upset me very often."

"When was the last time you did?"

"After she spoke to Zyla."

"Yeah, she kind of said that went badly. What did you do to her?"

"I refused to communicate with her for a month."

"Wow, that's a pretty nasty punishment. And what would you do to Zyla, if she upset you?"

"Zyla is not, and would never be, a slave. If Zyla upset me, I would probably do what I normally do when people upset me. Go someplace quiet and think about it too much."

Janine chuckled. "Not a screamer, eh?"

"Oh, I can be... but not usually at friends and family."

"And you wouldn't try to... kill her, if she upset you?"

David sighed.  "I have a dark side.  I'm trying to get it under control.  According to Olissa, Zyla... or, more precisely, whoever the 'other woman' she sees is, is crucial to me actually doing that.  I will say that I will always have trouble not overreacting when someone I love is in danger."

"So you would have finished killing that guy, if she hadn't stopped you," Janine asked soberly.

"Oh, yes.  And felt no remorse for his death, so long as Zyla was safe and sound.  I won't bullshit you, Janine.  I have killed to protect my family before, I would do it again without hesitation.  No one hurts my family."

"Even if it meant jail?"

"That's always a risk you take," David admitted.  "And as I was told recently by a dragon, if you're in jail, you can't protect your loved ones.  I know it's an issue.  I'm working on it."

Janine nodded, and they walked on in silence for a few paces.  Finally, she asked, "Just... what will you give up to be with her?"

"Everything and anything she asks that I actually can give up," David said. "I will not break promises already made. Everything else is hers for the asking."

"If she wanted to go off and live on an abandoned island somewhere..."

"That would break my promises, unfortunately," David said. "So, unless she wants to bring those people with us..."

"And if she did?" Janine pushed.

"Then I hope the island has good weather," David replied.  "Come to think of it, I own a house on Big Pine Key, down in Florida, so..."  He chuckled for a moment, then grew serious.

"What you have to understand, Janine, is I'm immortal. There is no reason for me not to sacrifice everything for her. Anywhere she might not want me to go, anything she might not want me to do... I can go and do those things later. Someday, hopefully a long time from now, she'll be gone. And when that happens, I can go and do whatever I want. As to a better person coming along... I don't think I've ever met someone I thought was a better person than Zyla. So... assuming the impossible, and she stays with me, this time of my life is hers... as much as it can be."

"Because part of it is already someone else's," Janine said.

"Right," David confirmed.

"And what part of it is yours?" Janine asked.

"With her in my life, I don't really need any part of it," he replied.

"Whoa," Janine said. "That's taking devotion a bit far, don't you think?"

David shrugged. "What is life for, except to give pieces of it to others? If you're keeping life for yourself... what are you doing with it?"

Janine just kind of stared at him. "That's way too philosophical for this early in the day."

"Sorry, I've been up for several hours," David said with a grin.  Janine just grunted.

The two stopped at the walkway up to Zyla's house.

"Thank you for the talk, David. It's been enlightening. And thank you for not being mad at me for sticking my nose in where it doesn't belong."

"Never really felt like it didn't belong," David told her. "We disagree on the solution, but we both want what's best for Zyla."

Janine nodded. After a moment, she reached over and gave him a hug. He hugged her back, and they stayed that way for a long moment. Finally, she let him go, and they separated.

"How about now?" Janine asked with a mischievous grin.

"Nope. Should have kissed me on the cheek while we were hugging. That would have nailed it," he said, returning her grin.

Janine laughed. "Thanks, David. Could you just send Lena out? I'll let you guys get on with your day."

"Okay. Have a good one, Janine."

"You, too."

"I'm sorry about Janine this morning," Zyla said quietly.  "I didn't mean for her to grill you.  She's just... well, the only other person I have to talk to about things."

"It was fine.  She's trying to look out for you.  She was being a good friend."

David and Zyla were sitting together under a tree, watching Grace play with some other children.  David had already spent two hours pushing Grace on the swings, playing catch with her, and doing various other little things.  Now he was relaxing and letting her burn off some energy with kids her own age.

"David?" Zyla asked.

"Hmm?"

"Has the way you feel about me changed somehow?"

"Not at all.  Why do you ask?"

"Well... last night, so far today... you haven't once said 'I love you.'"  After what you said a few weeks ago, I kind of figured..."

David could hear the fear in her voice.  He put his arm around her and pulled her tightly to him.  "You have nothing to worry about on that front, Angel.  I still love you dearly."

"Then, why..."

"If I said it to you, what would your reaction be?" David asked.

"Um... I'm not sure.  I guess..."

"You'd feel compelled to say it back, wouldn't you?" David asked softly.

"Kind of," she admitted.

"I don't want to make you do that.  I don't want you to feel pressured about this, at all.  Trust me, I still love you just as much now as I did at the beginning of the month.  If you want me to say it more often, I will.  But please don't feel obligated to say anything in return.  A nod or a smile is sufficient."

"I'm sorry it's so difficult for me to decide," she said.

"Take all the time you want, Angel," he told her.

Zyla blushed, and then said, "You want to know a secret?"

"Hmm?" David asked.

"I had to ask Janine what an angel was."

David snorted and shook his head.  "It never even occurred to me...  Where I come from, even if you're not Christian... everyone knows what angels are..."

"Do you really think of me as pure?" Zyla asked.

"It was more the 'bringer of light and hope' aspect I was going for," David admitted.  "Not to mention angels are supposed to have divine beauty."  David intentionally ignored Zyla's suddenly strawberry complexion.  After a moment, he asked seriously, "Would you rather I not call you that?  I mean, since it doesn't really mean anything to you..."

"It does mean something to me.  It means you think about me enough to have come up with a nickname for me that means something to you.  I would be upset if you stopped calling me that, now."

"'kay," David said.  He leaned over and kissed her softly.  They kept it brief, since they were in public.  Then they just relaxed together, watching Grace play.  Zyla reached down and gently took David's hand, pulling it into her lap and just resting it there, enjoying their time together.

"You understand, don't you," David started uncomfortably, "why I can't leave Olissa and the others?"

"I think so," Zyla said.  "I know how seriously you take your commitments."

"This may sound awful, I don't know, but...  I wish I could leave them, to just be with you."

"Even Olissa?" Zyla asked softly.

David winced, but after a long moment, he finally nodded.  "Even Olissa."

Zyla looked up into his face curiously.  "Why?"

"Because you deserve that.  You deserve to have all of your partner.  You deserve better than some guy who's sometimes just going to have to tell you, 'it's not your turn.'  Shit, here I am trying to talk you out of dating me.  I am stupid," David said, shaking his head.  Zyla grinned.

"It means a lot to me that you think that much of me, David," Zyla said.  "Let's not worry about it right now, okay?"

"Okay," he said, squeezing her hand gently.  The two settled together and went back to watching Grace play.

After a while, Grace came running over to say something.  Suddenly, she stopped, cocked her head to one side, and stared.  After a long moment, she said, "Uncle David?"

"What is it, Gracie?" he asked.

"Mommy's holding your hand."

"I know," David said softly.

Zyla frowned, lifted David's hand slightly, and asked, "Does this bother you, Grace?"

"Uh-uh.  You held Daddy's hand."

Zyla said sadly, "Yes I did."

After another long pause, Grace asked, "Uncle David?"

"Yes?"

"Are you Daddy now?"

David and Zyla both jolted more upright.  Zyla gasped, dropping David's hand.  David waved at Grace while looking at Zyla.

"Batter up!"

Zyla blushed, and looked back at him.  "I... I'm not sure I know how to respond to that."

"If I try, I may say something you don't want me to," David told her.

"I... um... still... you try."

"Okay..." David said, tilting his head in an "I warned you..." maneuver.

"Come here, Grace," David said, and reached out for her hand.  She took it, and he pulled her gently until she knelt down, then sat in his lap.

"First, let's be really, really clear on one thing.  You only have one 'Daddy'.  Your mom and I call him 'Joe'.  Nobody else will ever be him.  Do you understand?"

"Uh-huh.  But-"

"Just a second," David interrupted gently.  "You want to know if I'm going to be doing all the stuff Daddy used to do, right?"

"Uh-huh," she said, nodding.

"Would you be okay with that?" Zyla asked timidly.

Grace shrugged and said, "Sure."

David chuckled at the tone of her voice.

"Well, Gracie, your mom hasn't decided yet."

"Don't you get to pick, too?" Grace asked him.

"Yes, but Mom can override my choice."

"How come?"

"Because she's your Mom, and so she has the final say in who gets to do Daddy stuff for you."

"Oh."  She sat for a long minute, obviously contemplating something.

"What is it, Grace?" David asked, curious.

"Would you pick to be my Daddy?"

Zyla gasped and turned her head.  David hugged Grace very tightly.  "I would like that a lot, Gracie."

Grace hugged David back for a long moment before they finally let go of each other.

"But, Grace?"

"Yeah?"

"This is Mommy's choice, and we're going to let her make that choice, okay?"

"Okay."

"So don't pick on her or pester her about it.  If you do, you're going to be in trouble.  Got it?"

"Uh-huh."

"Good.  Now... do you remember what you came over here for to begin with?"

"...Nope."

David chuckled.  "Okay, well, go on and go play some more, and come back if you figure it out."

"'kay!"

As the girl ran off to go back to her playmates, Zyla wrapped her arms around David and buried her head in his shoulder.  He could tell she was crying.  He wrapped his arm around her and held her tightly.

"I warned you..." David said softly.

"It wasn't you!  It was her!" Zyla cried.

David rubbed her back and let her cry it out.  Luckily, Grace was too busy playing to notice.

"Welcome home," Gwen said.  "Two nights in a row now?"

"No.  I mean, yes, I slept there two nights in a row, but Grace was home last night, we had more of a family night."

"Oh, I get ya."

"Everything good here?"

"Actually, I think something's bugging Mom, but I'm not sure what."

"You know where she is?"

"Out in the backyard, I think."

"Okay.  I'll go check."

David walked out into the yard.  He saw Denise squaring off with one of the refugees staying at the house.  Eirwyn, the little griffin, was watching the two of them, looking anxious.

"I don't need your permission to do anything, you stupid cunt," the man said.

David, who was close enough at this point, leaned in and grabbed the man by the throat.

"Apologize.  Now.  You do not call a woman that in my house."

"This is a private conversation.  Back off."

"You're talking to my girlfriend," David said.  "In my backyard.  There are no conversations under those circumstances that are private from me.  Now, I'm still waiting for that apology."

"Fuck you, asshole."

Without letting go of the man, David looked at Denise.  "What's the beef?"

"He's been trying to entice Eirwyn to leave with him."

"Really.  You trying to desert me, little guy?" David asked Eirwyn.

Eirwyn chirped at him and rubbed against his leg.  David chuckled.  Looking at Denise, he said, "Doesn't look like he's having a lot of luck."

"No, thank God," Denise said.

"Let me the fuck go!" the man gurgled.  He was having trouble talking clearly thanks to David's vise-like grip on his throat.

"Absolutely.  Let me see... ah, yes.  Oh, Bispy!"

The dragon lifted his head.

"Could you drop this trash outside the gate for me, please?  There's a fresh goat in it for you..."

David had never seen Bispy's feet leave the ground so fast.  The dragon was up and flapping in an instant.

"Keep that thing away from me!" the man screamed.

"Nope," David said.  "And before he escorts you out, let me say, if you set foot on my property ever again, I will have you arrested for trespassing... and I will probably have Bispy eat both of your legs."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"You want him to do it now?" David replied coldly.

"No!"

"Then I'd advise you walk away from this incident a little wiser... and you keep walking.  Don't let me see your face near my home again."

With that, David nodded, and Bispy suddenly grasped the man by the shoulders.  The man screamed in pain as Bispy's claws dug in and the man's feet left the ground.

Olissa, who was unaware of what was going on, ran over.  

"Bispy, no!" she cried.

"Bispy, yes," David corrected with a grin.  "He's acting on request, Little One, don't worry."

Olissa sighed in relief.  "Welcome home, Master.  How was your stay with Zyla?"

"Mostly great, slightly disturbing."

"Disturbing?  Why?" Denise asked.  Olissa silently thanked her; she hadn't wanted to press.

"Grace asked a couple really uncomfortable questions, to which we don't have really comfortable answers."

"Ahhh," Denise said.

"Anyway, that's neither here nor there for the moment.  Do we have anything we need to deal with, now that the griffin thief is taken care of?"

"Not really.  You dealt with it all on Tuesday."

"Well, hell, I could have stayed at Zyla's," David said with a grin.

Denise smacked him, kind of hard.

"Hey!  That hurt."

"It was supposed to, you turkey," she said, then turned and walked off.

"What's her problem?" David asked.

"I think she may be feeling a little ignored, Master."

"Yeah, well... hitting me ain't a great way to get my attention..."

Olissa grinned slightly.  "We're all missing you a bit, Master.  You've been spending a lot of time with Zyla."

"I'm aware of that.  If you'd just tell me she's not the one, maybe I'd stop," David said with a smirk.

"I can't... ahem, I won't tell you that, Master, and you know that."

"So she is the one!" David quickly retorted.

"I didn't say that, either, and you know it," Olissa replied.

"Hmph.  Tell me this, then," David said.

"Sir?"

"Will you tell me if she's the one, the day after she tells me her decision?"

"... Maybe."