He had the desire to explore which occasionally inflicted his kind. Most dragons were content to simply build their hoards. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy his hoard or the elven servants he had left behind. No, this was a restless desire to see and do more that had overcome him.

  Thinking of those little people who lived here brought a toothy grin to his long snout. They called themselves humans and were so much busier than the elves. They lived in the southern part of this continent in villages spread through the lush forest, which gave them all they needed to survive.

  Now, though, he was waiting—in fact had been waiting, for days. Days which became weeks, and weeks which became months. He wasn't sure what he was waiting for, but he knew that there was something he needed to do. Perhaps the gods were prompting him.

  Usually, they left his kind alone. Why shouldn't they? The last time a god had sought to conquer dragons had been lost to time, before there even was the dragon dream. But Nico’s ancestor still knew the outcome—that god had been sent fleeing to the higher planes.

  This world, Iliea, was the realm of dragons.

  He continued to take in the sights and sounds of the forest until he was interrupted by the sound of jangling metal. It was far off, but whoever was making that much racket was either a careless child or was intentionally making him aware of their approach.

  He opened his eyes and watched as a figure emerged from the trees. It was a man, a human. He had covered himself in the hide of another creature. If memory served, and it always did, they called it armor.

  In one hand he held up a pair of small metal flowers, which rang with the noise that had alerted him. In the other he carried a long wooden stick. It was too smooth to have occurred naturally, and even from this distance, he could sense the magic worked into it. Atop the stick was a small metal fang.

  The man stopped when he entered the clearing and saw the great dragon before him. The two stared at each other for a full minute. Something passed between them, but it was difficult to put into words. The man spoke first.

  “I am Reegor, son of Baelin, son of Markim. I am the spirit-seeker and warder of these woods for my people. My god, Nilarue, lord of the sky and forger of courage sent me to you… for what reason I know not. I only entreat you that we may speak rather than fight."

  The dragon, Nico's ancestor, listened to these words and was stirred. There was something here. He chuckled that one of the gods would name themselves lord of the sky. That was the domain of his people, the dragons, but he let it pass. This Reegor was a tiny thing, but he did have courage, and was not without magic of his own.

  "I am Draconis, third of my name, and wielder of the storm. I, too, felt a strange call to this place, and sense an odd connection with you, manling."

  Even through the dream, Nico could feel that connection. He recognized it, even if his ancestor did not. It reminded him of what lay between him and Cami.

  The two continued to stare at one another, taking each other's measure.

  "You have a strange magic in you, Reegor," Draconis said after a moment. "I do not know what it is, but I can feel it. It is like a spark of life, a connection to something more powerful than you."

  Reegor nodded as if with understanding. "I have always been different than others of my tribe. At first, I thought that was why the Nilarue spoke to me, but standing before you, I think it is… something else."

  Silence reigned again. Nico knew his ancestor's thoughts had been a maelstrom at that moment. He had been trying to determine what to do, then he felt something out of character. He felt a minor concern for what this human might need.

  Finally, Draconis spoke again. "Tell me, what do you seek?"

  "A plague of monstrosities too horrible to consider crawls from some dark realm –a realm which is neither of Ileia nor of the realm the gods are from. Nilarue spoke to me in visions and showed me your image. I believe the gods can no longer directly enter into this realm, but they don't wish to see it destroyed.

  "The other creatures, these horrors, destroy wantonly, without purpose other than destruction. My people are not strong enough to stop them, but perhaps they could be destroyed if we were to work together. Perhaps that is why I was sent to you."

  Draconis opened his mouth and then shut it. He had intended to ask what concern this was of his, but there was something between him and this man. Perhaps the gods were playing their games, or perhaps it was simply destiny, but he was curious enough to see where this might go.

  "Then let us discuss a bond."

  That was the last that Nico saw of the dream.

  I felt like I’d been booted out of the dream and I sat up with my heart pounding within the frail human form I now wore. Electrical current danced along my hands until I willed it to stop.

  It was too late, though. I must have made some noise because Galbrecht sat up in his bed on the other side of the small room. A faint golden glow of magic sprang to life around him.

  "Do you have control of it, Nico?"

  His words were simple, but there was an implied threat. I was being escorted as a student of the university, but I also knew that they thought me a wild mage. The paladin was wondering if I could be trusted—not that I could read his mind, but I’d figured that much out from his body language.

  "Yes. It was… it was just a dream."

  He snorted. "Try not to burn down the inn with your nightmares. If you need a draught to sleep better, speak to Lisella—but don't let her offer you any other way to sleep than a potion. She can be impetuous, at times, and these things need to take their proper course."

  I had no idea what the last comment he made was about, but my mind was already racing. If I had seen what I thought I’d seen, it was the first bonding between man and dragon. One of my direct ancestors had been the first to create the connection.

  That was only proper, of course. Reds were too arrogant. Greens too sneaky, and Whites too dumb. If something great had been done, it had been by a blue.

  The more awake I became, the more I sensed the connection between me and Cami. Our bond had progressed further. She had grown stronger. I felt a deep sense of pride, which made no sense. She was just a serv... no.

  I had to banish that thought. This was bigger than the two of us. This bond served a purpose.

  I tried to reconcile the desert I had grown up in with the forest I had witnessed in the dream. As I thought through it, I realized my desert came from the same part of the continent which had once been that Endless Forest. It wasn't truly endless, but had been vast, and yet now it was gone.

  Then, there’d been mention of horrible creatures from beyond. Horrible creatures… horrors. Could the two have something in common? I didn't know, but the dream responded to my need. And apparently, I needed to know that this was the calling of my people.

  I felt a special connection with Draconis. He had been a wanderer like me. He, too, had felt that burning curiosity to do and experience… more. When I combined what I’d just learned with the memories of my other ancestor, Wasnera, and the orc, Tra'vis, who she allowed to ride on her back, it painted a new picture.

  I just wasn't sure what it all meant. Perhaps meeting Cami hadn't been such an accident. I didn't like the idea that gods, or a goddess such as Miseria, might be pulling my strings, but too many things were coming together for this to be coincidence.

  "Galbrecht, are you awake?"

  The paladin was lying flat on his back and staring up at the ceiling. "Yeah, after waking up, I can rarely get back to sleep. It comes with age, I think."

  I snorted. "You can't be any older than…" I caught myself, "older than my dad would be."

  "Just shy of fifty,” he replied, “but hopefully, I've still got some fight in me. There are definitely advantages to being a servant of the goddess of healing. Her magic running through my veins keeps me looking and feeling young."

  "That's right, you wield divine magic, too. Why haven't you asked to become my mentor?"

  Galbrecht sat up then and stared at me for a long moment. "This may surprise you, Nico, but not everything is about you. I do my duty because my goddess called me, but even if I wanted to stay at the university and become an instructor, I would never presume to go around Lisella.

  "She holds the second highest rank within the church of Miseria as a grand priestess. There are only three of them who work directly under the high priest. Many think that Lisella is in line to become the next high priestess, but she is also in line for the throne of Forlay, so… who knows?"

  "But weren't you just warning me about her?"

  The paladin stretched his arms and then ran his hands through his hair. "I got carried away. It wasn't appropriate. The grand priestess has been known to have flings, but love is encouraged by Miseria, so there is nothing wrong with that. And I imagine that a woman in her position has difficulty finding a partner who doesn't just want something from her."

  "You think she would make a good mentor?"

  "Very much so. She is the most talented user of divine magic I know."

  "You use it too, though, and you combine it with fighting. I don't see myself as the type to stand in the back of a fight and bless or heal others." I leaned forward on the bed and bared my teeth in a smile. "When I fight, it is always up close and personal."

  He nodded. "Sounds like a monk, but that doesn't change the fact that I can't go around Lisella. I will, of course, train you in any way that she asks. It will be good to keep an eye on you.”

  He paused, then rubbed his eyes. “I know you may feel like I've been an advocate for you, but that's only because I insist that the law be followed—even if Modessa would rather play fast and loose with it.

  "That young woman is a handful. Beautiful and skilled, no doubt, but still lost in a way. The point is, though, that I'm only doing my duty. I still haven't decided if you can be trusted. I know you haven't told us the entire truth—but I also know that you haven't directly lied to us. So, I'm reserving judgment until the whole truth comes to light."

  I nodded. "I can respect that. I'm trying to figure out many things myself. Speaking of which, I should probably go and find Cami."

  Chapter 36 - Surprise

  Unfortunately, when I found Cami at breakfast, she was surrounded by the other adventurers. They were locked in conversation, but then I heard her voice in my head. “Morning, Nico. I’m sorry I was so angry with you yesterday. We need to talk about how you did what you did, but I know you were only trying to look out for me.”

  A part of me wanted to let it go there—a big part. She had essentially let me off the hook, but I thought about how Wasnera and Tra’vis had related to one another. Their bond seemed so close, and they clearly thought of one another as partners. Heck, the orc had even grown wings, which I had to believe was because of his connection with my ancestor.

  Then, there were Draconis and Reegor. I hadn’t seen them actually bond, but the feeling of the connection from the dream had been too similar to what I felt with Cami for that not to have happened. And the hints of danger? A forest that size disappearing, could of course happen naturally over the eons that had passed since then, but I didn’t believe that was the reason. Something had happened there, something that involved these horrors—those creatures I had already encountered.

  The way they had been described by Reegor as coming from another place made sense. The one I had fought didn’t feel like it was anything that belonged on this plane. I didn’t know exactly what it meant, but somehow dragons and humans had been involved in defeating them.

  No, even that was a denial. I knew more. I just didn’t want to admit it. Then again, who wants to think of themself as a horse?

  When I walked over to the table, Serius seemed rather upset—at least his face was red and that almost always meant a human was embarrassed or angry. That, combined with how he tended to wave his arms around was the best indicator of the old wizard’s temperament.

  He stared at me. “What do you think this is, some type of charity? Or maybe you think we’re running a merchant caravan?"

  I shrugged. I was not really in the mood for his attitude. The only human I really wanted to talk to was Cami. When I turned to face her without answering him, Modessa snorted in laughter.

  Serius demanded, “Are you going to answer me?”

  I spun on him. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I loomed over the old man. Physically he was pathetic, but I needed to remember that he was supposedly the most powerful of their group. I couldn’t afford to take him for granted.

  Lisella laid a hand on Serius’ arm. “Calm down, old friend. You didn’t explain what we’d been talking about and just ambushed the poor lad.”

  Cami spoke up, “I was telling them about the arrangement you made with Daggin.”

  I nodded. “Oh, is that all? Yes, I want to bring a smith with me to Urgoi. He is quite talented…”

  The wizard cut me off, saying, “That isn’t going to happen. I’m not going to pay more to cart his materials to Urgoi—and even if we did, there is no guarantee that some want-to-be smith will manage to set up shop in the second most important city of the entire empire.”

  Modessa arched an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

  Serius switched his glare from me to her.

  She held up her hands. “I know you’re angry about not being consulted, but given Nico’s history… he isn’t used to having to ask anyone before he does things.”

  My jaw must have hung open at that moment in shock. It was hard to say what my reaction was in this human form, because normally, my long tongue would have rolled out of my mouth and hung low—but that isn’t how the human mouth worked. I just couldn't believe that Modessa was supporting me, but then I saw Cami’s face and knew that she was the one who Modessa was truly supporting.

  Modessa must have decided that I was a necessary evil, if she was going to be Cami’s mentor. Which of course raised all kinds of questions in my head about what Cami might have told her. Or what she had figured out on her own.

  Modessa continued, “I inspected the spear that this smith sold Cami as part of their deal. While it isn’t the type of weapon that I would have chosen for her, it is excellent craftsmanship and only lacks actual enchantments to be a worthy weapon for my apprentice. She is also interested in learning about blacksmithing, which matches with her pursuits. His dwarven blood means he likely has an XP based blacksmithing class, so he would be a valuable instructor for her.”

  “Then let him find his own way there,” Serius grumbled. “As I said, I’m not running a charity.”

  Lisella sat back in her chair, grinning at the drama. Modessa looked at Cami and gave her a slight frown, indicating she’d done what she could but was giving up. Galbrecht was still upstairs, which seemed rather strange, so that left only Lisella to change Serius’ mind.

  I had given my word to the smith and wasn’t going to back out now. I shook my head. This felt rushed, but after what Galbrecht had said and all I’d learned in the dream, maybe it was the way things needed to be.

  I turned to Lisella. “Will you pay to honor my agreement with the smith, if I agree to accept you as my mentor?”

  The priestess grinned from ear to ear. “I’m sure we can arrange that. It sounds as though he is quite talented... and it would be a shame for such talent to be wasted out here so far from true civilization. But, we will have to come to terms.”

  She stood and walked towards the wing she had rented in the inn. She looked back over her shoulder and asked, “Join me in the courtyard?”

  I turned to follow her and heard Cami’s voice in my head. “Be careful. Don’t do anything you don’t want to.”

  Even yesterday, I might have replied contemptuously to the idea that I would need protection from a single human—or that a human was needed to advise me—but the dream had opened my eyes. There was more to this, and I felt oddly warm in my chest that Cami took the time to worry about me.

  “Galbrecht says she is actually a good woman and will be a good mentor. He said that much of what she does is more of an act—although, I’m not sure exactly what he meant by that.” It was quite the concession for me to admit my ignorance to Cami, but if our connection was what I thought it might be, then there was no reason for me to hold back.

  “Oh, you are too precious sometimes, Nico. You make me feel all worldly and wise, which is saying something… but Modessa said much the same thing as Galbrecht.”

  As I replied, I tried something out, “I will use caution and get the best deal I can get, but I have a feeling that Daggin will be important for our future, my bond.”

  I felt the oddest tingle come through the connection we had. A second later, Cami said, “Thank you for that. I’m sorry for being jealous. I just don’t like the way she looks at you sometimes. Promise we can talk soon?”