Taythes sat alone under a shady tree, trying to recover from the many things the woman had shown them. He was in awe and, honestly a bit terrified after seeing the mutated dire bear. The pool, though, that was one of the most disturbing things he had seen in his long life. The thousands of alive but not things he could feel just below the surface made his scales shiver. The cave as a whole already made him feel like he was in the belly of some great beast.
What bothered him most of all was that the woman herself didn’t seem to fully grasp her potential or how easily she could tip the balance for any nation. It was not outside the realm of possibility that she herself could become a force strong enough to threaten entire nations within a few years. If left alone long enough, potentially the entire continent, just as the void-sent to the north came close to doing. Though if he had to guess, the temple would step in before that point. If anything, to avoid divine intervention. Those tended to get messy.
So, he knew they had to have her, if not to use her, then to make sure no one else did. She was already branded. If Kohdessia and its mad king got their hands on her, Taythes didn’t even want to think of the consequences. They may have been able to resist a lesser command seal. But an order from the King himself?
There would be nothing they could do but obey.
And so Taythes steeled himself. He hoped his Queen’s plan worked. If not, he was prepared to strike down the woman here and now before she could become a threat. The consequences of that action be damned. Sen would likely never forgive him, but he was okay with that if it meant keeping her and his family safe.
***
In the early evening, the five of them, Ves, Nell, Setsu, Taythes, and Senotraxia, meet up again. It was time to hear the dragon's plan.
Senotraxia started things off, “What you have shown me today was more than I could have hoped. The fact that you have done this in little over a week is incredible. Have I seen more powerful creations or impressive feats of biomancy? Yes, yes, I have. But those were from emerald and higher individuals. Specialists in their respective fields with decades, if not centuries, spent on their craft.” She paused before she continued, “But that only speaks to your potential as well as my concern.”
Senotraxia paused and looked Ves & Nell straight in the eyes, “I will now be open and honest with you. I want that potential. And I refuse to let anyone else have it. Especially with Kohdessia being dangerously close to doing so.”
“I have no intention of being a tool of Kohdessia or that family of degenerates.” Ves hissed, the hatred she held for the royal family clear in her voice. Nell took over for a moment to let Ves collect herself, “At least come the worst I can help Ves resist the orders as I did with the slavers we fought.”
Senotraxia just shook her head, “That’s wishful thinking. One, the command seal the slaver had was likely much weaker than any order given by the king himself. It only allows enough control for them to catch runaways, nothing more.”
“Second, if they learn more about you, they can issue more precise and impactful orders. Ves had simply been commanded to stop before, but nothing about stopping you from taking control. In the future, they may tailor commands to make Ves actively hinder your efforts and fight you for control.” Nell looked a bit crestfallen at that news. Ves had mentioned something similar before, but hearing it again from someone as knowledgeable as Senotraxia was disheartening.
“But both of those situations are far from my true concern. Nell, the only reason you could help Ves resist before was due to the brand affecting her soul, not your shared body. As a separate entity, you were safe.”
“What do you mean, were safe?”
Senotraxia paused for a minute. “First off, take what I am about to say with a grain of salt. I won’t claim to be an expert on souls, so feel free to consult one, but dragons do have a sixth sense for these things.”
Nell spoke up, “What’s wrong with Ves’s soul?”
“Her soul? Nothing, the issue is with yours. For some necessary background souls form within beings just before birth. It is an accumulation of ambient mana in the world that bonds with the young life. This is perfectly normal on worlds with even a reasonable amount of mana, such as this one”.
“Not all worlds are the same. Some worlds are in dead zones where the influence of the void is strong. The mana is so thin magic isn’t possible for any being that’s not a deity. In turn, any species from those worlds naturally have very weak or non-existent souls.”
“I suspect your kind hail from one of these dead zones originally, so despite being born on this mana-rich world, your body is only able to contain the smallest of souls.”
“I’m not seeing the issue so far.”
“Be patient, I’m getting there. The issue is while you have mostly taken over Ves’s physical body. The opposite has happened to your souls. Ves’s much older and stronger soul is consuming yours. When that happens, I worry the brand will then fully affect both of you. As you would for all intents and purposes be one person. Two minds that share one soul and one body.”
Hearing this, Ves took over in worry, “What will happen to Nell if my soul consumes hers? Is there a way to stop it?”
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“To be honest, I’m not certain. That said, the balance between body and soul affects a person’s personality. Ves having the more dominant presence in the spiritual realm with Nell in the physical may balance things out. Honestly, you should seek out guidance at a temple. The gods and their servants are far more knowledgeable.”
Ves was wary, but at least it was something to work with. “How do you know so much about this anyway?”
Senotraxia just shrugged, “I am several centuries old, you learn a few things. Doesn’t hurt that my parents themselves are divine and, in turn, primarily spiritual beings.”
Ves’s eyes went wide, she had forgotten that little detail. Before Ves could ask any questions, Senotraxia held up her hand to cut her off before she could even start. “Now I know you have questions, but perhaps another time. It’s not nearly as interesting as you think. But for now, we need to stay on topic.”
Ves stopped herself, “Apologies, well, is it time to finally hear your plan?”
“Yes, our main problem is your brand. The worst case is Kohdessia getting their hands on you. They are already hunting you for being an escaped bloodline branded. Your old master for certain, but perhaps others as well.” Senoxtraxia paused then continued, “But if they learn what you have become, I fear the full force of Kohdessia and many others will be after you. Some too use you for themselves. Others will do whatever they can to prevent that, likely just killing you.”
“And you want to use us.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yes, I won’t deny that, but I am perfectly willing to work with you. I plan to treat you as a person, not a tool, as I think to do otherwise would stifle your potential and breed resentment. What we need is a way to counter the brand. While I have no way to remove it, I do have a means to offer you a bond of my own, strong enough to cancel it out.”
Ves’s eye started to fill with a bit of hope, but then Senotraxia paused and didn’t continue.
“Sorry, this is also a bit awkward for me.” Senotraxia, the ancient and powerful dragon queen, began to blush. Slight, but it was there. Straightening herself up, she took a deep breath and asked, “Ves, Nell, would you two become my first consorts?”
Ves and even Nell’s minds stopped. They heard the words. They understood individual meanings, but still it didn’t process.
Even Setsu gasped.
“If you say yes, the ceremony would link you two to me with a bond. One powerful enough that it should cancel out any control the brand has over you.”
“In addition, being my consorts would be a major political card you could use for protection as well as to establish trade and commerce with any neighboring nations. While my kind are traditionally isolationists, I doubt any nation would dismiss us out of hand.”
Ves’s brain finally caught up, “Wait, you want us to be your wives?”
“That is what I said, isn’t it?” Senotraxia asked.
“Isn’t this moving a bit fast? I mean, we hardly know each other.” Ves said, flustered.
Senotraxia laughed at that, “In a way, I suppose, but first and foremost, what I am offering is a political union, not a romantic one. Which, to my understanding, are not uncommon among the lesser races.”
Ves took a deep breath, but she was still too flustered to properly think, so Nell took over. “Your majesty, that is a very generous and unexpected offer.”
Senotraxia held up her hand, “For the sake of transparency and honesty, let me correct something. This is not a generous offer. Your potential is far too great to leave you to your own devices. As the world realizes what you can do, others will come for you. I just happen to be the first.”
Nell narrowed her eyes, “I take it then this is not a choice?”
“No, no, it is not,” Senotraxia said while continuing to hold Nell's stare.
Ves, having regained some composure, subbed back in, “You're being awfully forthcoming about all this.”
“My preference is to build a partnership with you, I think that requires honesty. Dancing around the reality of the situation would do me no good. You will become mine no matter what. The only choice I will give you is the form in which that takes. If you become my consort, we will be bonded together with draconic magics so old and powerful they predate the descent. I am confident that it will render Kohdessia’s hold over you powerless and prevent any others from trying a similar approach.
The second option is to hide you away from the rest of the world in my hoard. While people think dragons only collect treasure and rare artifacts, many of us are interested in unique or rare species. In turn, I would lock you away in my menagerie. You would not be alone, as there are more than a few beings already under my protection that live within. You would live a life of luxury, without a worry in the world. You would also seldom, if ever, be allowed to leave. For your safety as well as those who live within. I suppose I could also offer a third option of a painless death, but I don’t think anyone wants that.”
“You have already kidnapped others? Only to be put on display in your own personal zoo?” Ves asked as anger rose in her voice. The Kohdessian princess had a similar place. It was a place Ves tried her best to forget.
“You misunderstand, they are under my protection. They live in the menagerie due to its level of safety and ability to recreate the climate needed for a given species. Many of them already are or are close to becoming the last of their kind, some even predating the descent. They were all given a choice and entered of their own free will. For some, there is nowhere left in the world that is habitable. Others would be hunted on sight and bodies harvested as alchemical ingredients.”
“Choice, you mean a ‘choice’ like you are giving us?” Ves asked.
Senotraxia shook her head, “No, a real choice, more than a few have declined over the centuries, and now unfortunately their kind are remembered only in story.”
“Yet you won’t give us one? A real choice?” Ves asked, still with a harshness in her voice.
“That is correct, for the others, it was offering protection for a people on the verge of extinction. None of them were a potential threat like you are. As I said before, others will come for you. Even if I let you walk away, they would simply take my place. Freedom is no longer an option for you.”
Ves started to tear up as the reality set in, “Gods dammit… I really thought my escape and meeting Nell was a chance. A chance that me and Nell could find our own place in the world, beholden to no one but ourselves.”
Ves looked back up at Senotraxia, pleading, “You really can’t let us go? Even if we promise to run far away where no one will ever find us?”
Senotraxia shook her head, “I cannot, if I truly thought you stood a chance, I would consider it, but that is not reality, especially with your brand. I have a responsibility to my flight and those under my protection. Personal feelings aside, my duty as a queen demands I take you and your potential for myself, or at the very least ensure no one else can ever use you against us.”
Ves now sat quietly sobbing.
Senotraxia stood up and walked towards Ves, about to place a hand on her shoulder, before stopping herself. “I will excuse myself for now, please take a few hours and think on what I said. Afterwards, I will ask again for your decision.”
