Eighteen. Let's Talk it Out
"Hello, darling!" The woman that Red identified as her mother walked forward and put her arms around her daughter. Red stood stiff, not reciprocating the hug.
"Mother, what are you doing here? How did you find us?" Her mother stepped back and patted her daughter's cheek, then tapped her on the nose.
"Now, honey, aren't you going to introduce me to your
handsome friend?" she asked, raking her eyes over a shocked Nikko. Red's eyes widened and she stepped toward Nikko.
"Oh, no. Not him," she said firmly, shaking her head. Her mother appeared confused.
"Honey, what do you mean? I simply find it rude to launch into a tale with this poor man not knowing who I am!" she said.
"Very well," Red snapped. "Nikko, this is Feline, my mother. Mother, this is Nikko." Feline extended her hand to Nikko, smiling coquettishly.
"What a pleasure it is to make your acquaintance, madame," Nikko said, drawing her knuckles to his lips.
"The pleasure is all mine, believe me," Feline said.
"Now will you stop flirting with the man and tell me what's going on?" Red demanded. "I haven't heard from you in years I've lost count of, and suddenly you show up and interrupt a very important conversation." The younger magi's arms were crossed.
"Oh, honey, you always were impatient. Maybe you got that from your father," she wondered aloud. Red opened her mouth, prepared to loose a snarky reply, when a commotion came from the mouth of the cave.
"Woman! Feline!" shouted Loryn, stumbling into the cave, his cloak torn. He looked very shaken, but otherwise unharmed. A strange look crossed Red's face - she was relieved, overjoyed, and looked nearly ready to burst into tears. She dashed forward and flung her arms around his neck.
"Thank the gods! I'm so sorry Loryn!" Looking mildly embarrassed and very aware of Nikko's unreadable gaze on them, he hugged her back.
"It's all right, Red," he told her quietly. He then lifted his gaze to Feline.
"Your overgrown lizard tried to eat me!" he accused.
"I did not. You should have stayed still, I was trying to help you down," came a deep, rumbling voice. There was a rush of air, and then entrance to the cave was obscured by a purple eye the size of a serving platter.
"You nearly scalped me, you beast," Loryn grumbled. Feline crossed her arms.
"I doubt Valvados would try such a thing," she said.
"Feline is correct. Druids taste like dirt," the Void Dragon said. Red stalked over to her mother, grabbing her arm none too gently.
"Well, now that we're all acquainted - what are you doing here, mother?" Feline pulled her arm away and sighed.
"Valvados and I were flying over the mountains when we spotted the most unusual thing! A lightning bolt chasing some poor man down the mountainside. Valvados dispelled the lightning and I dropped down to help the poor boy. Vally disposed of the dragon and that rogue magi, and Loryn very kindly directed me here, to his friends. And lo and behold, his friend is my beloved daughter!" she told them, putting an arm around Red. Nikko gazed at her expectantly. The elder magi shrugged. "That's all there is to it."
"You're telling me that you just happened to be crossing the mountains the same time we were?" Nikko asked. Feline pouted.
"Vally and I travel the world, so it's not strange that we'd pass through." Red scowled.
"Mother dear has no home. She a vagrant, though she lives a high life," she said, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice.
"People like to give me things, I can't help that," Feline defended.
"You might want to try being a bit more respectful to the woman who gave you life," Valvados said, his deep voice resonating throughout the cave.
"I've got my reasons for not shining with admiration for her, and now is not the time to discuss them," Red said sharply. "I appreciate your help, mother, but we've got help of our own coming, so you may leave." Red's tone sounded anything but appreciative. Her mother laughed.
"Oh honey, don't be so silly! I haven't seen you in ages-"
"That's no fault of mine," Red snapped. Feline charged onward, ignoring her daughter's scathing remark.
"We should catch up!" She smiled brightly, her blue eyes twinkling. She grabbed her daughter's hand and held fast. "You two studs won't mind if I abscond with Lynnie for a while, will you?" Without waiting for an answer, she dragged her daughter out of the cave, leaving Loryn and Nikko looking bewildered.
"You. Sorcerer." Valvados' cavernous voice addressing him startled Nikko."The help that the Lady Red summoned. What is it?" His tone was inquisitive, curious.
"Erm, a dragon named Isolde, I think," Nikko responded. A rumbling noise that sounded extremely pleased echoed throughout the cave.
"Perhaps we will stay." There was a great shifting sound as Valvados moved to follow his mistress. Nikko looked at Loryn, who simply shrugged.
"Did you know that woman was Red's mother?" Nikko asked the druid.
"No, not until I got in here. I was just lucky she flew over and saw me. Otherwise, who knows how long you and Red would have been trapped here?" Nikko considered this. Since he had kissed Red, time seemed to pass very slowly, agonizingly slowly. He couldn't imagine spending more time with her, under her pitying gaze. He was now simply the poor, rejected sorcerer. Facing her properly afterward was going to be interesting, though he didn't think in a positive way. He sighed a little, then quickly assessed Loryn. The druid was favouring his right leg.
"What did you do to yourself?" Nikko asked, gesturing to his leg.
"Oh, I tripped trying to get on that damned lizard,," Loryn said. Grateful for the distraction, Nikko instructed Loryn to sit down. The sorcerer set to work healing his leg, tracing the same runes he'd used on Red just a short while ago.
"You seem a little on edge," Loryn observed. Nikko grunted. "Red?" He grunted again, this time after a moment's hesitation. "She seems to have quite an effect on you."
"And you're immune to her?" the sorcerer asked gruffly. Blue light engulfed Loryn's leg, and when it faded, he stretched and flexed his newly healed appendage. He smiled gratefully.
"You could say that," he responded simply. "She's ah... not my type." Nikko looked up at him sharply.
"Are you...?" Loryn stared for a moment, not comprehending. Then he burst out laughing, clapping Nikko on the shoulder.
"No, my friend, it's not that. She's just not what rings my bell," he said, as if that explained why they'd gone to bed together. It didn't, of course, but Nikko didn't press the matter. "But it seems that she strikes yours quite well."
"Yes, well, she doesn't see me the way I am beginning to see her." He flicked his hair out of his eyes.
"Maybe not now. But if you give up, you'll never know," he said encouragingly.
"Your wisdom is such a comfort," Nikko remarked dryly.
--
"Oh, honey, you're traveling with two absolutely
gorgeous men! How did you snag them?" Feline asked excitedly. "Have you picked one yet?"
"No, mother," Red muttered, bored with the conversation already. "I'm not traveling with them to sleep with them."
"Well, you definitely don't take after me, then," Feline mused quietly. "So what are you doing with them, honey?"
"I really can't discuss that, mother," Red said sternly. "It's Thane's business to share, not mine."
"Very well, sweetie." Feline patted her daughter's arm. "But really, honey. That Nikko fellow is awfully handsome! So is Loryn," she said, poking at Red's side.
"Mother! Why is my love life of such an interest to you?" Red snapped, frustrated. Feline took Red's hand and patted it in a motherly way.
"I just want you to be happy, honey. It's what all mothers want for their children. You need a man in your life, one that accepts you for you," she said seriously. Red looked at her mother sharply, and Feline smiled knowingly. "I know about Lucien, Lynnie. A mother has her ways, even the less than wonderful mothers."
"Mother.." Red began.
"Oh honey, don't worry. I'm not going to interfere with your life, I haven't earned that right. But I am concerned, and I want you to do whatever makes you happy. That's what you should focus on, honey." Red sighed, feeling defeated. It was hard to detest her mother when she pulled this kind of act.
"I will, mother, just as soon as I have the time," Red promised. Feline clapped twice, pleased.
"Good. Now, tell me about those men!"
"Well, Nikko's slept with nearly the entire female population of the world and plucks my every nerve like a minstrel, and Loryn is an incredibly sweet man who listens to everything I have to say," she said.
"So naturally, the one you're interested in is the slut," Feline said cheerfully.
"That's the thing, I don't quite know if I'm interested in him. I am sometimes, when he's acting human, but then he will act like a complete animal and make me want to curse him into tomorrow," Red explained.
"Men are like that, honey. If you ever listen to anything I tell you, listen to what I say about men. But I saw the look on his face when you hugged Loryn (who is so sweet by the way, I really like him, honey). He was jealous," Feline said wisely. Red scowled.
"Well, if he is, then he should probably stop falling into bed with every other woman he meets," Red snapped. Feline winked at her daughter.
"Make him stop, if you want him."
"I wish it were that easy, mother," Red muttered.
"Use your assets!" Feline said brightly, patting Red's chest. The two shared a laugh, and then Feline carried on. "I'll say it again, honey. Focus on your happy." Red looked at her mother and, for the first time in several years, offered her a smile.
"I will, mother."
Red and her mother did not stray far from the cave, and it was a good thing they didn't. Wind began to whip the trees and Red's long hair around. A beautiful white and gold dragon, a massive creature, hovered above, taking out a few trees with her tail.
"Isolde!" Red said happily. "Loryn! Nikko! Come out here. There's someone I want you to meet," she called.
Valvados had moved so that Isolde could land. She did so gracefully, folding her incredible wings to her sides. She swiveled her golden eyes to look down at Red.
"Raistlin said you needed me," she said. Her voice was deep like Valvados', but it was sweet and distinctly feminine. She lowered her great head so that Red could scratch the ridge over her eye.
"You got here quickly," Red observed. Isolde nudged at Red, bumping her shoulder.
"Well, he said it was urgent, though I see no threatening situation, aside from that ridiculous lizard over there," she grumbled. Valvados puffed up his chest.
"Isolde, you are so cold to me after all this time?" he demanded. The Celestial Dragon bared her enormous white fangs.
"Yes, I am, and you know very well why," she growled.
"Vally, must you harass her every time you see her?" Feline interrupted, her tone admonishing. With a huff, the Void Dragon stalked off, crunching fallen trees under his weight.
"Will he ever leave me be?" Isolde asked, glancing at Feline.
"He's a stubborn old goat, but he's harmless," she said lightly. Isolde chose not to answer the dark haired magi.
"It seems like the issue has been resolved," the dragon said.
"Yes, mother and Valvados arrived just after I spoke with Raistlin. I'm sorry you don't get a fight today," Red told her. Isolde settled down to the ground, wrapping her tail around herself.
"My feelings are not bruised," she said. Red sat on Isolde's tail, between two of the golden spikes. The magi rubbed at the smooth white scales. "Where are your men?" Red blushed furiously.
"They're not
my men, Isolde!" Red said. Feline, who stood by Isolde's flank, laughed.
"Don't let her fool you, beautiful! She's got those poor boys panting!" she said, still chuckling.
"I am quite sure she does," Isolde said. She sounded rather amused. "But they are hiding in that cave like rock-bugs." Isolde fixed her gaze on the cave and a moment later, Nikko and Loryn came floating out of the cave, squawking and shouting.
"There is no need to scream like children," Isolde chastised. She set them down and lowered her head to get a proper look at them. The two men gazed at the dragon in awe. She scrutinized them closely.
"You are the ones traveling with Red," she said.
"Uh, yes, we are," Loryn answered.
"It wasn't a question," Isolde said lightly. Loryn and Nikko glanced at one another, not at all sure how to respond. Red laughed.
"You're scaring them, I think," she observed. "Nikko, Loryn - I want you to meet Isolde. Isolde, this is Nikko the sorcerer and Loryn the druid." Isolde turned her head around to look at Red.
"Are you summoning the elemental goddesses?"
"Yes. We have to. And we need your help, and your protection," Red told her. Isolde looked back at the man.
"They fear the power unknown, Moonreaper. They will pursue you passionately until you are dead," the dragon said, looking directly at Nikko as she spoke.
"I know this, but how do you know?" Nikko said.
"The ways of the draco are not for the human mind to understand," she said.
Feline approached her daughter, touching her arm lightly.
"Vally and I are going to cut out of here, honey. We really shouldn't keep you all hung up." She reached out and took her daughter's hand. "I'm so proud to see the woman you've become." She pulled Red in and held her close. "Get happy, honey." Awkwardly, Red embraced her mother.
"Thanks, mom," she said softly. Feline released her daughter and patter her cheek, smiling. She turned around and approached Nikko and Loryn, and she fixed them both with a hard, motherly stare.
"You two keep my daughter safe. If you don't, I'll find out," she said.
"With all due respect, ma'am, I doubt there would be much left of us by the time you got to us. I think Red would tear us up," Loryn said with a small smile. Behind her mother, Red stuck her tongue out at them.
"True enough, I suppose!" Feline said with a laugh. "Just be sure to take
extra good care of her," she said, enunciating each word clearly and looking pointedly at Nikko. The sorcerer blinked at her, confused.
With one last look at her daughter, Feline walked off to find Valvados. Isolde then turned to Red, wasting no time.
"May I presume that you are ascending the mountains to summon the air goddess?" she asked.
"Does she know everything?" Nikko asked, peering around the dragon's leg.
"When one lives as long as I have, one knows many things," she said shrewdly.
"You presumed correctly, as usual," Red told her companion. "An aide of Arkenna told us to start with the winds, so we came here as soon as we found Loryn."
"I will take you to the top of the mountain. I know the location of her altar," Isolde said.
"I thought there was no altar?" Loryn asked, looking slightly pale.
"More draconian secrets?" Nikko asked. Isolde fixed him with an approving glance.
"Naturally. Well, let us not waste any time." She extended her wing, indicating that they should climb it.
"I, erm... I don't fly well, so I'll just go and take the horses," Loryn stammered, backing up toward the cave. Before he could turn tail and enter the cave, the three horses thundered past him and out of sight, manes and tails flying.
"Hey, wait!" the druid called.
"I sent them back to Synara. I can take you to the peaks in minutes," Isolde said loftily.
"Come on, Loryn. Isolde's flights are the smoothest you'll ever encounter. You can hold on to me if you need to," Red soothed, holding out her hand. With a scathing roll of his eyes, Nikko climbed onto Isolde's glittering white wing.
"Does it really bother you, sorcerer, seeing them so close?"
Nikko whipped his head around. Red and Loryn did not appear to have heard the words of the great dragon.
"How are you doing that?" he asked, thinking rather than speaking aloud.
"Let me guess, more human-squashing draconian knowledge?"
"Draconian magic, but you have the gist of it," Isolde answered.
"Again, I ask: does it bother you that much?" Nikko climbed from her wing onto her broad back. He found that he could lie across it with no fear of falling off. She truly was an immense creature.
"Yes, it's starting to. I suppose I'm not handling it well, am I?" he admitted. He looked down to see Red nearly pushing Loryn up onto Isolde's wing.
"I doubt you could be expected to. You do not have the feel of one who has truly loved before." Nikko made a low noise of frustration.
"Are you some kind of emotion expert?" he asked.
"No, that would be Guinevere. She would have been able to tell immediately. It took me several moments to figure out," she said. "Red, you do and Loryn require my assistance?" she asked aloud.
"No, no, uh, we're fine, thank you!" came Loryn's mildly panicked voice.
"That one is afraid of flying, and Valvados terrified him," Isolde told Nikko.
"And you're said you're not
the emotion expert?" the sorcerer asked with a chuckle.
"No." The dragon was silent for a moment.
"Red has been hurt by a man in the past. I do not mind telling you that there are noticeable similarities between the two of you. It is because of this, I believe, that she is holding back from feeling what she might want to," Isolde confided. Nikko looked surprised.
"You mean Lucien."
"I doubt Red has told you overmuch, but he did damage that took a long time to repair. Though, the only ill-intent I sense from you is the desire to mate with her." The dragon paused, swiveling her head to gaze at Nikko. He felt his cheeks heating rather uncharacteristically.
"If you wish to garner her attentions, you must be patient, and that is all."
"Why did you tell me all that?" Nikko asked her. He felt a mental shift, and he had a feeling that Isolde had shrugged.
"I like you." was the only response he received.
"Nikko, a little help!" Red called. The sorcerer gazed down Isolde's wing to see Red practically shoving against Loryn's back. With a chuckle, Nikko traced a few runes in the air and shoved them toward Loryn.
The druid was lifted off his feet. He gave a shriek as he floated through the air for the second time that day. He soared up over Isolde's wing and landed gently on the dragon's back. He glared up at Nikko.
"If you never do that again, it will be too soon," Loryn panted. Nikko shrugged and offered the disoriented druid his hand. After pulling himself up, Loryn looked as though he was going to hold onto Nikko's waistband, then thought better of it. Instead, he settled for placing them on the dragon's back.
Red walked up Isolde's wing and stepped onto her back. She pulled her green shirt back into place. Loryn turned around and looked at her, his warm brown eyes pleading.
"Must we fly? We could have taken those horses, really gotten our money's worth," he said. Red kneeled down in front of him.
"Isolde can get us places faster than those horses, and she will protect us better." The magi smiled and held her hand out. "You will not fall, I promise. And if you do, you can drag me with you," she said. Loryn sighed in defeat a moment later, then slipped his hand into Red's.
In front of them, Nikko set his jaw in a scowl directed at the dragon.
"Patience will not help me if she falls into bed with General Flower again," Nikko grumbled. Isolde chuckled.
"All good things to those who wait," she recited the old addage. The sorcerer 'hrrmphed' and remained silent. Isolde turned her head to look at the trio of humans seated on her back.
"Have you gathered all of your belongings?" she asked Red. The magi nodded.
"We're ready when you are, Isolde," she said brightly. Loryn gulped at her cheerful tone.
There was the shifting of muscles beneath them, the creaking of tendons and the sound of previously folded skin being stretched. The dragon shifted on her feet, jostling her passengers only slightly. Nikko and Loryn watched in awe as Isolde's wings extended, folding young trees beneath them. Within seconds they could not see any of the ground, only a massive expanse of glittering snowy wings. Loryn looked ready to leap from her back and run for home at the sight of them. Nikko, however, smiled.
"I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but you are huge," he said.
"On the contrary, sorcerer, that is an esteemed compliment among dragons. The larger a dragon is, the older the dragon is - and age is power."
"Dragons aren't like humans, who weaken with age. They only get stronger," Red chimed in.
"Then, taking all of this into account, you must be one of the oldest dragons out there," Loryn said.
"I am not the oldest - there are others of my kind that are far more ancient that I. But yes, I am among the older dragons," she admitted.
"Hah, age is just a number, you overgrown hatchling, and you know it," Red laughed.
"Guinevere does not think so," the dragon mused. Red snorted.
"Guinevere loves the fact that she's old, don't let her fool you!" she said. Loryn looked over his shoulder and glanced at Red.
"Do you have many old companions?" he asked curiously. Red shrugged.
"Not really. Isolde and Guinevere are the oldest by far, and Moira was a hatchling when my grandmother was a girl. But, most of my companions were raised by my own loving hand," she told him proudly. The druid smiled, impressed.
"I'd like to meet them someday," he said.
"If we live that long, I'll introduce you," she said brightly.
"Your optimism is overwhelming, do you know that?" Nikko asked sarcastically. Red merely winked at him. She drummed on Isolde's back with the palms of her hands.
"Let's get going." Isolde crouched low, her talons digging into the ground, leaving deep gouges in the earth. Before Loryn could protest one last time, the dragon leaped into the air and, with a powerful downward sweep of her wings, propelled herself into the sky. In a moment of absolute panic, Loryn reached out and wrapped his arms around the first thing they bumped into, which happened to be Nikko's waist.
"Hey, wha-?" the sorcerer yelped, his arms coming up as if he'd just been splashed with mud. Nikko tried to squirm out of his grasp, but the druid was exceptionally strong and clung to him fiercely. "Come on, man, this is inappropriate. Couldn't you have hopped into Red's lap? We all know you can," he said. Red, who had previously been laughing at them, stopped abruptly and glared at Nikko. She raised herself to her knees and nudged and wriggled her way between the two of them. Nikko smirked down at her. "Now, I rather like this, love."
Red smiled and Loryn and elbowed Nikko in the gut without missing a beat. She sat down next to him and took his hand in hers. "There. We'll be at the peaks in no time," she said gently.
Isolde flew out and began her ascent of the Alasre Mountains. The wind was cool as it whipped against their faces, but fortunately it was warmer at this time of the year. Isolde directed herself at the very tallest peak, a mountain that very few had seen the top of.
"See?" Red spoke to Loryn, who hadn't calmed down much at all. "We're nearly there."
"I will land just near the altar. The three of you must enter without me." Isolde spoke to the three of them in their minds. Loryn jumped slightly at the sound of her voice in his head, and only relaxed when Red explained to him what Isolde could do.
--
The area of the alter of the Air Goddess was flat and sparse. The only things that covered the smooth rock surface were large, rose quartz columns with various sized holds and cracks in them. There were several of these columns that appeared after a large arch, made of the same stone. No plants grew, no animals made any sounds here. It was almost eerie in its barrenness.
"I don't see any altar," Loryn observed.
"You have to pass through the arch to reach my mother," came a lilting voice. The trio looked up to see a slim young woman seated upon the arch. She floated down to them, her violet hair and white skirts billowing in a breeze that was not present. Her dusky skin shone ethereally, and the beads around her waist and her breasts clattered together lightly.
"You're the Air Goddess' daughter?" Red asked.
"I am. It has been many a long year that since the need for the three magic users to come together has arisen," she said sagely. "But I am please you wish to help my grandfather."
"What happened to Voltan?" Red questioned. "We don't know much of why we're on this quest."
"Grandfather was captured by a powerful, otherworldly magic. That is what is causing the temperature changes in the world," the princess told them. "Beyond that, I do not know. My cousins in the south could tell you more, I am sure."
"Thank you. We will seek them out," Red said, bowing.
"So, love, about your lovely mother..." Nikko said, smirking. Red and Loryn appeared positively scandalized, but the air princess merely smirked right back.
"As I said, you need only pass through the arch," she said. There was a flurry of wind, and the princess vanished. Red cast a sideways glare at Nikko.
"You ought to be more respectful to the goddesses," she hissed. He said nothing, but shrugged dismissively. Before Red's notorious temper could flare to life, Loryn (who felt much better with his feet planted firmly on the ground) stepped between them. He placed his hands on each of their backs and ushered them toward the arch.
"We probably shouldn't keep the Air Goddess waiting," he said calmly. With an apologetic glance at Loryn, Red nodded. The magi strode up to the quartz arch and passed under it, and vanished completely.
Yap yap yap yap yap. That's all they did! Mostly filler, but it was entertaining to write. Red doesn't like her mother very much - Feline is a wandering slut, basically. Has no idea who Red's father is, at all. Dumped Red with her mother as soon as she was born and never looked back, so Red's a little bitter.
Everyone's so confused with their emotions right now. And then there's Loryn.. I'm thinking he's a little dead inside, his emotions are so controlled. What a good boy
I also wrote a bit of a naughty story vignette, which has nothing to do with the current ongoing plot of this story. It was written for fun, and to practice some hetwriting for the first time since my freshman year in high school. I cannot upload it here for reasons that involve shirts flying, but if you want the link, let me know and I'll send it to you.
As always, please point out any mistakes you see and let me know what you think~
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