Taeben?
You need me, I felt it. Do not worry, I am reasonably sure that Kaerinth cannot hear us.
I cannot do this alone, Taeben. The Mother Dragon will not be put off – she wants me to do something that is beyond my abilities.
Elspethe, why do you lie to me? Did you think I wouldn’t know that you are with the Mother Dragon?
Ellie’s heart froze in her throat. She had let him in without blocking the memory of the Mother Dragon’s plan, and now Taeben knew everything.
I am sorry, Taeben—she forced me to comply, and I could not break free of her bond to warn you or even call out to you. I am so sorry. Please forgive me.
That disappoints me, Elspethe, but it also presents me with a unique challenge—if you would permit it, I could use your body to complete her mission myself, but not for the Mother Dragon. I would use the power of the orb to enable myself to walk out of this prison and back into the world—with you.
But it would still be my weak form that you inhabit, Taeben—so far the Rajah does not seem to recognize me as the Ikedrian that gave him the potion that sent them to the Void, but it is only a matter of time before he does. I can see it in his eyes. Though in his present form, he is less formidable, I suppose.
His present form? What do you mean?
Oh, you wouldn’t know about that because I have been so careful to keep you hidden—I do not know what magic has done it, but he appears as a wood elf, just like the Nature Walker. Perhaps it is so that they can sneak about more easily? The Qatu are hard to conceal at the best of times.
Oh, Sephine, you traitorous—it is the magic of the All-Mother, Elspethe, none other. I suppose Sephine had to make him a wood elf so that he and the Nature Walker can be together.
The buzz grew so loud in the back of Elspethe’s mind for a moment that she covered her ears from the pain and noise. She knew, through their bond, exactly what Taeben thought that the Nature Walker and the Rajah were doing, and it broke her heart to feel how much pain that caused him. She did not try to interrupt his tantrum, and soon he calmed enough for her to remove her hands from her temples.
Well, Elspethe, this will be to our benefit and will spell Sephine’s downfall. She has betrayed all of those she proclaims to protect by this action—it will be a delicious finish to my plan to ruin her and her children. Lord Taanyth will remain in the Void, the Mother Dragon will stay on the Dark Side of the World, and I will make my triumphant return. You can take him on in his current form, even though the Nature Walker is with him—and possesses much more potent magic than she did when she was merely my Ginny.
How you could even speak her name now is beyond me.
A sudden, sharp electric shock caused Ellie to cry out.
What I call her or think of her is none of your concern. Jealousy is not a good look for you, Elspethe. I need you to stay focused. Keep following them. Do not let them know you are there if you can help it—but Ginny is one of the finest trackers I know, so that may be difficult. If the Mother Dragon can offer you some sort of magic to change your appearance, that would help.
I cannot return to her, Taeben—The Nature Walker and the Rajah have caught and released me twice, and I do not have the orb. She would kill me before she would help me.
Perhaps you are right. Cast your invisibility magic and get back on their trail—they are most likely going to visit Omerith, the red dragon, from the few bits and pieces I was able to glean from Ginny’s mind.
You are still in the bond with her? With the Nature Walker? Does she realize -?
Careful about questioning me, my dark flower. Thanks to you, my consciousness lives on, and therefore my bond with her has not entirely severed. I have been able to see her a few times, and I get bits and pieces of thoughts from time to time. She will regret turning me over to that beast, I can promise you that, and I will be completely in her mind to feel her delightful agony when it happens.
I will do as you ask—and you will help me, yes?
Always, Elspethe.
She felt him withdraw, and she got back to her feet and cast the strongest invisibility spell she knew before heading back out of the trees and onto the path. The delightful agony that he had planned for this ‘Ginny’ was something she did not want to miss, not at all.
After about an hour of walking that included a few circles around the citadel, she found a vantage point that was could be quickly reached. Ellie shimmied up a nearby tree and then carefully climbed out onto one of its strong branches until she was close enough and could use levitation magic to float over to the citadel’s wall. From the top, she would be able to see down into the city. She checked the ground and curiously saw no one around—not even guards at the arch—and cast the
