Try as he might, Sath could not make headway into the mind of the red dragon. Powerful magic there. Gin might have been able to connect with him that way, but Sath was just not practiced enough in the bond. He sighed and turned his attention elsewhere. Blank, white wall. Kaerinth. The scene in his mind shifted so quickly that he almost felt queasy. The room was similar but more substantial and lush. The Mother Dragon had spared no expense in creating her living space in M’aanyr. Marble walls and floors reminded Sath—painfully so—of the palace on Qatu’anari.
Well, Rajah, this is a surprise.
Mother Dragon, I presume?
You are correct. May I ask why you disturb me in this manner?
I am not well practiced in the bond, my lady. You are a surprise.
You are also not well-practiced at lying in the bond, Rajah. What do you want?
Nothing. Apologies, my lady.
Sath withdrew quickly, but not without taking a look around first. The Ikedrian was not with the Mother Dragon. That was good news, but neither was Daelyth. At least he was relatively certain that the wizard wasn’t there. Sath’s eyes opened suddenly. The wizard. If he was reaching out to Gin, perhaps Sath could intercept him? At least then Gin could have some peace. After what she had shared with Sath about how the wizard had treated her, it was the least Sath could do.
Blank wall. White. Nothingness. Sath concentrated as he closed his eyes, a low growl starting in his chest. Taeben. At first, there was no response at all, but as quickly as he had jumped to the Mother Dragon’s mind, Sath felt his consciousness shift. He was looking at the Ikedrian, Elspethe, as she looked into a mirror. Sath had no idea where she was, but he was confident it was her. He moved closer to her and nearly gasped aloud as the mirror’s reflection came into his view. It was not the diminutive dark elf that he saw in the mirror’s face. It was the high cheekboned, hawkish face of Taeben. They did not seem to be aware of him, so he settled in to watch as he fought to keep his anger in check.
This is much better, Taeben. Being able to see you when I speak to you -
Yes, Elspethe, I thought you would like this. I need to know what you learned from the Mother Dragon.
She was not aware of Daelyth’s compromise. She was distressed to learn of it and has commanded me to investigate. To be honest, A’chrya—Taeben, I am not sure there is a point to all of this. Daelyth does not have the orb.
Taeben’s eyebrows raised in the mirror. No? So it is still hidden. That is good to know, my dark flower. It gives me an idea of where to start.
Will you interrogate the golden dragon?
Something like that. But Elspethe, I will need your help for this—and it will not be pleasant. Will you help me?
Do I have a choice?
You do not.
Taeben’s expression in the mirror turned very dark as he looked down at her. His face faded away, and Ellie doubled over, grabbing at her midsection with one hand and the back of her neck with the other. Sath fought the urge to help her—he didn’t understand what Taeben was doing to her, but now that he was over the initial shock of seeing his mortal enemy moving and talking—alive, sort of—his hatred for the high elf urged him to action. He looked again at the Ikedrian. She was standing, and as Sath watched, she stretched and—could that be—grew? She was easily as tall as a high elf now, and the dark elves were no taller than Gin. Her skin lightened until it was the porcelain shade of the high elves, and as she reached up to pull back her white hair into a ponytail, Sath noticed that her hands were distinctively male. She turned around and looked right at him—if he had been in the room, he would have fallen backward in shock. Taeben stood there before him, where Ellie had been only moments before.
He smiled at Sath and winked, then seemed to lose cohesion. Taeben’s sharp features morphed and changed back into those of his servant, Ellie. His hands shrunk. His skin darkened. His body shifted and pulsed until it was shorter and decidedly female again. The last things to change back were Ellie’s eyes, which stayed silvery and until she lost consciousness for a moment. Sath held his position—if he overthought helping the Ikedrian, he might pull his body through the bond to his mind, and he didn’t need to do that. Sath wasn’t even sure he could bring his body there—where were they, anyway? Her eyes fluttered, and Sath let out a breath he was holding—they were the red crossed eyes of her people. Taeben was gone. Sath pulled back from them as soon as he could stop looking at her, anxiously seeking the white wall again, the nothingness. Once there, he let loose the roar that he had been tamping down since he saw Taeben appear in the mirror. It was just not possible—was it? Sephine had said that Taeben’s spirit was trying to come back from the Void, but he had not been willing to believe the goddess until now. Blank white wall. Blank white wall.
Well, who would have thought that even the beasts of the fields could learn to use the bond? I saw you watching, Qatu. You will not be able to save Ginny this time, and I will have your throne and all of Orana at my feet. Stay out of my way.
Sath stumbled to his feet and took a step backward. So much had just
