 
                              Chapter 2: 

Chapter 2
 
_ _
 
            Don was awakened by a hand shaking him softly.  He rolled
over and blinked his eyes clear.  He couldn’t make out the person
standing over him, and he mumbled incoherently.
 
            “Your turn at watch, buddy,” Gill said quietly, so as not
to wake Kate, who was softly snoring next to Don.
 
            It took Don a moment or two to remember what the hell Gill
was talking about.  After that, he came rapidly awake, realizing he
wasn’t lying in his bedroom, which would, of course, explain why his
bed was so hard.  He shook his head at Gill to acknowledge him, but
Gill waited until Don was sitting up and stretching before he moved off
to sleep next to his own sister.
 
            Don did a few stretches to work out the stiffness he’d
gotten from lying on a cold, hard surface.  He looked over at his
sister, who was sleeping soundly.  Her body was outlined in the
dwindling firelight.  He couldn’t help himself, and he stroked her soft
wing with his hand.  She murmured in her sleep, but did not wake.  He
left her to walk to the edge of their campsite, as far away from the
fire as he dared go.  Although it was colder this way, his night vision
would be a little better, so long as he kept his eyes away from the
fire.
 
            He hadn’t been camping in a long time, but the sounds of
the forest brought it all back to him.  He heard an owl hooting, and
the flapping of what he hoped were just bats.  Then he heard a distant
howl, long and low, that sounded very much like a wolf.  He hoped the
sound would stay distant.  He had no illusions about their ability to
take on wild animals just yet.  Although Susan could probably take down
one animal with her bow, or even two, a whole pack of wolves would
certainly be trouble.
 
            He wandered quietly in a wide circle around the camp,
trying to peer into the darkness, to see if anything was there.  The
firelight reflecting off the trees was killing any ability he had to
see anything beyond the meadow, and so he concentrated on his hearing,
hoping that sound would carry any necessary warnings.
 
            His hope of this was dashed when he felt a soft hand
touching his arm.  He nearly jumped out of his skin as he felt it. 
When he finally got his heart restarted, Kate whispered, “Sorry, didn’t
mean to scare you.”
 
            He nodded at her, still not quite ready to speak.  How had
he not heard her get up?  Finally, he asked, “Why aren’t you sleeping?”
 
            “I can’t sleep alone in this place.  It gives me the
creeps.  Mind if I keep watch with you?”  Her voice was small and
pleading.  He couldn’t possibly resist.  He gave her a hug – easier to
do when her wings were folded – and nodded his head.  They walked the
circle together, not speaking so that they wouldn’t wake the others.
 
 
 
            The morning revealed a blood-red sky that indicated nasty
weather for the day.  As soon as it was light enough, Kate resumed her
flying practice by flying just above the trees, so she could see the
coming storm.  She came back with her weather report.
 
            “It looks pretty nasty off to the east and the south.  I
can’t tell how quick it’s moving, but I did hear a faint rumble of
thunder.”
 
            “And me without my galoshes,” Don quipped.  Kate didn’t
like thunderstorms very much, so he knew this was going to be a rough
day for her.  “We’ll be okay, but we should probably get moving soon. 
We can’t stay here forever.”  On further thought, he said, “Your flying
seems to be getting a lot better.”
 
            “Well, I’m not crashing into things any more,” she answered.
 
            He chuckled at her.  “Could you do a little recon for me?” 
Seeing her confused look, he explained, “Fly up to about two or three
hundred feet, and see what’s north of us.  That’s the direction the
scroll told us to go, but I don’t want to run into anything really
nasty our first day out.”
 
            “What if I fall?” she said, suddenly frightened.
 
            “You won’t.  Look, if you start to get tired, come down
immediately, no matter what you’ve seen.  But if you can make it, it
would be a big help.”
 
            “Okay,” she said, not really sure of herself, but her
brother’s confidence buoyed her.  She took off, heading straight up out
of the clearing.
 
            “Wish I could do that,” Paul said, coming up beside Don. 
They both watched her, Don in concern, and Paul in amazement.  “My knee
would sure as hell feel better about it.”
 
            “I suppose.  Bad weather coming today,” Don told him.  “A
big storm in the southeast.”
 
            “Shouldn’t it miss us, then?  I mean, don’t storms move
east?”
 
            “They do on Earth, but do you want to assume that here? 
Besides, the wind is blowing from the east at the moment.  We’re going
to have to get moving right after breakfast.  Are the others up yet?” 
The camp was behind him, and he didn’t feel like taking his eyes off
his sister.
 
            “Julie’s up, but Gill and Susan are still sleeping.”
 
            “Makes sense.  He got the worst shift.  I’ll take middle
shift tonight.”
 
            “Okay.”
 
            Kate descended from her lookout position then, and landed
lightly on the ground.  Don smiled at her in praise.  She blushed.
 
            “I can’t see much other than more forest.  It looks like
there might be a clearing that way, but it’s pretty far off, so I can’t
make it out very well.
 
            “Okay.  Good enough.  Thanks.  Let’s get some breakfast.”
 
 
 
            The first loud roll of thunder arrived just as they began
their walk into the forest.  Kate jumped at hearing it, and Don put his
hand on her shoulder, to show support.  Behind them, Susan and Gill
walked together, not speaking at the moment, and Julie and Paul brought
up the rear.  Julie was actually hanging on Paul’s left arm, while he
kept his staff in his right.  He was enjoying having her there, but was
a little puzzled at her sudden rush of affection.
 
            Kate grew more and more skittish as the storm approached. 
They walked on as fast as they could without getting tired too
quickly.  The storm was moving more quickly than they, however, and it
was less than an hour before it arrived on top of them.  The first
sprinkles made it appear to be nothing more than a summer shower, but
everyone knew that was not to be.  Don pulled the hood up on his robe,
and Paul raised the hood on his cloak, but the others were left
unprotected from the weather.
 
            Kate was the worst off, for her outfit was rather skimpy,
and the rain was cold.  Finally, she could stand it no longer, and did
what she hadn’t wanted to do.  She unfolded her wings, and brought them
together over her head, forming an umbrella of feathers.  Her wings
didn’t seem to be bothered by the cold or the wet, and it kept her
mostly dry, except for her legs, which were already soaked, anyway.
 
            Don smiled encouragingly at her, and gently wrapped his arm
around her waist for a moment, to let her know he was concerned for
her.  She smiled at him as she hugged herself, trying to warm up a
bit.  Behind them, Susan looked at Kate with a half-sneer.
 
            “Freak,” she uttered.
 
            “Stuff it, sis,” Gill hissed at her.  Susan thought to give
a nasty reply, but again, something kept her from it.  Why could she
not put these people in their place?
 
            Their walk continued on in misery.  All of them were
drenched.  Julie and Kate were both shivering from the cold.  Paul had
wrapped his cloak around his sister, so that his body warmth and the
cloak would help to warm her.  Don wished he had something to do to
help his sister, but he wasn’t wearing much beneath his robe, and so
couldn’t mimic Paul’s actions.
 
            They walked on.
 
 
 
            The rain slowed in the late morning, but it showed no signs
of stopping.  By the time they paused for lunch, everyone was
thoroughly miserable.  They sat in silence, eating their food without
conversation, each person alone in their wetness and chill.  Don rubbed
his sister’s arms in an attempt to warm her, but it was simply too cold
in the rain.  She appreciated the gesture, and her brief smile warmed
his heart, but it looked as if they were just going to have to tolerate
this disgusting weather for now.
 
            After he finished his lunch, Don decided to look through
his magic book briefly to see if there was anything in it that could
help them deal with this weather.  His hand reached inside his robe,
but he reached too far.  His hand brushed against a small fastener he’d
not noticed before.  Curious, he pulled his robe away from his body far
enough for him to look in.  He realized that there were a series of
such fasteners along the length of his robe, on either side.  *Really
big pockets?* he thought to himself at first, but on checking, it
didn’t seal at the bottom.  It was merely an extension to the garment. 
*Maybe that’s in case I get really fat,* he thought with a chuckle.  He
dismissed it, and reached for the book.
 
            While Don was looking through the book, Gill came over and
sat down beside him.  He stared off into the rain for a little bit, and
then looked over at Susan, who was sitting quietly beneath a tree. 
This was unlike her, because she was usually the one telling others
what needed to be done.  Now, she just waited for the group to get
moving again.
 
            “Don?  Have you noticed anything weird about the girls?”
 
            Don looked up from the book.  “Hmm?  Other than the fact
that I have an Elf for a sister, you mean?  Not really, why?”
 
            “Doesn’t Susan’s behavior strike you as odd?”
 
            “How?
 
            “She’s normally a lot bitchier than this.”
 
            Don chuckled.  “True, I guess.  Maybe she’s just not gotten
her bearings back yet, after being naked in front of all of us.”
 
            “Damned nice bod, though, huh?”
 
            “Damn straight!”
 
            “I don’t know, Don.  I think something’s up.  I mean, Paul
has mentioned that Julie is being a lot more affectionate, too.”
 
            “Really?”
 
            “Has Kate?”
 
            “Not… well, now that you mention it, I guess she has been a
little more dependent on me than she usually would be.  But I just
figured that was because she was scared.”
 
            “Maybe.  But I think it’s weird that all three of them are
acting that way.”  Gill sat silently for a minute.  “Why do you think
the game asked all those sex questions?”
 
            Don didn’t answer, only because he had been about to voice
the very same question.  They looked at each other, and Don nodded
almost imperceptibly.  He said, “But what are we supposed to do about
it, anyway?”
 
            “I don’t know.  I’ll try to talk with Paul about it when we
get going again.”
 
            “We need to find out if it’s true before any of us does
anything… rash.”
 
            “Agreed.  I’ll see if Paul has any ideas.”
 
 
 
            The group got moving shortly after Gill got up.  Don looked
back at the group a couple of times, and noticed that Susan and Julie
were now walking together, so that the boys could talk quietly between
themselves.  Don thought to drop back and join the discussion, but
figured he’d just let them come to some kind of decision.  Besides,
Kate was so distraught that she really needed him with her right now. 
She was chilled to the bone, and she was scared out of her mind, and
she was clinging to him as her last thread of sanity.
 
            The forest changed not a bit as they continued their walk. 
The rain came and went, but never stopped completely.  A cold, chilly
mist joined the rain to add to their misery.  It was an utterly
disgusting day, and they walked on through it like men to the gallows:
heads down, conversations in whispers if at all, eyes looking only at
the path before them.
 
            For hours they walked without any change in their
condition.  It was apparently reaching nightfall, something that was
only obvious because the light was dimming.  Neither the path nor the
sky above them showed any signs of changing.
 
            Without warning, a large beast broke from the forest around
them, lunging for Kate.  Don quickly swept her back, turning himself so
he was between her and what turned out to be a very large forest cat. 
A light green coat of fur was cut through with brown stripes, and no
one had seen the animal, lying silently in the trees.  

            The cat’s first lunge missed, but it swiped a giant paw at
Don, slashing his side with its claws.  He and Kate stumbled to the
ground, and the cat began to advance.
 
            Susan reacted as soon as she saw the animal, but she didn’t
think she’d have enough time.  The cat was too close.  She had an arrow
out, and was stringing it in the bow, but the large animal was only
feet away from her two friends.
 
            Then, suddenly, Don stretched out his hand and shouted
something.  A burst of light surged forth, and dazzled the creature. 
It would have dazzled Susan, too, if she hadn’t been so focused on the
cat.  The forest cat faded back a little, waiting for its eyes to
clear, but Susan wasn’t giving it that chance.  With a heavy *twang*,
her arrow flew, and embedded itself deeply into the creature’s side. 
Another arrow strung, she approached the cat, who was snarling
fiercely, but lying on its side in pain.  The second arrow, aimed at
the head, ended the creature’s suffering.
 
            It took several minutes for the group to settle down.  Kate
was shaking so badly now that she couldn’t have stood if she’d tried. 
Don was wounded and bleeding, but Julie, who had taken first aid, was
able to bandage that.  He thanked her for it, and she smiled at him,
which was unusual for her, since he wasn’t her type, and she only
smiled to flirt.  Gill gave his sister a pat on the back, which
lingered into a soft stroking of her lower back.
 
            “Good work Susan,” he offered, wondering how she would
react.
 
            Her initial reaction to his touch was unfavorable, but the
longer he kept his hand on her, the better it felt.  Finally, she said,
“Thank you, sir.”  *Sir again?  What the hell is the matter with me!*
 
            Gill noticed the change in her, but he said nothing.  He
let his hand linger another few seconds, and then he left her to
herself, to go see how his friends were doing.
 
            Paul was standing with Don, who was looking through the
book.  Finally, he found what it was he wanted.  He moved his hands and
uttered some words that were unintelligible to the others.  A
shimmering effect occurred around Don, and that was it.
 
            “Healing spell?” Paul asked.
 
            “No, I haven’t found one of those.  This one just fixed my
robe.”  Sure enough, the slash marks from the animal were gone.  Don
turned to Gill.  “You think you can skin this thing?” he gestured to
the cat.
 
            “I can try.  I’ve never done anything this big, but I used
to skin rabbits when I was a kid.
 
            “Give it a shot.  I want to try to make something to keep
Kate warm.  She’s freezing to death in this weather.”
 
            “Gotcha.  Let me go to work.”
 
            Paul said, “Don, I think we should stop here for tonight.”
 
            “I don’t think we’ve got much choice.  Kate won’t be able
to go anywhere until she settles down.  Not that I blame her much.”
 
            Paul shook his head.  “What about a fire?”
 
            “No room.  We start a fire here, we’re liable to burn down
the forest around us.  That assumes we could get any of this sopping
wet wood to burn, anyway.”
 
            “I suppose.  Nothing in that book that can help us?”
 
            “Not that I’ve found so far.”
 
            “Hmph.  Not a very damned useful book.”
 
            “You’re telling me.  Well, we’ll wait until Gill is
finished, then we’ll eat dinner, and go to sleep.”
 
            Gill, who was listening in while he was skinning the cat,
asked, “What’s the guard rotation?”
 
            “You get first watch,” Don answered.  “Wake me up for
middle watch, and Paul will get the last watch.”
 
            “Without any stars or moon, how will we tell when our watch
is up?”  Gill asked.
 
            “Good question,” Paul agreed.
 
            “Wait, I think I remember a spell that would help with
that…”  He rummaged through the book for a while, and came up with it. 
It was hard to read in the fading light, but he finally managed to get
the spell in his head.  He put the book away, and chanted the spell. 
In front of him, a small ball of yellow light formed, hovering there. 
It gave off enough light to read by, but no warmth at all.  Don
explained, “The spell will wear off after a given amount of time.  This
ball will fade in an hour.  Right before we bed down, I’ll make one
that will last three hours, so that when it fades, we change watch.”
 
            “Cool.  Plus, it’ll give us a little light to work by, if
we need to do something,” Paul said.
 
            “True.  Now, I’m going to see if I can help Kate.  I’m
really worried about her.”
 
            After Don left, Paul bent down to help Gill finish up with
the cat.  Looking over to make sure Don couldn’t hear him, Paul said,
“When the time comes, wake me up instead of Don.  He’s got enough to
deal with, taking care of his sister, and trying to keep us on track.”
 
            Gill gave him a look, and nodded in agreement.  “If we’re
going to make it out of here in one piece, he’s our best bet.  Hell, if
we really are stuck in a game, he’s always been the best of us at
playing them.”
 
            Paul nodded, and then they continued to work in silence.
 
 
 
            After they had their dinner, Don cast one more spell, this
one over the cat skin that had been removed from the carcass.  The
spell was a tanning spell, but it would take a few hours to finish its
work.  He cast another glow-ball, and then he settled next to his
sister.  The rain had abated, finally, into a light drizzle mixed with
a mist.  It was cold and damp and dreary.  Kate tried to snuggle as
close to him as possible, but still she was shivering badly.  He had
tried to cast a drying spell on her, but the weather made that an
impossibility: there simply was nowhere for the water in her clothing
to go.
 
            He hugged her tightly, feeling her shiver as they sat back
against a tree.  No one wanted to actually lay down on this ground. 
Susan was hunkered down against a tree about twenty feet away, and Paul
and Julie were huddled together across from her.  Gill was walking back
and forth quietly along the path.
 
            “I’m sorry, sis,” Don whispered.  “I don’t know what else
to do.”
 
            “So c-c-cold,” she stuttered back.  The night had brought
with it a chill as bad as the rain’s.
 
            Just then, Don thought about his robe.  He wasn’t wearing
anything under it, so he couldn’t give it to her.  All of their old
clothes were soaked clear through, and so would be no help.  But his
robe had that extra fabric.  *Would she go for it?  I guess all I can
do is suggest it.*
 
            “Kate?”  She looked up at him expectantly.  “There is one
option, but I don’t know if you’ll go for it.”
 
            “Right n-now I’d d-do just ab-bout anything.”
 
            Don reached in and unfastened the extra length of his
robe.  Then he explained.  “This robe is expandable.  It has extra
fabric.  Maybe I can wrap it around both of us.  Between the covering,
and our body heat, it should warm you up at least a little.  Of course,
I’m not wearing a whole lot under this robe, sis…”
 
            “It’s ok-kay.  I n-need to g-get warm.”
 
            He unfastened the outer clasp, and tried to wrap the fabric
around them both.  There was no easy way to do it with them sitting
side-by-side.  It just wasn’t working.
 
            “Um, Katie, I think the only way we’re going to make this
work is if you sit in my lap.  Sorry, but that looks like the only way.”
 
            She didn’t hesitate, but immediately climbed into his lap,
facing him.  She wrapped her arms around his back inside the robe as he
fastened it around the two of them.  Maneuvering around her wings was a
challenge, but he managed to work it out.  Finally, it was done, and he
could feel his sister’s shivering subside.  He wrapped his arms around
her, holding her tightly to him, to better help her warm up.  Or so he
told himself.  He hoped she was too preoccupied to notice his hard-on. 
His sister was beautiful, and well-endowed, and she was sitting in his
lap.  It was hard not to think impure thoughts.  He kissed her lightly
on the cheek as she closed her eyes and laid her head against his
shoulder.
 
            “Good night, sis.”
 
            “Good night, Donny.  Thanks.”  It wasn’t long before they
both faded off to sleep.
 
 
 
            Gill had stayed at the other end of camp when he noticed
what Don was doing.  He didn’t want Kate to become embarrassed or
nervous.  It was a smart solution to her problem.  It didn’t settle in
Gill’s mind, though, whether or not she’d changed.  As cold as she was,
she’d have gone for almost any idea that got her warm.  He still
wondered about Susan’s behavior, though.  He figured he’d have to start
pushing her just a little bit at a time, to see if she really was
changing in her behavior toward him.  It would be at least an
interesting diversion to this interminable walking.
 
 
 
            Gill woke Paul some time after the glow ball faded.  The
rain had finally stopped, and the mist was fading away.  Gill made sure
that Paul was fully awake, and then he went over to sleep by his
sister, who murmured something as he sat down, but didn’t awaken. 
Unconsciously, she slumped over and rested against him.  He put his arm
around her in a brotherly fashion, and she mumbled something before
returning to her restful state.
 
            Paul stretched and yawned.  His sleep for the night was
finished, but that was okay, for he’d never needed a lot of sleep.  He
looked down at Julie, sleeping peacefully with a coy smile on her
face.  He wondered what boy she was dreaming of.
 
            He wandered back and forth quietly, trying to concentrate
on keeping guard, but it was difficult to concentrate on nothing at
all.  His mind drifted to the situation at hand.  Were they really in a
game?  Was his real body still back in Don’s room?  Or was it more
complex than that?  He knew that, as dismal as the previous day had
been, it had still been nice to have a change from his dull existence
back home.  And, truth be told, having Julie hanging off his arm was
starting to grow on him.  One of the things that tied all three of the
boys together was that they’d had a crush on their sisters at one time
or another.  Each of them secretly still did, but that secret wasn’t
going to last much longer, if the girls were changing as Gill had
suggested.  Paul wondered if that was part of the game, or if there was
something else going on.  He paced back and forth, letting his mind
stray over these thoughts as his eyes and ears kept guard.
 
 
 
            The first thing Don noticed upon waking was that it was
already morning.  He wondered if something had happened, and quickly
looked around, but he saw Paul leaning against a tree at the other end
of camp, so things were obviously all right.
 
            The next thing he noticed was that there was still a very
soft and warm body laying against him.  Kate was breathing softly into
his ear.  It was a peaceful sound, and he sat for a few moments
listening to it.  Sometime during the night, he had slipped his arms
inside his robe, and his hands were resting against the silky skin of
his sister’s back.  His fingers unconsciously drew little circles
against that skin, and she mewled in her sleep.  His hands slipped
across her back, and he accidentally brushed them down against her ass
as she shifted positions.  He didn’t have time to move them before her
eyes opened.  She wasn’t alarmed at his touch, and she didn’t move away
from him.  She leaned her head back and looked at him dreamily.
 
            “Morning, Donny,” she mumbled quietly.
 
            “Good morning.”  He was scared, now, to move his hands.  To
move them would draw attention to something that she might be currently
unaware of.  And, truth be told, her ass felt very nice.
 
            “You know,” she said, breaking his concentration, “you
didn’t have to wait until I was asleep to feel me up.”  She giggled at
the shocked look on his face.  She turned serious and said, “Thanks for
last night.  I’m not sure I would have made it without you.”  She
didn’t let him answer as she kissed him on the lips.
 
            Don was hardly ready for her actions, but he recovered
quickly, and kissed back.  He felt her tongue insistently pressing
against his lips, and opened them to admit it.  Their tongues slid
against each other, and his hands involuntarily squeezed her ass in
response.  She moaned very softly into his mouth, as her own hands ran
along his back.
 
            They continued for a few moments, but then broke the kiss,
afraid they would wake the others and draw attention to themselves. 
“Thank you very much, Donny,” she whispered into his ear.
 
            “You’re welcome.  And thank you for the wakeup.”
 
            She smiled softly at him.  “You deserve it.  You probably
saved my ass last night.  Twice.”
 
            “Well, it’s such a nice ass,” he quipped.  She wriggled in
his grasp.
 
            “You ought to know by now,” she said slyly.  He gave her
one final squeeze, and then moved his hands back up to her back.
 
            “You’re going to have to get up,” he said.
 
            “But I like it here,” she pouted cutely.
 
            He chuckled.  “Maybe, but I doubt you’ll like it if I pee
all over you.”
 
            “Ew!  Okay.  Um… you have to unbutton us.”  They both
giggled, and he put his arms back through the robe’s sleeves, and then
undid the fasteners.  She got up, and then helped him up.  He staggered
a bit.
 
            “My legs are just a little numb,” he said in explanation. 
She smiled at him, and he blew her a kiss before he wandered off behind
a tree.
 
 
 
            Paul had watched the two of them, discreetly, throughout
the encounter.  *So.  It looks like Kate has been affected by this
place.  I know those two are close, but I don’t think they normally
make out every morning.  Of course, they don’t generally wake up in
each other’s arms, quite literally, every morning, either.  But I
really think something is going on.  I’ll have to talk to Don and Gill
about it later.*
 
 
 
            After everyone was awake, and eating, Don wandered over to
where Susan and Gill were sitting.  Susan looked up at him.
 
            “Someone’s awfully perky this morning,” she said sourly.
 
            “Yeah, well, I’m well rested.”  He looked at Gill
accusingly.  “*Someone* forgot to wake me for my turn at watch.”
 
            “Kate needed you,” he said simply.  Don nodded his thanks
at his friend’s understanding.  Then he bent down on one knee, to look
Susan in the eyes.
 
            “And I didn’t get a chance to thank you for saving me and
my sister.”
 
            “That’s what I’m here for, sir,” she answered, and the warm
flush running through her body at his praise made her forget to
question why she’d called him *sir*.
 
            Don nodded to her, and gave Gill a meaningful look as he
rose to rejoin his sister.  Gill ran his hand along his sister’s back,
and she shivered at the feel of it, making no objection.  “You did good
work, Susan.”  Again, her body flushed, and a soft smile came across
her face.  Gill took note of all of it.
 
 
 
            It didn’t take long before the group got underway.  The
forest cat’s skin had been crudely lashed together into a warm garment
for Kate, but today she didn’t need it: the temperature was already
warm, and steadily climbing.  The meat of the cat had been wasted, as
no one had a way to cure it, and without the ability to make a fire,
they couldn’t even cook it.  It was already beginning to stink by the
time they departed.  On further reflection, everyone thought it strange
that no predators or scavengers had come to collect the body during the
night.
 
            This day’s walk was rather more pleasant than yesterday’s. 
The forest was full of sounds, and the sun shimmered through the
trees.  They trekked on, moving swiftly along the path, hoping to find
something that would lead them to the yellow dragon, and home.
 
            After a while, Don dropped back, leaving Kate in the lead. 
He wanted to talk to the other boys privately.  The girls all moved
ahead, so they wouldn’t disturb the conversation.
 
            “Okay, so what have we decided about the girls?” Don asked
quietly.
 
            “Did you see the way Susan reacted to you?”
 
            “Yeah.  Normally, there would have been a nasty comment in
her reply.”
 
            “Also,” Paul said, “Julie and Kate are both far more
affectionate than I’ve ever seen them.”
 
            “True, I guess,” said Don.
 
            “How do we test it?” Gill wanted to know.
 
            “Hell if I know,” answered Don.
 
            “Well, there is the obvious way, but which one of us wants
to risk it?”
 
            “Shit, Don’s damn near sleeping with Kate already!”  The
other two hushed him, but the girls didn’t look back.
 
            “I’m not sure I can push her like that, guys.  I mean,
she’s my sister, and she’s counting on me.”
 
            “But you wouldn’t object if she came on to you, is that
it?” Paul asked, knowingly.
 
            “Well…” Don answered.  He grinned, and the other two nodded.
 
            “I don’t think Julie’s ready yet,” Paul said.
 
            “Why don’t we all just take small steps, but keep sort of
testing them, to see how far we can go before they protest?”
 
            “That sounds like a good idea,” Paul agreed.
 
            “All right,” Don concurred.  “But don’t expect much from me
and Kate.  I just…  I mean, dammit, I’ve been looking after her all my
life, it’s kind of hard to take advantage of that.”
 
            “You’ll get used to it,” Gill chuckled.
 
            “I’ve got another question, though,” Don stated, trying to
get off this rather embarrassing subject.
 
            “What?”  Gill inquired.
 
            “Well, we’ve seen my magic work, and Gill, you’re skills
are obvious.  But we haven’t seen anything from you, Paul.  Weren’t you
supposed to be a psionic?”
 
            “True.  I hadn’t really thought much about it.  I mean, I
don’t *feel* any different, you know?”
 
            “Maybe you should try some things… you know, just easy
stuff.  Like moving a pebble or something.  You could carry one with
you, and try to levitate it in your hand.”
 
            “Good idea.  If nothing else, it’ll keep me occupied.  I’ve
never been much for forests.”  He looked around for a while as they
walked, and found a small, round stone that fit well in his hand.  He
focused his attention on it, but it didn’t move.
 
            “Well, shit.  I guess you didn’t get anything, Paul.  That
sucks.”
 
            “Yeah.  I mean, we got what we asked for.  You should’ve
got something, too.”
 
            Paul kept his peace.  He *had* felt something.  The stone
had grown slightly warm in his hand.  He hadn’t been able to lift it,
though.  Perhaps he merely needed practice.
 
            Soon, Don moved forward to retake the lead position with
his sister.  He wrapped an arm around her as they walked, and her hand
snaked around his waist, as well.  They walked like that until they
stopped for lunch.
 
 
 
            Lunch passed by quickly, with no hassles or surprises. 
Everyone considered this a blessing, for they didn’t feel the need for
any more excitement just yet.
 
            As they continued to walk north, the forest seemed to thin
ever so slightly.  The group knew better than to increase their pace,
even though they could now see farther.  They stuck to their steady
gait, making decent time without tiring themselves.
 
            Gill, who had been watching Don and Kate walk together all
morning, wondered just how far he could push Susan.  First, he put his
hand against her upper back, and rubbed.  She looked over at him, at
first looking annoyed, but this very quickly changed to a smile.  He
kept his hand there for several minutes, rubbing between her shoulder
blades.  Finally, he moved his hand down to the small of her back. 
Surprisingly, she actually moved closer to him when he did this.
 
            After a solid ten minutes of tracing small circles on her
lower back, he got up enough courage to slide his hand down further. 
His hand stopped when it was firmly planted on her ass.  She said
nothing, though she did take another small step inward, so that she was
now almost touching him as she walked.  He squeezed her ass cheek, and
she inhaled sharply, but kept her peace.  Not wanting to push his luck,
he removed his hand.  His experiment had produced results, and he was
happy for the moment.  Still, he wondered just how far he could go with
her.
 
 
 
            It was late in the afternoon when they reached a bend in
the trail.  Though it had meandered back and forth through the hours,
this was the first time that the path had taken a sharp corner.  Worse,
there were sounds of a large animal coming from around the bend.  The
group came to a stop, and considered.
 
            Finally, having come to a decision, Don, Gill, and Susan
led the other three around the turn.  Immediately, they came into a
clearing.  Sitting in the clearing was what could only be described as
a dragon.  Its red scales shimmered in the late sunlight, its large,
leathery wings lay limp against its body.  The head of the beast, which
sat at the end of a short neck, at least for a dragon, sat on the
ground, its eyes nearly closed.  As the group entered the clearing, it
lifted its head to look at them.
 
            Susan immediately strung an arrow to her bow.  Don raised
his hand to stop her, just as the creature spoke.
 
            “Go ahead, miss.  End my misery.  You would be doing me a
favor.”
 
            Susan was so stunned that the creature could talk, she
nearly dropped her bow.  She stared at the creature for a full minute,
unable to move or speak.
 
            Meanwhile, Don moved further into the clearing.  He kept
his distance from the creature, but it was obvious that the animal was
gravely wounded.  “We mean you no harm,” he said.  “We are merely
traveling through these parts.”
 
            The dragon looked at him balefully.  “I’d much rather you
*did* mean me harm.  My time is short, but much too long for my tastes.”
 
            “What happened to you?” Kate asked, seeing the beast for
the first time.
 
            The dragon took a long look at her, inhaling his breath
raggedly.  Finally, he said, “Pray tell, lovely one, how did you come
to be captured by this pitiful human?”  His voice showed a faint hint
of anger.
 
            “That’s my brother!” Kate snarled in resentment.
 
            The dragon looked at her in shock for a moment, and then
understanding dawned upon him.  “You are not from Zemlia Nov.  I
understand now.”  The creature tried to rise, but couldn’t manage.  He
did lift his head off the ground to look at them.  “My name is
Dan-Eger.  This was once my territory.  I hunted here to my heart’s
content.  Now, it belongs to another of my kind, and I… I am not long
for this world.  And yet, all too long.”
 
            “I’m sorry,” Kate said softly, understanding his pain.  “Is
there anything we can do to help?”
 
            Dan-Eger looked at her for a moment, judging her
sincerity.  “Never has a human given a rot what needs a dragon has.  I
believe I am the first to be blessed by such an event.  The only help I
need, dear Elfling, is for your lady friend to run me through.  I wish
to die now.”
 
            “But… can’t we… save you?” Kate asked, with tears in her
eyes.
 
            “Save me to what end?” Dan-Eger asked softly.  “I can no
longer hold my ground.  I am an old dragon, you see, and my time is
over.  Dan-Gelmer has defeated me, and it is my fate to die.  You
cannot heal my wounds, you can only speed my fate.  That is what I wish
for.”
 
            Don had approached the creature, who had not made objection
to the human’s presence.  Looking at the wounds, it was surprising that
the dragon was still alive at all.
 
            “We will do as you ask, if you will give us some
information,” Don offered.
 
            “What do you wish to know?”
 
            “Where can we find the yellow dragon?”
 
            “Vernior?  You seek Vernior?  Why, for demon’s sake, would
you want to find Vernior?”
 
            “The yellow dragon is the only way for us to get home.”
 
            “No one still living in Zemlia Nov has ever seen the yellow
dragon.  None who have attempted to find Vernior have ever been seen in
the civilized areas again.”
 
            Kate paled at the thought, and Susan stepped back toward
Gill, but Don held his ground.
 
            “Still, I need to find Vernior.  Can you help us?”
 
            The old dragon’s head slumped back to the ground.  “Alas, I
do not know where to find Vernior.  I have never seen the yellow
dragon.”  His eyes closed for a moment, and the group thought he had
died on the spot, but then his eyes reopened.  “There is, however,
someone who might know.”
 
            “Who?” Paul asked.
 
            “Iamor, the aged wizard of Castle Ballor.  He is older even
than I, kept alive by his magic.  He may know how to find Vernior.”
 
            “How do we find him?” Gill asked.
 
            Dan-Eger turned his head to look at a path, one of four
leading from the clearing.  “That way.  It will take you three days to
walk there from here.  I would suggest you take part of my carcass as
food, after you kill me.  You *are* going to kill me?”
 
            Don swallowed hard.  “If that’s what you wish.”
 
            “It is.”
 
            “Susan?” Don asked softly.  She raised her bow, and pulled
back on the string.  For a long moment, no one moved.  Then, the
musical *twang* of the bowstring sounded, and an unmusical *thud*
announced that the arrow had found its mark.  Dan-Eger was no more.
 
 
 
  

