Aleksei stared at Silveredge, absolutely dumbfounded.
"I would very much like, my master, to speak further with the scion. I believe that the dragon that spoke with me wishes me to speak with him about the marriage," Silveredge smiled. "I will need his consent, as I was first married to him."
"And the mighty Bloodtalon must be aching with anger, now that his bride is being called to be the bride of Bahamut Himself," Mikael smiled grimly. "But we cannot afford to leave you alone with him- in his state. We must neutralize the demon daughter."
Silveredge paused for one moment, and I watched a brief weariness cloud her eyes. "You spoke to me of just one Tiefling who was indeed able to be saved. Would it be possible for him to take counsel with her? Perhaps when she has seen with her own eyes what she can become- what she can return to- perhaps she will be more willing to release this life. Why should she march blindly into a conversion when she does not know if she will survive?"
Mikhail turned slightly and tenderly brushed Silveredge's cheek, as though he had fallen into the deepest of loves. "Too long have I lavished without your good counsel- it is good for the representation of the Unified to at last be together."
"So you stand for who- Tiamat? And the Shadow Child for Bahamut?" Aleksei snorted. "Better that I stand for Bahamut and my first for Tiamat- at least that would make some smattering of sense."
Mikhail smiled. "Cute. You forget your true self even moments after you admit it. Here, let me help you." And in one beautiful moment, there was an image- some glyph- projected onto the arm that Aleksei was still holding. He dropped it instantly, stepping back slightly and turning away as though I'd struck him.
"Now, my son, did you feel the grip around your heart? Did you feel yourself lurching toward the path you forgot- the path you try to deny?" Mikhail demanded. "You swore in blood, scion. Tiamat is carved in your soul."
"I am not your son," Aleksei grunted, his back still turned.
And before anyone could do anything else, a Human girl, dressed in rags, burst into the hall. "The Drow is free! He summoned arrows out of nowhere!"
I was half dragged out to the common area where Bahlzair had been chained. Sure enough, two Dragonborn females lay, unseeing eyes staring into the sky, with bloody acid holes through their white robes.
"He's gone," a Human guard breathed as he ran up to Mikhail. "He took off north, I think. Bhairoset's the closest town, little clutch of farmers sitting on top of an infertile rock, won't take too kindly too him. Tasha should turn him back around, if we get word to her soon enough."
"Send word, then. But send soldiers as well, in case you catch up to him," Mikhail pronounced, inspecting the cuffs that had met their match.
The guard bowed, then turned away, hollering toward a few other Human males, most of whom took up arms and began moving at a steady trot. Two others, clothed lightly and barely armed, took off at full speed.
"How did he escape?" Mikhail finally asked, turning slightly over his shoulder to look at the Human female. She shrunk under his gaze.
"I don't know," she admitted slowly. "It was Zasha's idea to put him in the manacles and let him sit down, because he kept spitting and biting when he was hung between the trees. One minute, he was allowing Zasha to finally check under his tongue to see the glands that she had thought were there. She had to go get another depressor, since he closed his mouth on the first. When she turned back around, he wasn't in the manacles anymore, but he was still sitting in peace. Zasha tried speaking to him calmly, but Ima pulled a knife, and that's when the arrows appeared out of no where."
"Ah, Zasha. I warned her about mercy," Mikhail sighed quietly, kneeling down to lift one of the female's heads. He put his forehead against hers, and a hush came over the entire area. After a few moments, Dragonborn and Humans started gathering in a circle around this area, which meant some of them had to come up from the lower-level living area. I noted that those from that area were almost all Humans.
There was one Tiefling.
It was clear that there were once horns at this male's temples, as his dark, curly hair had been cut short. He wore black robes, and easily stood out in this crowd, although he would have blended right in at a monastery somewhere. As soon as he walked up the steps, which had been dug into the hillside, I practically had to look at him. His eyes were a strange gold, and blazed from his face as though they had been two beacons. He was attended by a Dragonborn female- at first I thought it was because he was still being held captive. He moved with such grace and ease that it took me some time to realize that the female was guiding and sometimes leading him- he was blind. Perhaps seeing that I was one of his kind, although under the circumstances, I would have thought that the fact would have turned her away from me instead of compelling her toward me, the assistant brought him to where I stood with the guards.
"Ah, kin," the Tiefling said, reaching out his hands. "Are you here a long time?"
"No, getting on a day now," I replied simply, putting my hand in his. It felt warm and sandy-dry- like touching a stick that had been in a recently extinguished fire. He let go of his helper and reached out his other hand for my head, so I ducked slightly so that he would get to my horns.
"Good, good," he murmured, more to himself than to me. He struck my horns first- lightly, and by accident- then ran his fingertips along them.
Beyond us, Mikhail was leading some sort of chant, which was getting louder by the moment. Silveredge was silent at his side, her eyes closed, and Aleksei wasn't in my range of sight.
"You have lovely hair," the Tiefling commented with a smile. "So very heavy, so very straight and thick. Familiar. Why did you cut it?"
"It got nasty and sweaty, and I hate it when it gets into my eyes," I replied, standing straight again.
"My name is Ivan, now. It was Seyashen, when I could see." He took his hands away from me, and I felt as though I'd taken my hands out of warm sheets. "You must have many questions-"
By this time, the chant had turned into a roar, and those gathered began dispersing.
"My name is Mi'ishaen, and I don't plan on a name change any time soon."
And Ivan laughed. It wasn't bitter or charged with the undercurrent of some other feeling. It was a genuine, care-free laugh, as though I'd made a very good joke.
A few Humans gathered to pick up the bodies of the Dragonborn women, and Mikhail turned his gaze over to Ivan and I. Silveredge opened her eyes, and I heard a small hum of concern arise from Ivan.
"Ivan is our enchanter and healer," Mikhail said gravely as Silveredge made her way over. "He had also heard the dragon, but was unable to follow the call, as his patron demon is quite strong, and will not leave him alive should we attempt to continue the ritual." Silveredge smiled and curtsied to Ivan briefly, and Ivan reached out his hand to her.
"It will do her good to be with you, I know it," Silveredge whispered as she laid her hand in his. It seemed the ruddy, rugged hand would swallow the light blue one whole in it.
"It may do you good to return," Ivan replied kindly, as might a father. "I would like to continue to study your encounter with the dragon. Perhaps through this study I will be able to truly become one with this clan."
"You are already one of us, Ivan, as much as you can be," Mikhail assured, placing his scaled hand on top. "We must prepare to perform the rites, as soon as all ties to previous marriages have been severed."
"I thought there was only one rite," I asked. "One that would somehow magically change one's race."
"Oh yes, the Rite of Rebirth shall proceed," Mikhail crowed. "And soon after, the Rite of Unification."
"Forgive him, he assumes that you will be overjoyed at this news, when you don't even know what he's talking about," Ivan smirked. "They're going to be married."
"You've known her a day!" I shrieked, blown away.
"And in that day, the illustrious dragon, Lord Bahamut, saw fit to speak directly to her," Mikhail replied strongly. "He appeared to her, called her to her destiny. What better partner could the master of this clan have?"
"One that isn't already married, if you don't mind my saying," I spat, rolling my eyes in disgust. "So far, all I've noted of this Unified you keep talking about is that it values wealth and destruction over common damned sense or courtesy. Since when does a god require that outsiders be chained up and poked at? And I won't buy that you were trying to help him. You maim people- look at his head! That, for a Tiefling, is maiming- his horns may never grow back. And since when has any god, anywhere, deemed it appropriate to take some other male's wife?"
"It sounds as though you have seen an awful lot of Tiamat's influence," Ivan smiled. "Your anger is justified. Why don't you allow me to introduce you to Bahamut? With the master's kind leave?"
"Oh, please, I know she will fare better in his hands," Silveredge pleaded, looking up to Mikhail with the simplicity of a child. "And I will speak with Aleksei, and this will all be alright, without any further pain."
"I will allow it," Mikhail said at last, a frown etched deeply into his face. "But I will have guards posted, to prevent any- unfortunate occurrences. Be careful, Ivan. Your own path was treacherous, remember."
"I will take great joy, master, in speaking calmly with my kin. Her spirit is strong, and her wit will be sharper than her blades, with a bit more challenge. This is the way of Bahamut, the way of reason, and of wisdom." Ivan was looking just over Mikhail's right shoulder, and I could tell that whatever he had done to "see" me, he was not doing it to help him look directly at Mikael. He took his hand away from Silveredge and Mikael and offered it to me. "Please, come."
"I too belong to Aleksei, you know," I smirked. "This charming manner won't get me away from him."
"Worry not," Ivan replied as he brought me closer to him. "As I am sure you have noticed, though you have been careful not to misspeak, I cannot even behold your loveliness. Both of esteemed Petrovich's wives will be most safe with and from me."
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