Chapter 6: Your Enemy

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Aymeri and his brothers rise warily and take up a defensive position as a male from another nest enters theirs.

"Riain hasn't returned," Aymeri notes under his breath.

"The three of us are enough to defend our territory," Seirian notes.

"I'm not worried about that," Aymeri answers. Riain would often be away from the nest for days at at time, enjoying the solitude of his explorations in the world at large, and normally Aymeri would not be concerned about his brother's absence. But in these times, with other nests set against theirs...

"Aymeri, First of Tearhne, I am Emrys, First of Radhari," the outsider says,  his arms kept down at his sides in a non-threatening posture.

Aymeri knows full well who he is, dragon society is small enough that they all know each other by face and name. But the formal introduction is required in this situation. For an adult male dragon to enter another's nest is almost always an act of aggression, and Emrys' words show that he is not here to engage in hostilities. 

"First of Radhari?" Aymeri asks. The last he'd heard, Emrys was second of his nest. "Hayder?"

"Dead," Emrys confirms his suspicion.

"How?" Aymeri asks. Radhari's nest was known for its brutality, its males often killing each in other in challenges against the First. But Emrys always stood apart from his brothers, was known as the calmest and least violent of his nest, and Aymeri would be surprised to learn he'd challenged and killed Hayder himself.

"We found his body this morning. He was bitten by a venomous snake," Emrys explains. If he mourned his lost brother, he kept it to himself, for his face betrayed no emotion as he delivered the news. "But I am not here to talk of Hayder. Near his body, we found blood. Riain's blood." With his last words, a hoarseness creeps into his voice.

"Riain's blood, but not Riain?" Aymeri asks.

Emrys nods. "I called for him, but he was nowhere to be found. I don't know what to make of it, Aymeri. Hayder, dead of a snake's venom, and no other mark on him. And Riain's blood on a rock by the water. A lot of his blood, too much, I fear," he says, his voice wavering again, "He should not have been able to go far with such an injury, but he was nowhere near the area. And he left no trail for us to follow."

"We must find him," Aymri says.

"I will help you search," Emrys says, somewhere between a question and a demand. Aymeri nods his assent.

"I will help as well," Ico declares, approaching the group of dragons.

Aymeri makes a warning growl in his throat as Emrys turns to Ico. "You are the fairy that's been causing so much trouble?" Emrys asks, "I would welcome your aid."

"You'll accept help from a fairy?" Aymeri asks, more than a little surprised.

"My son is out there, lost, injured," Emrys says, his voice breaking in sorrow, "If your fairy's magic can help find him...No law will get in my way."

The blood in the water had long dispersed, and only dried traces of it were left on the rock. Ico enters the pond, searching the water's memory for clues.

"This is where we found Hayder," Emrys tells them.

"Someone lay with a fairy here, very recently,"Aymeri says.

"How do you know this?" Emrys asks in surprise.

"The smell," Seirian says.

"All I smell is flowers," Emrys says.

"When she's...aroused," Aymeri says, keeping his voice low, "She puts off a powerful scent. It will linger for hours. It's like flowers, but once you know the source, you'll never mistake it for anything else."

"Hayder was furious at you, your whole nest, over this fairy. I can't imagine he'd lie with one," Emrys says.

"But if he found Riain with one..." Seirian speculates.

"He would have attacked," Emrys says with a growl, "If he harmed my son..." he starts, but there is no threat he can make against his dead brother.

"Hayder attacked Riain, threw him against that rock," Aymeri says, "Hayder is then bitten by a snake, and the fairy must  have taken Riain."

"Shayeleigh," Ico says, looking up from the water.

"Shayeleigh," Riain moans, regaining consciousness. "What is this place?" 

"Ssh, my love," she sighs, pushing him back down, "You must eat."

"No," he whispers, his throat dry. This place is wrong, unnatural, and she is wrong as well, not Shayeleigh at all.

With great concentration, he sees through her glamour, and he gathers all his strength to shove her off him.

With a gasp, she falls to the floor. 

"You cannot hold me here, fairy," Riain growls as he makes for what looks to be an exit from this unnatural cave.

"But I can," she says, her voice quiet with rage. Riain is grasped in her magic, unable to move.

With a sweep of her hand, he falls to the floor, doubled over in pain, until he loses consciousness again.

Auberon's magic sets him apart from even the others of his kind, for he alone holds the power of creation. Anything he can imagine, he can make manifest in the world. When Shayeleigh brought them the injured dragon, Auberon created a beautiful prison to hold him hostage, constructed of durable magic that would keep his dragon brothers away and protect the fairies who held him there.

"This is wrong, Auberon," Shayeleigh complains. She brought Riain to her kind to heal his injury, and Auberon took him from her.

"He is a dragon, Shayeleigh," Aubero says, "His kind plan to make war against us. They've seduced Ico and made her their prisoner, as this one no doubt intended to do with you."

"That's not true! He saved me from the hunters, he--" she stops herself, too late. She had told Auberon that she didn't know what happened to her that day she was shot by the strange creatures' arrows.

"So, you lied to me," Auberon says, "You knew your rescuer and kept him hidden from us. What have you told the dragons about us, Shayeleigh?"

"The dragon is uncooperative," Tania says, joining them by the pool. "He attacked me. I had to use my magic to prevent his escape."

"No, he wouldn't," Shayeleigh gasps in horror.

"He dared lay hands on you?" Aubeon says, his voice even. Only those closest to him would be able to see the rage that seethes beneath his calm demeanor.

The dragon lies unconscious on the bed Auberon created for him. 

The fairy reaches out with his mind, and wakes the dragon.

"Shayeleigh," Riain sighs, "Where is she?"

"Shayeleigh is none of your concern, dragon," Auberon says, "Where is Icovellauna? What have you done with her?"

"Ico? She was well, last I saw her..."

Auberon doesn't move, does not so much as gesture. He delivers pain with just a thought.

"Where is Ico?" he asks again.

Riain keeps silent, despite the pain. He will not reveal the location of his nest to this fairy.

"You think this is pain?" Auberon asks, "This is only a taste of what I can do to you, dragon. Tell me, where is Ico?"

The pain is near unbearable. Riain struggles to rise, to escape.

"There is no scape from me, dragon," Auberon says, intensifying his mental attack, immobilizing the dragon, "You will answer my questions."

"Never," Riain growls, falling back into he bed.

Shayeleigh cringes at the sound of Riain's screams.

"Don't waste your pity on that dragon," Tania says, "He lied to you and seduced you. He didn't tell you that they held Ico captive, did he? Or of the plans they were making to war against us. He never loved you, he is your enemy."

"No, it can't be," Shayeleigh says, but  her protestations grow weaker. It is true, he didn't tell her about Ico, about the war. And if he kept that from her, what other lies did he tell?

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The house/prison Auberon built is Joselly by Pet'ka.