Kalket was sweating over a very hot fire, Morrigan using the bellows. She felt like Vulcan's handmaiden.  As large as Kalket was he might have been a god, and sweating, with his clothes mostly removed and his muscles sliding under his skin, she found herself admiring the beauty of his body. it was a machine, oiled, and disciplined.

They'd begun fashioning the dragon armor in 'vitredur' as he called it, a modern plastic that was really closer to glass. it wasn't the strongest of armors, he'd explained but it was for ritual use and since no iron was allowed, it held back everything else.

While he worked and she helped she wondered why no one had fashioned armor for the dragons. The riding saddles used for war were armored, but little time was spent fashioning breastplates or anything else to keep the dragons safe. She'd have to change that, she decided.

When he was finally satisfied with the test piece he'd been working on, they rested as it cooled.

"I can fashion copies using mental powers but the master needs to be just right. So we can alter each for dragon size, but the basic style will remain true."

"And they will light up for the dragon races?" she asked.

"If you will allow me to look in your mind, I can show you how it is done," he offered.

She nodded and let him in.  He entered her mind tentatively and she met him there, astonished at how alien his mind was given how human he looked. He slid by that question however and kept looking for her abilities. Once there he picked up the now cooled vitradur breastplate and she watched as his redactive/healer power fed energy into the armour and it glowed a brilliant ruby-red with silver highlights.

"Oh that is wonderful!" Morrigan said aloud.

He frowned at her, obviously thinking. "You would be the creator guild I think."  He handed her the breastplate and entered her mind again, showing her how to connect her power to the vitredur. She concentrated as he showed her, and the breastplate suddenly began glowing cyan and white.  "Of course you may prefer to glow in your house colors. So alter the mental commands as I showed you."

She fiddled with the colors a bit getting a feel for it. "Oh, the dragons will love it!"

He grinned. "Their riders too, I think. We wore full armor on ourselves as well when we flew the wild hunt. It was quite a sight to behold. But the dragons should be able to make their own armor glow, unlike the chalikos who were quite stupid creatures."

"At night, this will be fabulous, Kalket, you've done a wonderful job."

"Much to do though, so all the dragons can feel proud."

"Ione will love it too.  But it's not just the dragons.  It honors Dinah and the guests will enjoy it too, plus from this I think I'm going to work on real armor for the dragons to protect them better in the fighting." she told him, smiling at him.   "Plus, it is no small thing to have the dragons in your debt."

"Hmm.... Well, I wasn't ... It will lift my spirits to see the skies alight."

"You miss your home a lot, don't you," she asked gently, unsure if she was prying too much.  "I'm glad I could help give you the pleasure of seeing this.  That will be worth the effort too."

"Thank you, Morrigan." He reached out to wipe some sweat from the end of her nose. "You are most lovely."

She blushed and dimpled up at him.  "Thank you.  I'm glad you think so.  You yourself are beyond handsome," she went on, her eyes sweeping him from head to toe, making no effort to hide the pleasure she took in the sight of him.

"You must guard your looks, Morrigan. It has been a very long time since I lay with a woman. I do not wish to embarrass you."

She tilted her head at him, puzzled.  "Why would that embarrass me? "

"Only that my interest may become, ahem, too obvious."

"Ah, well.  I see.  How about if I promise to tell you if and when it does. 'Cause so far I'm a long way from offended. Unless I am being to forward?"

"My people are blunt spoken on sex. I've found Earth a challenge in this, and am unsure of how your people are regarding this," he explained.

"Well I wouldn't call us blunt.  At least others anyway.  I'm frequently accused of being way too direct, though, but life's too short, I think, to spend it being mealy-mouthed.  So, the truth of the matter is I find you attractive and I'm delighted you find me lovely."  She took a step closer, smiling at him.  "As I said, I'm a long way from being offended."

He reached out to touch her again and said, "I would love to couple with you Morrigan, but there is one issue I should mention."

"And that is," she asked breathing a bit heavily at his touch.

"I am quite large for human females. I am afraid I might hurt you. Some women are not able..." his voice trailed off uncertainly.

"Well, uhm...should intercourse be a problem, and I don't think it will, but should it be there are other ways of pleasuring each other," she reminded him.

"Very true. But I am told it is only fair to tell a woman these things in the beginning."

As he moved to kiss her it soon became self-apparent he had some right to warn her, as his erection made it plain he hadn't been exaggerating.

He paused after a kiss that had sent her skin to tingling. "You must tell me if I hurt you.  I do not wish to do so. Pleasure only."  His hands were running the length of her thighs and then were up cupping her breasts, his hands moving as if he had not felt a woman for a very long time.

She leaned into his hands, her own glorying in the feel of him as she explored his back.  "I will.  But it's only been seconds," she added, pulling his mouth down to hers, "and I can already tell that there's no doubt of the pleasure."

He conjured up a blanket and took his time undressing her, kissing every inch he exposed. She wanted to do the same for him but his long arms and long body made it hard to do until he finally finished and lay down beside her and let her undress him.

The clothes slid off and she felt the taut skin and the muscles that were like her own but different somehow. His fingers with odd joints that worked like hers yet were unlike hers, the same wtih his knees and even, she found as she explored them, his ankles and toes. But the basic equipment, if larger, was what she'd expected. He began exploring her inch by inch with his tongue.

Before he was half way through she was close to mindless; when he finally entered her the thought flashed across the few shreds still left that he fit perfectly, then he began moving and she had no mind left at all for a very long time.

As she lay there sated beside him. He had wrapped his long arms around her and she felt like her muscles were water. He petted her and whispered, "Rest."  When she looked up at him he asked, "You are... I did not harm you?"

"Are you kidding?" she laughed weakly.  "All I wanna know is when we can do it again."

"Tomorrow," he promised.

"That long?" she pouted.  "Damn!"

When Morrigan entered the cave where she and Kalket had been working on the dragon armor and, uhm, working on something else too, he was already there, polishing a finished breastplate. He looked up quickly when he heard her enter, and a look of relief passed his features before he grinned happily at her.

"One down, how many more to go?" he asked, as she sat down next to him.

"Oh, I dunno.  Fifty, sixty dragons in the pride here," she guessed.  "So, ah, good morning.  Sleep well?" she asked with an arched brow.

"Uhm, no. But I feel much better now.  You are well? Nothing... hurt?"

She grinned at him.  "Nothing I know of.  Wanna check me out, Doc, ah, just to be sure?" she invited.

He leaned over, sniffing at her. "You smell very well indeed. Should I make a closer examination?  Of course that will put us behind schedule with the armor."

"I feel sure," she said, "that we can catch up.  If, uhm, you're willing?"

He grinned at her so happily she was quite certain he was as eager as she. A bit more comfortable with each other now, things progressed more smoothly and, she was delighted to say, he was, if anything, more engaged than last time. And when she had her first climax of the day, he almost made her lose total control when he yelled, "Slonshal!" in celebration.

Later, when she could think again, "What's that word you shouted?  Slonsh...Slansha...something like that.  What is it?" she asked.

He lay beside her, cradling her carefully. "Slonshal. It means, I am joyous, I am happy, I salute you, that sort of thing. My father's people used a similar word, 'slitsal.'  They spoke a slightly different language and named the goddess differently too, although it was in reality all the same."

"You are a devotee of the goddess, she who is worshipped in her three fold forms?" She snuggled closer, basking in the feel of him.  "Not one of the war gods?"

"Ours was a battle religion, and the goddess a war goddess. Marc has tried to explain religion to me often. I fear I am too simple to understand it. We live, we love, we fight, we die, and the goddess accepts all. We are her people and she is ours."

"There are similarities there with the orders of the warrior monks.  For them, it isn't just a religion, it's the whole point of life, the warrior monk ideal, which may be where you and they stop being similar."

"Do they swear off sex and fun?" he asked, obviously curious.

"Some, those who make a lifetime commitment are celibate.  Others who are formed by them, trained and educated, but don't stay, no."  She shook her head.  "My brothers spent many years with them as adolecents.  Most scions of the Houses and Guilds do.  Women as well, but not as often.  It's a strange life, but as warriors they are renowned among the worlds.  When not fighting they are teachers and often scholars.  Many end their days as hermits."

"You see, this is what I do not understand. Tana gave us life. Why should she not want us to enjoy it to the most?  Don't explain," he added with a grin. "I am hopeless. I believe in joy. And Tana wishes me to find it, so I can't seem to accept so much of this .. asceticism, and atonement and such things. Yes, we all do things we regret. But they are in the past, over and done. Why spend time bemoaning what we cannot change."  He laughed self-consciously. "Forgive me. I do not mean to demean your beliefs. I should keep my thoughts to myself."

"No, you shouldn't keep your thoughts to yourself.  I'm interested in them. And in this case you aren't demeaning my beliefs at all.  I mean, I understand the need for expiation, but the eremetical ones, for them it isn't that.  It's about a turning further, more fully towards that which they seek...union with the god they follow.  I've heard it described as a love affair."  She blushed.  "But I'm lecturing you.  I'm sorry."

"No, please, explain to me. It would be helpful to me to understand, and I want to know what you believe. Are you a warrior monk? Our union with the goddess is... I do not think I mean taken for granted but is a gift from her that we know and are confident in, you see."

"No, I'm not, though I studied with them for a time.  Not very long." She smiled at him.  "They and I...we didn't get along, mostly because I don't believe as they do.  If I follow any religion of god I suppose it's the goddess, herself...but even that...Perhaps I"m like you and see things in a simpler way, of living each day well and loving as best I can."

He grinned at her. "Perhaps you have Tanu genes in you somewhere. I like simple. There are enough things to be puzzled about without adding things we cannot do anything about. So, you are a warrior? You fight on dragon-back and with sword or some other weapon?"

"Hand to hand, or blade.  Sometimes the staff.  When we fight on dragon back often it's the dragons who protect us, breathing fire because those are the battles when the mages fight with power as well as ordinary weapons."  Then she laughed.  "These are my genes," she said holding out her palm and showing him, the sigil of sword and helix glowing, her own double helix hovering in the air.  "Do you know which are Tanu?  We, the gene traders, are an amalgam of genes from many people, many races."

"I have never seen such a thing, this ability to display your genes. It is a great wonder. I do not know enough of genetics to pick which ones might be ours. I will have to hope that a trace of my people is there somewhere." He paused a moment, and said, "You are very nice to me, Morrigan. Thank you for being patient."

She stroked his face, her finger drifting over his lips.  "I'm neither nice nor patient.  But I'm glad you think so.  I've never known a man such as you, who sees, wants to see things simply and just enjoy them.  I can't tell you how much..."  She stopped herself, suddenly embarrassed  "I'm glad I know you Kalket," she said and kissed him.  "Very glad." She repeated against his mouth.

They made love again, he whispering 'slonshal' and laughing when she groaned at him. "Is your pleasure not something to celebrate?" They ended up both spent and laughing about it.   "The dragons will never forgive us," he said sadly. "Poor Ione. She keeps banging away at my shields, wanting to know what we are doing in here."

"So tell her,"  she laughed.  "The dragons understand sex and making love.  When they fly in the spring, choosing their mate and then when they mate, they want everyone to know and share their fun.  Anyway, she just wants to know when you're coming out to play.  I have to take Devlin out later, so we can ride together if you'd like and you can tell her that."

Morrigan could sense him contact Ione.  In a few moments he said, "You are right. She tells me I am very wise to spend the day making love. And we would both like to ride the skies with you and Devlin."

They fashioned breastplates for a time then, the actual copying of them far quicker than the forging of the original from which they worked. When they were done and resting, before their flight, Kalket looked over at Morrigan. "You are here as a hostage, and yet you have free passage. It seems odd to me. We too often exchanged hostages, royal personages like yourself quite often,  who were given respect and freedom but here, there seems much hatred between your houses. It is a shame, as I like you a good deal and like many in this house, too."

"I represent my House and because of that if I renege on the pledge Calum offered it disgraces not just me but my House.  Malec knows that.  Fianna and Kessa and I have been friends for many years.  But we have also fought against each other, too.  Somehow we leave it on the battlefield whereas the men don't."

"Yes, women are more like the goddess. It is a wonderful thing. You would have liked my mother. She dared to love and marry my father, against all tradition. She was brave and beautiful and decided it was time to end hatred and to heal our people. She was nearly as beautiful as you. Katlinel the Dark Eyed, she was called."

"Ask her then, to show us how to end this before nothing is left to end it for."

"I wish that I could, Morrigan. But if you ask your goddess, perhaps she can give you a way to do that.  Trust in your heart and do what you think is right. It is all we can ever do."

Dinah rolled over and nudged Marc.

He groaned and opened one eye. “I can’t, not again. You’ve worn me out. I admit it. I surrender.”

“Really,” she said, eyeing his length, or at least one of them. “Wanna bet?" she asked, nibbling his ear lobe.  "But," she went on, blowing softly, "since you’ve asked so nicely, I’ll behave. And, coincidentally, we’re supposed to meet Jules and Kalket and the rest to compare notes in ten minutes in the orchard. So you’ll have time to recover your strength.” She leaned over and kissed him lingeringly. “For later.”

So saying she scooted from the bed and grabbed a quick shower. He switched places with her when she was done and in the end they were only five minutes late.

Julian smirked at her as she arrived and started singing, “Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer. Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer.”

The glow worm song. Dinah rolled her eyes.

He skipped a bit and went on triumphantly, “Light up you little ol' bug of lightnin'. When you gotta glow, you gotta glow. Glow little glow-worm, glow.”

Jolie broke up, burying her face in Spence’s shoulder, who was struggling manfully not to double over convulsed with laughter.

Dinah looked at him. “Green is so your color. You should wear it more often.”

Nims arrived then and was glowing a bit herself. Julian didn't even look embarrassed.

"So," Marc said, "Dinah had a nice conversation with her old friend Kevie and we followed up with a meeting with Calum head of Kenget'Ster."

Marc gave the floor, so to say, to Dinah.

"According to Kev, Malec won't settle because of money and pride.  Also according to him Mac was enormously wealthy and he has left it to me not the House.  Calum filled us in on the history so to speak and according to him it started with money and a woman.  He finds it poetic, incidentally, that Mac is using a woman and money to try to end it.  The other thing he said, to the point anyway, is that he is considering rejecting the protocols when the truce ends and fighting an all out winner take all war."  Dinah looked at Marc. "Did I miss anything salient?"

"Well, only that he thinks house Sere is broke and cannot afford an adjudicated peace since Dinah got all the money. But I doubt he knows just what Malec is up to.  I don't suppose our spies have a clue?" Marc asked looking at the others.

"Nims got copies of most of the library books of interest. I've been wading through them. No, I doubt house Sere is broke," Spencer offered.

"I think Carmine would have said if he was, at least after Calum left but he might have a pipeline there if we need one."  Dinah said.  "Also Kevin said something interesting and then tried to cover it up, or at least I think that's what he was doing.  He said Mac told him he trusted the dragons.  He said it in the context of explaining why Mac hadn't explained things ot him and that Mac hadn't been close to Malec, that that had caused tension between them.  It seems strange to me because everyone takes them for granted, just assumes they're children and lets it go at that.  But Mac, in his letter, told me to enjoy the dragons."

"And," Marc added, "they've told us things that have proven true. So, if you've a good relationship with one, you might ask them a few questions."

"What I find interesting," Jolie said, is the clear split between the men and the women on what's happening.  And, the relationships between the women, if Morrigan and Fianna and Kessa are any example is not what I'd have expected between two House with such a long running vendetta.  They share a warm and seemingly close friendship."

"True," Julian agreed. "I've noticed it too. So maybe you, dear Jolie, can ferret out more on that." Julian was ferreting more out on Nims, if the location of his hand was any indication.

"Sure.  I can do that."  Jolie said.  "The other thing I've noticed is Malachi.  He defers to his brother, but my sense is that they are not of one mind mind on a number of things, and apparently he has been away frequently for years...with the warrior monks, I think they called them."

Which reminded Dinah of yet another piece of the puzzle. Thinking about it made her wonder if it were yet another bit of manipulation there somewhere. "You won't believe who the patron of those warrior monks is," she commented.  At their look she said, "Azael."

"The guy who parties hardy with Mikey?" Julian asked, just to make sure he heard it right.

Dinah grinned and nodded.

"Those guys do get around." Julian looked envious. He'd only had one measly empire.

"Can you get a hold of him?" she asked Julian.  "And ask him to drop by for a visit?  Kevin also said there're four orders of them.  I'm wondering who the patrons of the other three are."

Julian grinned. "I'm betting one is Mikey. And yes, I'll try to contact him."

Dinah nodded.  "I wouldn't be at all surprised.  This just keeps getting weirder and weirder.  All it needs is for Mac's ghost to start walking around to make it just bloody perfect."

"Speak for yourself," Marc muttered.

"Oh, come on. A little competition would do you some good," Julian teased.