Legon Ascension (10 page)

“That was great!” Legon crowed.

“Speak for yourself,” Sasha said to him alone.

Iselin took the lead, with Sydin just behind her right wing. It took a moment for her to figure out why Iselin was the lead—she had Legon, the head of a house. While to her and her brother they were just with friends, this was a big deal to Sydin and Iselin. They were their guard, and now she understood why Sydin was hesitant to do what they did.

They passed over the white city to the docks, where they landed and dismounted. Sydin and Iselin took their Elf forms again and they walked to a peculiar looking ship. It was obviously Elvin. One large mass with two smaller, silk-like sails rolled high above. It was one solid piece of wood, as she knew it would be, sleek and fast looking. Her name was the Propero, and the bow looked to be made of silver, a half moon of metal that was one large piece reaching into the water and cupping forward. The forward edge looked sharp, not like a knife, but maybe an unsharpened axe. The aft looked the same, and there was no rudder visible.
 

“Sydin, what is that?” she said, pointing to the bow.

“The bow and stern are made of metal, mostly platinum, because it resists corrosion, but it’s an alloy to give it strength.”

Platinum was rare and expensive. “Are all our ships like this?”

“Yes, all of the warships are.”

The ships behind her were creaking as the wood rubbed against itself. The Propero made no sound. Midway along the dock there was a ramp leading to the deck of the Propero. They went up it until they were on a slightly curved deck. The ship was some dark wood and the deck was no different. It felt not gritty, but almost like it was sticky. Sydin told her this was so you didn’t slip and fall when it was wet. The masses rose from the deck seamlessly, all being one. The riggings shone in the sun and looked far thinner than those on the human ships. The thread was like that of a spider’s web. Knowing that, she knew each cord was stronger than if it had been made of iron. The sails would be the same. All Elvin fabric and rope was this same material. Ballistae covered in heavy cloth were placed along the rail. The bow’s rail was the platinum alloy that seemed to turn on its own accord into the wooden deck. They made their way to the back, where there was an extra level that rose above the main deck, and on that would be the wheel. In front of them was a door that led below. There were surprisingly few Elves on board the vessel. Up to this point they only saw two or three. While more cramped than the Dragon dome, the interior of the ship was just as elegant. She could hardly believe that this Vessel was for war. Her and Legon got their own cabins, with all of their belongings already there. Sydin stood in the door.

“So, do you two like it?”

“It’s very nice Sydin, thank you,” Legon said.

“Well Legon, you should shower and get ready for tonight, you too Sasha. We have lots to see.” Then he left.

* * * * *

It didn’t take Legon too long to get ready. The shower was tight in the ship and they didn’t have a whole lot of room to move around in the cabins. He didn’t have any choice of what to wear because Sasha made the decision several days back—black slacks, a white shirt and a long black coat. It was all lightweight, so he wouldn’t be hot, but he still placed a few choice spells that Sydin recommended. One was to make his heart not so dang loud; he didn’t want Ise to hear it race. Then there was one to make sure he didn’t sweat and another to keep his hands from getting clammy. Last, he placed one that made his breath smell like cinnamon. All of these spells would have been handy to know over the last few years, but better late than never. Sasha fussed with his hair and he could tell she was more nervous about his date than he was. She had on one of the Elf dresses, this one crimson, which left her shoulders uncovered. It was form fitting, like all of them were, looking like a single sheet of fabric wrapped around her body. Her hair looked like she spent hours on it. Sasha was enjoying magic as well. From her neck hung the ruby crystal that protected her, which the dress and her lips matched. Her eyelashes were oiled and real rubies hung from her ears. All in all, Legon had to admit she looked stunning. For a moment he thought about telling her that she wasn’t going out looking like that, not without him there to keep any low-life’s away, but he didn’t. She was going to be with a class seven dragon that thought of her as a daughter and of course half of his guard following close behind. Maybe a few more guards might be in order…

They made their way on deck and then to the pier. As they moved closer to the end he caught sight of people looking at Sasha. One man at the end of the pier was gathering a sack with presumably his wife. The man was a little older and was either over the stage of not wanting to irritate his wife or Sasha just looked that good. At any rate, he was ignoring the woman who was now starting to turn red, so he could stare at Sasha. The woman hit him upside the head and he turned to her, enraged, until he figured out who it was. Most of the time Legon wouldn’t go for people ogling his sister, but looking the woman over and seeing the fear in the man’s eyes, he almost felt sorry for him.

At the end of the pier Sydin stood waiting for them, and next to him was Ise. She was not wearing one of the standard Elvin dresses Legon was used to. No, this one looked like it was painted on her body. As she turned to face them, he thought his heart stopped, and he wondered why he placed spells to keep it quiet. It didn’t need spells to make it silent, it needed spells to keep it beating. Her dress was gold and glittered with a thousand tiny faceted jewels. Her hair shone, seemingly of its own accord, little crystals refracting the light in it. Her lips were a wet, glossy red and her eyelashes seemed to be longer and oiled. The skin on her face, exposed arms and shoulders looked soft and smooth even from a distance. Diamonds hung from her ears and another large diamond was displayed on a necklace. When he was next to her she smiled, and it went to her eyes as the little pink flecks glowed. He never before realized just how lovely she smelled. His heart kicked back into gear, pounding so hard that he actually felt the tug of energy from his silencing spell as it vainly tried to not give him away. He should say something… but what? You’re beautiful? No, that was a lie. She was far more than that…

“I told you he would be speechless. You look lovely too, Sasha,” Sydin said, beaming at Sasha and glancing at Iselin.

“You look good Legon, nice work Sash,” Iselin added, patting Sasha’s shoulder.

“Thank you, and wow Ise, you look incredible. Did you put crystals in your hair? I can only see their light.”

“Oh yes, I don’t do it most of the time because when I ascend they never look right when I come back down.” She frowned.

The couple from the pier was on them now, and this time both stared.

The woman spoke silently to her husband when they got closer, trying not to be heard, but it was still easy for his Elvin eyes. “Oh they’re Elves, well no wonder you were so taken dear, sorry I got mad with you. The men do look good too, now that I think about it. Hmmm, a treat for us both I guess.”

“She thinks I’m an Elf?” Sasha asked, enjoying the link that allowed her to hear all that Legon did.

Ise answered, “Of course they do dear. You are more one of us than you think.”

“No, they were looking at you, I’m just guilty by association,” she said and winked at Iselin. “The way you look, I bet you took ten years off that poor man’s life.”

Iselin laughed. “Sash, I wasn’t the one that he was looking at the most.” She looked confused. “But who then? Not Legon or Sydin!”

Sydin hooked her arm in his, beginning to lead her away. “No dear, it was you. Humans find us attractive, but we aren’t their own—you are. And you can easily hold your own with any Elvin woman.”

They left and Legon felt Sasha close her mind to him with an encouraging thought… she wasn’t going to help him tonight? He looked at his date, now almost regretting asking her. He could sense the five members of his guard that would be with them tonight, and decided he wanted privacy. A flick of his mind and they went to escort Sasha and Sydin. Not like they needed the protection… Sydin was a class seven and already had five members of the guard. No, it was to protect Legon and what little pride he had left.

In the moment he did this he felt an unimaginably soft hand take his. “Privacy is good,” Iselin’s voice said closely, too closely.

The spell she was using on her breath made it smell like strawberries—of course his favorite. That was Sasha if he ever saw it. He would get her back later, but for now he needed to concentrate on the present.

“Ise, I have no idea what I’m doing when it comes to Elvin courtship…” the words tumbled out of his mouth.

She smiled. “I know. Well, you need to ask yourself, ‘Is this just a nice night out or do I think I might want something more?’”

“Ok, then what?”

“Well, what is your answer?”

He thought it was a little early for this conversation, so he tried to dodge it. Don’t people, I don’t know, talk for a while before they decide that?”

“Yes, but we know each other, so it’s different. You don’t have to decide now, nor do I. I don’t want this to be uncomfortable for you.” She sounded sincere.

Once again, without thinking, he said, “No, I want to see where this goes.” What happened to that little filter in his head that kept him from saying stupid things?
 

She smiled. “Good, so do I.” She started to lead him into the city “You don’t mind if I take the lead? I don’t think you know where you’re going.”

“No, that’s fine, you know the town. So now that we’ve answered that question, what’s so different?”

She took her time trying how to figure out something that to her was common knowledge, as it would have been for him if he grew up in the Pawdin Empire. “Let down your mental defenses, not the ones that tell me what you want to say, but rather the ones guarding your emotions. That will be new for you, I know.”

“People know how I feel all the time, that shouldn’t be hard.”

“No, people know what your conscious mind wants them to know, and even then only strong emotions are shared with all but Sasha. Try and sense what I’m feeling—not my words, don’t listen to those in my mind, not yet—just emotions.”

“Ok.”

It was harder than he thought it would have been. But as they walked he began to feel her emotions in her head. They were patient. They cared for him, which felt odd, somehow like he was prying. He pulled away from the contact; his own defenses were down. He felt her consciousness there hovering, reading them with seeming ease. He felt truly naked for the first time. This was so much more intimate then he thought it would be.
 

She squeezed his hand in response. “It is easier for me, but not by too much. We are like this with our families and close friends. You only have it with your sister, but the bond there is far deeper than even I have with my sisters.”

“Why do you think that is?”
 

He felt her mind again and the emotions were running wild, which wasn’t bad. It was no different than with Sasha or even in his own head. There was confusion, concern and wonder all flashing rapidly.
 

Finally she spoke. “I don’t know, but I’m happy for you two. She needed your strength and you needed her light.” There was the slightest hint of agitation and once again concern in her thoughts, but he didn’t want to know more, not right now.

“I noticed that you didn’t bring a Faloon. Are you that confident in me?” he said, smiling.

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, it’s you that I’m confident in.”

“I thought so, I mean, after I took out that dragon…”

She bumped into him lightly, and their emotions for a moment were one. He reached down and took her slight hand as if it was the most natural thing to do, and in a way it was. She wanted him to do it, and he did too.
Maybe this connection thing could be kind of nice
, he thought. From her mind he could see what direction they were headed in, but other than that he wasn’t paying any attention to his surroundings. He was far more interested in how Ise felt about everything, from the architecture of the city to the smell and taste of the air. The sun was setting behind them, casting the city in a fiery light that painting the ornate buildings in various shades of orange. The shadows in the street lengthened and grew in power, putting everything into sharp contrast.
 

They came to restaurant with a green awning. This was the place that Ankle’s family owned. As they approached the door, Ise faded back just slightly so he could open it for her. He placed his hand on the small of her back and they entered. The inside was dim, giving it a romantic edge. Candles lit the tables and the smell of garlic met them. A small woman with shoulder length white hair bobbed up to them.

“You must be master Legon and Iselin, my name is Marietta. You know my William, but I think you know him as Ankle.” Marietta’s voice was light and bouncy.

Legon gave her a slightly skeptical look. “You’re Ankle’s mother?”

“He gets his height from his father. Why the man became a chef is beyond me. With how often he hits his head indoors you would think he would be a farmer or something. Never mind about that, let me take to your seat.” She made her way through the restaurant weaving in between tables with ease.
 

Both Elves found themselves having a bit of a hard time keeping up with her, which was saying something. Legon let go of Ise’s hand. They wound their way to the back corner and he noticed with some pleasure that this section of the restaurant was deserted.
 

“There you go dears, a nice quite spot for you. Now we serve food here that I doubt either of you will have had experience with, so if you would like I can order for you. Ankle told me a bit about what you like.”

“That would be lovely, thank you,” Ise said. He could feel her amusement; she thought Marietta was cute. He never understood women’s use of the word ‘cute’ and even now, feeling Iselin’s emotions, he very much doubted he ever would.