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A Mage's Tale Chapter 2

Flying, Silvia found, was quite a novel experience. It wasn't altogether too uncomfortable either. She sat at the base of Bluevayne's neck on a thick blanket. She had ridden horses before and it wasn't entirely unlike being atop an equine. The dragon was a very talented flyer so the ride was quite smooth with little danger of her being thrown off. A simple ward kept the wind from being too intense.

She wore a rather simple but luxurious robe that had been in Bluevayne's cave with her breeches underneath, her apron and shirt having been lost in the attack by the soldiers. Silvia had her staff laid across her legs, grateful to have it in hand once more. The young mage relaxed into the motion of the dragon's muscles beneath her.

Her thoughts strayed back to last night, her memories foggy from the magically induced burst of libido. A sudden firm down stroke of his wings brought his spine grinding up against her crotch. She bit her lip as she felt herself moisten slightly at the recollection of their debauchery. A slight but oh so satisfying soreness gently pulsed from her nethers.

Silvia bore Bluevayne no ill will for their coitus. He had saved her life after all. A small reason was smugness or perhaps spite, that now no man could take it. In fact some part of her was grateful to have had her first time with such a magnificent and surprisingly gentle beast. He was even doing her the kindness of flying her to the Coronus archmage council. She was a little ashamed that it took a member of a different species to act romantically towards her.

Squirming slightly atop his back, she tried not to think about how dexterous and long his tongue was, or how it had pleasured all the right places within her. She tried not to dwell on his member, how thick and filling it had been and how she had to be pounded a little before being able to take all of him. She also had to avoid the mental pitfalls of their climax, the feeling of being pumped full of hot dragon cum.

She was trying, and obviously failing.

Silvia's mind was once again being coaxed towards letting herself be fucked silly by the dragon beneath her by his proximity. The simple presence of such a magically infused creature was filling the young mage girl with raw power. Power that needed to be vented by having pulse pounding, earth-shattering, explosively orgasmic sex with the great scaled predator.

At least, now that she had experienced the magical heat, she could exert a feeble measure of control over it. Being a sexually primed young adult, she had long learned how to turn her arousal down to a simmer. And so she sat on dragon back in a haze of provocation, her lower belly and loins engulfed in a light tingle. It was like meditation in a way. She couldn't suppress it, but she could suspend it in a way.

Bluevayne craned his head around to look at the mage.

"Silvia? I do believe that it would be proper for us to land and camp for the night. I spotted a nice looking crag that should do well." She was too lost in her trance to respond. "Oh Silvia... Anybody home?" A little concerned, he dropped low and circled to a smooth landing on the small outcrop he had seen from the air.

It was a tiny grotto of grass with a few small trees and a pool of flowing water. The scene was tranquil, isolated as it was on the side of a small mountain set among the longer chain of peaks. Bluevayne gave himself a little shake to try and get her out of her odd state.

"What was that? Oh, my, how long have we been flying? Are we there yet?" She carefully slid down off his back and tried to steady herself on wobbly legs. She had been horseback riding before, but had never sat in such a pose for so long. The girl had to lean heavily on her staff.

"Not quite, if we leave in the morning we should arrive around midday but I thought it best to rest for the night seeing as you've been travelling for most of the day." Bluevayne took a long drought of water with a satisfied 'Ah!' before dropping a simple satchel off to the side full of the items he had taken from his clan's waystation.

Silvia watched a few drops of liquid trickle down his chin and neck with great interest. She sat down in the soft grass and rubbed her thighs together to try and keep from fidgeting obviously. It was still summer so the night was warm and it was perfectly comfortable to sleep without a tent. The dragon finished his drink and sprawled out in the grass on his side like a huge hunting cat.

The mage girl bit her lip to keep from screaming in frustration. Her eyes roamed his body hungrily. He was stretched out in such a way that she could admire the magnificent creature at rest. Bluevayne was an intelligent being and quickly noticed how quietly the human sat.

"Silvia? Are you feeling alright? I know your guild was attacked and that you may still be in shock, but you can talk to me. I know what you're going through. Silvia? Are you even listening to me?" He rumbled. The girl had heard him; she was just too busy imagining what he tasted like to understand what he had said. Without realizing it, Silvia licked her lips.

Had she been more in control of her faculties, she would have been grateful for the distracting nature of her fantasies. As long as she was thinking of dragon cock, she was thinking of nothing else.

"Silvia, are you experiencing symptoms of extreme sexual arousal?" That was when the girl started crawling towards him on all fours with a fire in her eyes and a moan on her lips. "I'll take that as a yes. My, my, my, I've seen this happen once before, but never twice in such a short period of time." Bluevayne scratched his chin in a pondering gesture.

She reached him lying in his seductive pose and ran a hand along his belly scales, feeling the smooth warmth of his breathing. Even in the grip of such powerful magic Silvia was still a little shy and took her time working to his hind legs. He did nothing to stop her even if the dragon did feel a little guilty about it. She was practically intoxicated after all.

With soft hands, the young women stroked slowly down the dragon's belly to his muscular thighs. For a time she rubbed there, feeling the power contained within, meant to launch the rest of the body skyward. If this kept up, Bluevayne would have to get some oil for the girl to rub on him. She slowly grew bolder, moving closer to her goal. The dragon was starting to get tingles of his own and lifted a leg to allow the girl access to his hardening dragonhood.

She let out a little gasp at the sight of the member before her. Hesitantly, she reached out to grasp the smooth pale blue length. It was of such girth that it took both of her hands to completely wrap around it. This was something totally out of her depth, but her instincts were in control and she knew what to do. Silvia began to stroke him, moving up and down slowly, feeling the thick ridges.

The girl was hypnotized by his anatomy. As she leaned in closer his pheromone enriched scent filled her nose. It was intoxicating to say the least. It was thick, heady, with a slight hint of myrrh. A tiny drop of pre-cum collected at the tip and she leaned in closer to lick it. Her tongue lapped just across the end of the dragon's cock. It had no real taste aside from an ever so faint sweetness.

The surge of released magical power however, was very real and quite intoxicating.

Horny, and eager for more, Silvy took more of his glans into her mouth. Just the head was enough to fill her orifice and she found the feel of him pressing against her palate wonderful. She bobbed her head forward, sliding down more of him. Just past the head, the girl had to stop because the dragon cock was hitting the back of her throat.

The young mage was completely unaware of anything other than her mouth and hands, both busy with a well-endowed male. Silvia took a deep breath through her nose and swallowed the thick rod down her throat until she gagged. Bluevayne was in heaven at being so serviced. Pulling back with a gasp, she panted heavily for air. Even though the girl had only managed an extra inch or two, the erotic nature of the act and the warm confines of her mouth were more than enough to make the blue dragon shudder in pleasure.

Silvy continued to stroke him, tightening her grip just beneath the ridges of his tool. Humans had such small, dexterous hands, perfect for applying the right kinds of pressure for wonderful handjobs. After gaining her breath, she went back to working his cock with her mouth. She explored, using her tongue to feel the gently rounded head and the first ridge just below the crown.

Soon though, she felt him lift up the back of her robes and pulled down her breaches to expose her glistening sex. Almost as an afterthought she started to protest, even muffled by his tool. What small objection came to her mind was wiped away by a single lick of his tongue.

It quenched her aching loins, and set a fire at the same time. Any and all shame fled and the girl spread her legs and lifted her rump, presenting her flower eagerly. Being a long, sinuous creature, Bluevayne had no trouble with the position. He did note with some pleasure that the red-haired girl had a few freckles dotted across her lower back. With one particularly long swipe of his tongue he circled her clit, sunk a few inches into her sex, and even slicked her little rosebud. Silvia jumped at the unexpected contact. Once again, she was too immersed in her own oral attentions to offer remonstration. Her reaction did not go unnoticed by the dragon, versed as he was in the arts of lovemaking.

Clearly, such play was unknown to the girl. Oh how he was going to have fun with this one. In another act of flexibility, he brought his tail up and around to rub the dexterous appendage over her rear. With a few more licks he pressed the tip against her ass and slid just an inch in. Just as Bluevayne had predicted, her cunt practically flooded at the new sensation. Topping it off with a ferocious assault of her clit with his tongue, she could do little other than roll her eyes in bliss.

For a while they both simply enjoyed the acts they were performing, reaching that pleasurable middle ground of just giving and receiving ecstacy.

Silvia was being assaulted from both ends and she loved it. Her mouth was full of elegantly curved dragon cock, and hands too. The girl felt up and down his shaft while she tried desperately to fit more of him down her throat. At the same time he was focusing that wonderful tongue exclusively on her clit. The girl could hardly wait for him to cum in her mouth. She was embarrassed by how turned on the erotic idea made her.

Although she didn't know what to think about him playing with her butt, she couldn't deny that it felt good. Anal play was a totally new sensation to her and not an entirely unwelcome one. It was so much all at once that she couldn't cum. At least, not yet.

While Bluevayne indeed would have enjoyed sinking into the girl's softy pussy, he was having too much fun playing as they were. He groaned into her soft thatch of red hair as his tongue worked strong circles around her hidden nub. The dragon loved how receptive her flesh and luscious erogenous zones were. Working his experienced limbs made her jump and quiver in all the right ways.

With her spread as she was, he had perfect access and a very magnificent view of her toned rump. He knew that without a long muzzle, giving good blowjobs was rather difficult, yet Silvia was managing well. It took a little while for Bluevayne to build all the way to orgasm, but it was worth it.

The girl's warning that he was about to cum was him tensing, a strong throb in the pillar of flesh, and a furious application of his tongue and tail. His first gush hit the back of her throat and almost made her choke. Fortunately, in her amorous state she anticipated him and quickly gulped down the dragon seed. With powerful muscles he pushed her forward, forcing the tip of his cock right into her throat. By some miracle she held off on her gag reflex for the two long seconds it took him to expend the majority of his eruption.

It was thick and hot in her belly.

He eased back enough and pulsed a few more times into her mouth. There was simply too much for her and a good amount dribbled out of her mouth. She reached a hand up, panting, and took a whole palm full. His internal temperature made his cum actually warmer. With her own orgasm so close she reached back with that cum-soaked hand and slid two fingers into her aching cunt.

It was lewd, salacious, wrong, and she loved it.

Dragon seed in her flower, tongue on her love button, tail in her ass, and thick cum in her stomach and mouth, Silvia came.

Her climax was just as mind-bending and earth-shaking as it had been the first time. A whole new range of sensations had been laid out on a fine tray for her to sample wrapped up in blue scales. Love juices glistened on Bluevayne's snout as her sex flooded from her climax. Almost violently she juddered as the peak hit and slowly subsided. Pumping her fingers in and out of her pussy every step of the way.

Suddenly it was over and she fell forward onto the soft grass that she just realized was there. Her butt remained pushed up into the air, exposed and vulnerable as she lacked the enervation to even move. Bluevayne licked his muzzle clean with some delight and withdrew his tail from her virgin bottom, eliciting only a faint moan.

"So, if that was dinner, what's for dessert?" He asked suggestively. Then when he looked he saw that the girl had fallen asleep, still in the same pose.

With a chuckle, he covered her back up. Tenderly arranging her more comfortably, he curled around the little mage, and joined her in sleep.

*******

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime to Silvy, they touched down outside the city of Urn. They had covered the significant distance in a breathtakingly short amount of time. She had insisted on landing outside the huge municipality. It was the seat of power for the Coronus mage guild. Being one of the four most powerful guilds, the town was a bustling center of commerce for the region.

The Coronus guild was one of the old guilds, having been established after the Grand War. It didn't control a very large territory, dominated as it was by large mountains. Natural resources were plentiful however. Lush forests, clear lakes, and abundant mineral veins meant that the guild was not lacking for wealth.

Although skilled, Silvia was just a country mage from a small guildhall. She felt completely out of her depth. There was a token force of city guards at the gate they went through who only checked that she was from the guild. They did not bat an eye at Bluevayne. Stranger creatures passed into the city on a regular basis.

A curtain wall of stone surrounded the town. Without much room to grow outward, the buildings had simply added stories to their height. The hum of the crowd thrummed in the warm air. Street merchants hawked their wares to newcomers while merchants guided their wagons along the busy streets to the markets.

Silvia was momentarily perturbed to see Bluevayne more at ease than she. The delicious scent of roasted meat and spices wafted through the air. The dragon closed his eyes and scented the air with great delight. He quickly located the source of the flavor he was looking for a trotted smartly over to a large covered stand. Worried that she might lose her guide in the bustle, Silvia quickly ran to catch up.

The plaza just inside the gate had many such booths which could be rented by enterprising vendors. Their colorful banners and coverings flapped gently in the breeze. Overall, it was a beautiful day and business was good. So while a little surprised to see the huge blue-scaled wyrm, the proprietor of the stall put on a winning smile and asked what he would like.

"I'll take eight of those beef sticks there." The man plucked the requested meat from a sizzling stand and laid them on a platter, depositing the whole thing on the counter in front of the dragon. With surprising deftness, Bluevayne produced a minted silver coin and flipped it to the owner. Silvia couldn't remember the last time she had had beef and looked at the juicy morsels with hunger.

She blushed when the gentle giant nudged the platter in her direction. "I will admit, I have a certain weakness for beef." He picked up a skewer for his own and cleaned off the meat with one slide of his massive jaw. Just as Silvy took her first bite, she noticed the shopkeeper looking between the coin and Bluevayne.

"Sir dragon, you wouldn't happen to be the Bluevayne, would you?" The sapphire dragon responded instantly.

"The one and only." He said. The owner smiled broadly and actually took Bluevayne's massive claw in two hands and shook it vigorously.

"I saw your match against the Colossus of Thran! I still cannot describe the sight of you against that beast! I rooted for you right from the beginning! I actually bought one of your scales for my son. It cost me a solid coin, but it was worth it I say. The lad will never believe me when I tell him I got to meet you in person."

Even though he looked a little uncomfortable at the praise and attention, Silvy notice the dragon's frill perk up just a little. There was a line of tension that ran through his side though.

"It's always good to meet a fan. Tell me sir, what are you doing this far west of Scipii?"

"My wife had family who moved to Urn and said that wealth was just waiting to be found out west. So we packed up and came here. While not as prosperous as they say, it's definitely a step up from old Danum."

Silvia Sureblade was a clever young woman, well-versed in the many nations of the world. The Scipii people were in many ways at the forefront of culture, whether through art or architecture. Yet they had a darker side, a decadent aspect tainted with blood sports and sexual deviance. From the owner's use of the word 'match' and Bluevayne's scars, she was beginning to put certain pieces together about her savior and recent lover.

The dragon had mentioned spending time in an arena. Silvy had simply assumed that it had been something cultural to dragons, knowing very little of the secretive clans and their practices. Scipii arenas were notorious for their brutality. The lords of the far east country often collected rare or dangerous beasts for their games.

In between cleaning succulent grilled meat off the skewers, Bluevayne continued to exchange pleasantries with the owner. The mage girl finished her own small meal, and watched the dragon in his manner. She started looking at him in a new light. The dragon clans were infamously enigmatic. But Bluevayne's knowledge of human customs and language had more contexts.

With a parting goodbye, they broke off and headed uphill through the daily bustle. Silvy kept one hand on Bluevayne's shoulder and the other on her staff. She was so lost in thought she didn't hear the dragon when he spoke.

"What?" She asked, realizing that her scaly chaperone had stopped. They had made their way a fair distance into the city. The crowds had thinned as they entered the wealthier district surrounding the central guild keep.

"I said you're not going to go in front of your guild's council looking like that, are you?" Silvy glanced down at her rather frumpy appearance. The robe she wore was plain and bore the dust of the road. Underneath which all she had was a torn unisex tunic and underclothes that were getting rather itchy.

"And what do you suggest I do about it?" She demanded, indignant that he could be so callous. He just smiled craftily and pointed to the building they stood before. It was a very nice looking shop. The day was warm, so the doors and windows were all open for better viewing. Luxurious bolts of cloth and outfits catered to the population of mages stood on display.

"But... I don't have any money." With her guild burned to the ground, the only thing she did have was her life and her staff.

The dragon scoffed.

"Unlike many of my kin, I have learned that prudent expenditure can often lead to great profit." The sapphire drake said with a wink. When she was sure he wasn't kidding, she suppressed her girly squeal of delight and went in.

Inside the shop was even more appealing than the exterior. Fine robes of all size in a parade of colors, styles, and material hung for perusal. Bluevayne sat patiently as she made her selection, watching her with a faint smile tugging the corners of his lips.

Eventually, she found a reasonably priced yet respectable outfit. The ensemble included a blue and indigo bodice that was laced in the back, a matching sleeved robe embroidered with silver and silk undergarments. She took the ensemble to a private room to change while Bluevayne discussed price with the rather opulently dressed tailor of the place.

There was a small mirror in the dressing room which Silvy used to look herself over. She noted the similarities between the coloring and Bluevayne's scales. What had she been thinking? And yet... she found herself hoping that he would like it.

Leading from that thought, she began to think on how she felt about the dragon. The first thing of course, was that the sex was nice. Feeling a little heat rising in her at the thought. Quickly banishing the magically charged hormonal thought, she dug a little deeper.

It was insane in so many ways... but she liked him. She liked him quite a lot. No male of her own species had ever treated her with such noble intent. For all his fearsome appearance, he was generous, and gentle. Even in his lovemaking.

And again her thoughts turned her on a little. Yet just maybe, beneath the hot and bothered feeling, a little spark had grown.

Silvia came out of the back room and stood resplendent and a little shy. "Do you think this will be okay?" She asked the noble creature, doing a little twirl on her new travelling boots.

"You look beautiful." Bluevayne said with a full and genuine smile. His words made her feel just a little lighter than air.

*******

Her euphoria ebbed as they made their way up the hill to the guild keep proper.

Bluevayne had done a wonderful job of distracting her, but as she came closer and closer to the council, the more she thought of the tragedy. She thought of the attacking soldiers from the traitorous Nightshade guild, thought about them nearly doing terrible things to her, and thought about what few friends she'd had at that hall. They had done nothing to deserve the slaughter. Blood and fire filled her mind.

Shoulders squared, she pressed on.

It was a huge piece of architecture, dominating the city of Urn with sweeping buttresses and huge pointed towers. Skirts of the keep spread out in all directions to house the mages who came there to learn, the staff, the council, and all the many that drove the day-to-day workings of the guild. Dormitories and lecture halls, magical museums and more besides.

Silvia Sureblade and her dragon escort meandered through the bustle of keep, almost a city within itself. Most of the mages parted easily, curious about Bluevayne but wise enough to keep a cautious margin. She had to ask directions several times to the council chambers, eventually finding her way to an open waiting foyer. It was mid-afternoon by the time they arrived.

A row of desks sat arranged on one side while a series of stone benches were arrayed opposite. The public could openly petition the council, but most petty claims went through lower boards that handled more mundane affairs. As such, while the secretaries and scribes were all busy at their desks routing all manner of affairs, the waiting are sat mostly empty aside from messengers running to and fro.

Approaching the desk around which centered the most activity, she waited impatiently for a pair of couriers to stop gossiping before announcing herself to the haggard looking man who occupied the counter.

"I need to see the council immediately. My-" Before she could finish, the fellow waved a hand dismissively.

"A lot of people think that the council needs to hear them immediately. You have to wait just like everyone else missy." He barely even bothered to look at her.

"I don't think you quite grasp the gravity-" Again he interrupted her.

"I've heard that before. Now right your name and business in the ledger, and if you're lucky, there might be an opening next week." Disdainfully, he flipped a thick book full to the brim with signatures and times. Silvia was shocked into silence at the audacity and rudeness proffered to her, a mage of the guild!

Just as she was formulating a properly scathing response, Bluevayne's shadow fell across the man, making him look up.

"Now I'm no expert on these things but I think that if I were in your council's position I would want to hear news pertaining to one of my halls being sacked." He of course had overheard the whole exchange with his keen hearing and now loomed over the quill-pusher imperiously. "In fact, I also think that if I found out some lowly officer of the court delayed this vital information he would find himself in a precarious situation indeed." The dragon breathed the last word with a little showing of perhaps a few too many teeth to be friendly.

Paling, the man showed his first bit of sense and beckoned over an aide an instructed her clearly to escort Silvia directly to the council. Sureblade looked at the sapphire drake and wondered how she would ever repay him for the selfless kindness he had shown her. He gave her a wink and stepped back before turning and padding over to lounge on one of the benches.

Silvia took a deep breath and followed the young herald. The lad took her directly through the main doors and before she knew it, stood before the Coronus guild council.

The council sat at a grand table raised on a plinth, identical in many ways to the standard council arrangement for most guilds. There was the head of the council, archmage of the school of arcane studies. Huge robes ensconced the wizened Donovan Ekbar. Around him sat the archmages of divination, elemental magic, enchanting, and ritual. Some guilds recognized different divisions of the disciplines, but five was the traditionally recognized number. There were also a few seats at the large semi-circular council for mages of particular note.

Wielding the least power but some of the greatest influence, the divination seat was held by a surprisingly young archmage. Most of the other schools held quiet disdain for the practice of divination. At least until they found themselves in dire straits, then suddenly great lengths were gone to in order to please the mages of the divination circle. Mylia's bright eyes turned to look at Silvia, but she was the only one to do so.

Next up the totem pole was the ritual archmage. While capable of truly stunning feats of magic, most ritual magic was of rather vague focus and of little practical use. The ritual council seat was valued, but not coveted. Although not often recognized, certain branches of alchemy fell under ritual magic. A rather crumpled looking old man held the seat and the young mage struggled to recall his name.

The largest school of magic, sometimes broken into its constituent pieces due to the sheer volume of mages that fell under its purview, was the elemental circle. Almost every mage could command basic spells from the elemental schools. Starting a campfire, purifying a jug of water, bringing a cool breeze, or polishing a stone. It was the most applied of the magic schools and one of the main reasons mages stood apart from the feudal kingdoms, governing themselves instead. A monarchy that earned the ire of a guild found all of its water mages emigrating, their crops doing poorly because of geomancy neglect, and other ill results besides.

Master of elements Gregor Rumsun was engaged in a passionate debate with his colleagues involving wine.

Sitting second to the head of the council, was the master of enchanting. Silvy fell under that archmage's jurisdiction being a magesmith. The ability to shape magesteel put the enchanting school in a unique position for without their wands and staves, infused with the magical substance, the guilds would find themselves unable to cast anything but the simplest cantrips. Not all enchanters were magesmiths however. Some worked with cloth, others with scrolls and precious gems to produce a variety of effects. Next to tithes for elemental mage services, enchanted items brought in the most trade for a guild.

Macharius was the most active in the discussion about fermented grapes with the others occasionally piping in.

Above it all resided the head of the council, archmage of the arcane school of magic. True arcanists dwarfed the other schools easily through their sheer might. They drew their power directly from the maelstrom of magic. Even rarer than magesmiths, an arcanist commanded spells from almost every circle. Many schools overlapped one another in one area or another, but none more so than arcane.

Master Donovan had been council head of the Coronus guild for longer than Silvy could remember. She had been sold to the guild at a very young age, and she knew that only her hall elder was old enough to remember a time that Donovan did not hold the seat.

Standing there awkwardly for a few moments, she was spared embarrassment by a young man, wearing the livery of a council aid. He saw her and left his station beside Macharius and whispered in her ear.

"Tell me your name so I may announce it to the council." He asked with a smile. The boy was a rather attractive sort, with short brown hair and a well-sculpted face.

"Silvia Sureblade of the Laurel hall. I was their magesmith." It hurt to use the formal title for what was now a ruin. The aid cleared his throat loudly, interrupting the debate.

"Announcing Silvia Sureblade, smith to the Laurel hall." He bowed respectfully and stepped out to an appropriate distance.

She didn't know how to broach the subject with subtlety or guile, yet perhaps this wasn't the time for such decorum.

"My hall was attacked three days ago by soldiers wearing the Nightshade guild flower. They burned it to the ground. I didn't find any other survivors." She and Bluevayne had circled the sight, and she had done her best to put it out of her mind until now.

Macharius summed up the reaction of council well.

By laughing.

"The Nighshade guild are our neighbors! They would never seek to break our ancient pacts. We have ever been friends and allies with them. I'm sure you must be mistaken. Besides, you must have killed three horses getting here so quickly! The Laurel hall is in one of our furthest territories."

Master Rumsun guffawed heartily with the other mage.

"I'm sure you're exaggerating girl. This bears investigation no doubt, but don't be so dramatic. It certainly doesn't look like you've been riding horses to death to get here." Waving a had covered in rings at her new robes. "Not unless you've found a spell to make humans fly!" He chortled at his own joke, joined by the others. All except Mylia, who just continued to stare.

"Please, you must listen." But they would not. "The soldiers nearly took me too. They were killing everyone, I saw it!" A tall mage wearing altogether too much gold and finery stood up, clearing his throat to get attention. Not a council member, but noteworthy enough to have a seat at the congress.

"Young miss; I think you're gravely mistaken. I've just spoken with my son, Grom of the matter and he assures me that it was merely a training exercise by king Yorst. You know how the royals like to flex their armies. I think he mentioned a small fire but nothing so grand as this girl claims!" He said with a laugh, addressing the rest of the assembly with his dismissive remarks.

Never having met the man, Silvia had not recognized Grom's father. Not a particularly powerful mage, but the head of a long and wealthy wizard bloodline. The man turned to Sureblade with a greasy smile. Her blood ran cold under his stare.

Implications whirled through her head in a frenzy. How had Grom survived? Had he known about the attack? Had that been the reason he had wanted his enchanted sword finish, to help aid the Nightshade? But where had the mages of the neighboring guild been? What part did Grom and his father have to play in this?

Silvia Sureblade stood at the precipice of a great plot. The threads of which she felt constricting around her and her guild.

"There you have it!" Macharius cried.

"It was no training exercise! They were killing..." Rumsun and Macharius spoke over her, continuing their discussion on what wine should be served at council sessions.

"... Everyone." Her rage peaked, and then sputtered and died as quickly as it had come. There was nothing more she could do. Not without evidence other than her own word against the likes of Grom's father.

Hope broken yet fury enkindled, she turned and left the chamber.

"Wait!" The handsome herald called out, catching her just outside the door. They stood in the receiving area between the main lobby and the council chamber. The sounds of debate faded and the boy's words shocked her.

"I believe you." He said fervently.

"You do?" Silvia asked with clear disbelief.

"Yours isn't the only guildhall which has been attacked, Silvia. Signs have been trickling in slowly. We've lost contact with three border keeps. You're the first refugee to bring news of a sacked hall though. The attacks must have been simultaneous and well-coordinated." The herald explained in a rush. Silvia noted the strange wand tucked into his guild sash and wondered what school of magic he practiced.

"How do you know?"

"You'd be amazed at the things I know." He said with a smile. "I hear everything the council does, and some things they don't think are important enough. A lot of us council aides talk to each other. You begin to see the bigger picture of things. There's something else going on in all this and I think the other guilds are at the heart of it."

"Something doesn't fit. The soldiers bore the Nightshade symbol and yet I didn't see a single mage. If this were a feud there would have been mages with soldier guards, not just soldiers." There were also the alarming implications about Grom and his father, but she chose not to voice such a thought until she had evidence to support her growing suspicions. The male mage thought about this for a moment.

"I think that if we are to look anywhere, it's to the other guilds. The intrigue of such brutes as would attack a helpless hall is beyond consideration. There might be an alliance we don't know about. I'll talk to a few friends of mine who run messages across the borders. We'll work together."

"Thank you. I was worried that my pleas had fallen on deaf ears. It is good to know that there are those close to the council who have a modicum of sense." She said with relief and curtsied politely.

As Sureblade made her exit, the boy's friendly smile faded.

For it had been a lie.

*******

She emerged from the council hall to the fresh air, but found no comfort in it. Looking around, she quickly found Bluevayne lounging in a sunbeam next to a bench with an older mage seated. The dragon's rumbling laughter cascaded softly across the mosaic floor. His mirth faded somewhat when he saw how crushed the young magesmith looked. Nonetheless, he managed a smile for her sake.

"Riza, this is the talented young maiden I was telling you about." Silvia furrowed her brow quizzically and quickly bowed as recognition smote her. Riza Stargazer was chief adjutant to Macharius, master Magesmith for the Coronus guild. The young girl's own master had studied under her. Legacy was a powerful thing in a guild, and Riza's was far-reaching indeed.

"I don't even have to see your face to know how your petition was received, child." The crone's milky eyes stared through her. "After I lost my sight those fools forced my resignation from the council, but Macharius would be lost without me. Archmage or not. From what Bluevayne has told me, the situation is most dire.

"You've studied your history, yes?" There was an authoritative undertone to Riza's question, left over from her teaching days.

"Yes, Archmage." She nodded emphatically even though the old woman was blind.

"Good, then you know that has only been two true mage wars in the past. The first war. The Grand War, which occurred five hundred years ago split the mages of that time into four guilds." Riza paused to let Silvia complete the history.

"And the Unification Wars a hundred years later when two of the guilds allied together in an attempt to reunite the mages under a single guild. The other two gathered the smaller guilds that had formed during that time and fought to retain their independence. In the end it only further splintered the guilds into the eight guilds of today." The retired Archmage bobbed her head approvingly.

"Jocov taught you well. Definitely one of my more intelligent students. Sadly his forward thinking was what got him stuck out at Laurel hall." She sighed. "I'm glad that his ideas live on in someone." Stargazer waved her hand dismissively. "Forgive me; this old mind of mine tends to wander.

"What Bluevayne described to me sounds like a preemptive strike. There have been skirmishes between the guilds before now, even full-bodied feuds, but nothing as serious as this. The guild councils have grown fat on peace, and are wisely happy to let things continue as they have been. However, someone is clearly not happy with this. The guilds are not wise in the ways of war. Mages vie for supremacy through wealth, patronage, and vassals, not conquest.

"A shrewd mind concocted this plan. Make no mistake. However, we know too little right now to take decisive action. What I want you to do dear is find out as much as you can. The yearly smith gathering is only a few weeks away. Return then and hopefully we will all know more and be in a better position to act. Off with you now. Don't let these old bones keep you."

*******

By the time they found an inn with a dragon-sized room and ate an evening meal the sun had gone to sleep to give way to the moon.

Silvia let out a huge sigh and allowed herself to fall onto the huge pile of cushions and blankets that Bluevayne favored for bedding. She wiggled her toes, now free from their new boots and felt a little lighter without her robe. The dragon preened his wings a little before settling down into the luxurious plushness next to her.

"So what do we do now, Bluevayne?" She looked askance up at him.

"I have an old friend who went into the mercenary business not too long ago. If anyone would know about war mongering it would be him. His family's estate isn't too far from here. They'll be able to tell us where he is. Hopefully we'll be able to track him down before that magesmith gathering of yours."

Silvia gave the dragon a long and searching stare.

"Bluevayne, why are you helping me? I mean really helping me? You've aided me in more ways than I can easily repay in one lifetime. So why?"

Almost instantly, the dragon thought up a half-truth that would smooth things over, but something in the mage's look stopped him. Scipii society required such deception, but the noble creature often tried to distance himself from such practices. The girl had been kind to him in ways she did not realize, and it warmed his scaly heart more than he cared to admit. At the very least, she deserved a little honesty.

"I think if you are to truly know why, a tale is in order..."