Days 166&167 (144th&145th)

Day 166 (144th):
We chanced a trip into Baaloc Prime. The story of Nigel's death at Tharinzar's hands was the talk of the day. As we wandered, the story grew more and more fantastic and further from the truth. Claims of us being his lovers struck us as extremely funny. Other of him being our agent from day one were equally absurd. I even heard one that we were all his daughters and he was trying to put us, and himself, on the throne.
One story gave us pause. It was said that Cornwall had ordered every slave and servant who had served Nigel to be executed and their bodies displayed as an example. We went to the place where it was said the bodies would be. Unfortunately, there were bodies hung there. Fortunately, none of them were with us last night or had helped us escape. We did see a few of them out in the city. Their emotions told us they recognized us, but they kept their faces neutral. Several clerics were praying over the bodies. All but a few were sincere in their prayers. We slid a spark of energy to those clerics. They did not pray louder, but humbled more. That gave us hope. Alice searched the histories of the dead. She informed us that they had already been targeted for execution, this was just a good excuse. Cornwall was no longer openly obsessed with finding us. The spires were still as Callie had shaped them. The mural was still untouched. However, a plaque had appeared giving the "official" story of Maalicus' death. Any fool could see that the words did not match the picture. The church spire was gone. Many of the healed trees had been removed. The fountains were still flowing with pure water. Sarah said the health of the population as a whole had greatly improved. Lisa said the poison was slowly receding but still present.
A weird horn sounded, drawing attention to the balcony at the front of the palace. Cornwall was standing there as everyone assembled below him. When a large crowd was there, a loud single note, off-key, called for silence. Cornwall raised his hands to draw attention to himself.
"Citizens of Baaloc Prime! A great day approaches! In spite of the horrific attacks upon this city and its people, my wedding to Princess Mara of Selvis will proceed. Nigel's foolish attempt to usurp my authority resulted in divine retribution. The deaths of him and his co-conspirators has purified my household. My new liaison, handpicked by Tharinzar himself, is far more loyal than any ruler could hope for or want. He is on his way to meet the princess and double check what Nigel claimed was true. Through this union of the old blood and the Baaloc faith, this land will know abundance as none has seen before. Working the land will become an honest vocation instead of a refuge for the unfaithful and unworthy."
The cheer was slow to form. Soldiers prodded people to cheer at Cornwall's words. He called for silence again.
"In three days, I will wed Princess Mara. Two days later, we will be crowned King and Queen of the Baaloc territory. On that day, Raval and Cassabla will be receiving notice to either surrender or prepare for war. Baaloc territory will know no political borders. Only the sea will mark the edge of our kingdom."
Another forced cheer. An odd sensation blew by us. Checking for its source, we found a group near the back was its origin. We watched them produce another wave. The cheering became louder and more active. They were manipulating the people to make them agree with Cornwall. Carefully, we made our way to them. Just as they were gathering another wave, we formed a wall between them and the people. When their wave bounced off of us, they looked confused. We approached them as Cornwall continued to brag about the future power of the Baalocs. They started to order us then stopped. Counting seven women with swords, they went white.
"That's right," I said just loud enough for them to hear, "You will be telling no one about this meeting. We only want to know one thing. Did Cornwall or Tharinzar tell you to do this?"
They said nothing.
I repeated, "Cornwall".
Nothing.
Then, I said, "Tharinzar".
Eyes looked away and not at us. We nodded. We walked through them and around them. Our swords wafted a ribbon of power and removed our confrontation from their memories. We returned to the second inn and met up with our friends. That's when we revealed our plan. We would interrupt the "wedding". As "concerned and loyal citizens", they would try to stop us. With supplies from Mattis, they would pretend to set us on fire, just as Tharinzar's master foresaw. However, we would walk out of it, showing that he can't see everything and, maybe, show the people that their leaders are not gods. They loved it. We spend the rest of the day planning it nearly to the last detail. Mattis contacted the wedding party to find out about the new liaison. They reported his name was Robear and he was only slightly less arrogant than Nigel. Robear was upset when they said Mara did not have seven armed handmaidens and never had. No one could or would describe us or said they knew anything about us. Robear was very upset. He confirmed "Mara's" virginity and left. We spent the night at the inn and had decided to go back to the cottage in the morning.


Day 167 (145th): 2 days until wedding
When we awoke, we found our friends deep in discussion. They lit up when we joined them.
Rono spoke, "We need to borrow Gretta for a while. Cornwall is asking for appraisers for his remaining treasury. If she poses as our servant, she can secretly tell us what is real or not. That will gain us his trust and help the plan for the wedding be more believable."
Gretta agreed to go, as long as we were all connected. The rest of us went to the cottage to check on it and gather Mattis' supplies and equipment. Gretta received a crash course in the appraisal business while we were gone. At the inn, we firmly connected to Gretta as to see what she was seeing, although there was no sound. She and the others left and presented themselves as appraisers. Greed was well hidden and no one checked Gretta. Soldiers led them to the treasury. The dust of the fake items Gretta had destroyed still covered the floor. What remained had been sifted out and cleaned. They lay on sheets thrown over the dust and debris. Gretta felt the energies as only gold and jewels could emit. With several receptive non-humans around, she was able to slide the information to them so they would seem to be the true appraisers. The person listening seemed both annoyed and delighted. He was glad they were real, but not at their low value. Intent upon impressing them, he led them to where the dragon eggs were kept. As they stood, the pile shifted. Through Gretta, we sought the one moving. Mattis helped us bring it to the inn. Those in the palace breathed easier when the pile stopped. The official shrugged it off as rats or something. They appraised the eggs very high, which pleased him. He gave them a pouch and escorted them out. They quickly returned to the inn. As they entered, we returned to our normal perceptions.
The egg had been quiet from the time we brought it here until the others entered. One of Rono's younger companions raced to it. It rocked harder as he approached. He and I reached it almost simultaneously. I had him sit and hold it in his lap. Callie called to Leo to inform him of the event. Jacob, with egg in his lap, sat mesmerized by this happening to him. Pieces began falling off and flying off. Dawn, Bo, and Larz gathered around to watch. A dark nose poked through a hole and issued a chirp. Dawn chirped back. The baby dragon thrashed his horned head and spilled out onto Jacob's lap. He was so dark it was hard to determine his color. That mystery was solved when Jacob said his name was Onyx-in-Winter. The blue webbing of his wings was military blue, which helped determine the black of his body. Callie said Leo would be here shortly. We told him, through her, to go to the cottage. Callie said he had my harness bracelet set plus one for himself. She said he was surprised by a black dragon as they rarely survived to hatch. Rono, having watched this before, got some meat for Onyx as I sat with dragon and rider to begin the learning process. Jacob's father was in tears. He explained that, with five sons, he was not sure how to split the family business. He said Jacob never really showed a head for business. As a rider, he would not have to worry about Jacob's livelihood. Once Onyx was full, we headed down the tunnel to the cottage. Leo's eye filled the skylight.
"Evening, ladies. Who have we here?"
We all went outside and introductions were made and a few remade. Leo handed me a harness bracelet. This was not the same as I had before.
"You've been given and in-field promotion. This is the set of a rider-finder. Usually, a trained rider goes village to village looking for youths with the right signs to be a rider. Due to the unusual circumstances, you are to do what you have been doing; showing them how to feed them, hold them, and make the bond. Falcon is very happy."
"Of course he is," Callie piped, "His royal family still lives and now he has three new riders, including a queen, to train."
Leo looked at her with one eye. Callie started to take it back until Leo started to chuckle. We all kind of laughed. Leo had thought ahead and had a sling for Onyx. Jacob eased the sleeping baby into it and put it on. Leo already had the harness on so we just helped him into the saddle. His father assured him that his family would know what had happened and where he had gone. Holding on to Leo's reins, both took off into the night sky. We all went back into the cottage. The others remembered that dragon egg shells were lying on the floor of the inn. Mattis and Kendar, Larz ever at his side, stayed in the cottage as the rest raced to claim a piece. When they were gone, Mattis showed us the coin sized shard he had secreted. He put it in his personal belongings and we all got ready for bed.