Tears For The Dragon Ch. 01

Tibor sought out her mouth with his own, and for a long lovely moment their tongues slid and wrapped around each other while their mutual orgasmic glow faded. He made a move to withdraw, but her legs tightened around him. "No, please," she said. "Leave it in for a little bit."

"As you wish, my honored host," he said with a chuckle. "I hope that gave you sufficient, er, recharging. It sure seemed to give you pleasure."

"Yes and yes. The energy always tastes sweeter when taken with love and passion." She sighed. "But that's enough for your first time. If I drain you too much in one day it can become dangerous. We should get cleaned up and eat."

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The next week settled into a bit of a routine. Tibor spent his days working through Emsari's library. She'd given him some parchment and writing implements so that he could make notes. His research was interspersed with the occasional bath and, much more frequently, with some 'pouncing' by his dragon host. She took great delight in surprising him out of nowhere with her affections, her hungry mouth, and even hungrier pussy. Her ambushes were helped due to the fact that she refused to give him new pants to replace the ones she'd shredded. So he just walked around naked. At least the temperature in the lair was comfortable enough for him to do so.

On the seventh day, he knew something was up when she handed him a leather jerkin and trousers. "I think these should fit you," was all she gave by way of explanation. She had pulled them out of one of her many storage rooms, and after giving them to him she went back into the room and kept rummaging. He quickly pulled on the offered clothes and followed her.

"Where is it?" she muttered, while Tibor peeked curiously around the corner. "Ah!" The dragon pulled out some sort of assemblage of leather straps and cuffs. She turned and handed it to Tibor. "Let's get this on." She padded past him back out into the bedchamber.

"Er, what is it?" asked Tibor as he trailed after her. It looked like some kind of complicated restraints. Maybe she was going to tie him up? Or did she want to be tied up?

"A flying harness," she said. "It's time to go out and reconnect with the locals. I need to...what was that human term...'press the flesh'. I though you might like some fresh air as well."

The words took a bit to sink in. "Flying? You mean...a harness for me? To fly? With you?"

She chuckled. "It's safer than me carrying you in my arms. Plus it looks more dignified. Now, this first strap goes here under my right arm..."

Under Emsari's direction, he more-or-less got the harness onto her. He was expecting something like the saddle used on a horse or mule, which would let him sit upright on her back. Instead, the 'seat' on the harness was more like a pad that went under his groin and belly. The rest of the straps in the harness held him in a hunched-over position, similar to that of someone crouching on a horse at full gallop. There was a buckled strap that went around his waist and held him fast to her. The stirrups were enclosed and held his feet so they couldn't slip out. For his hands, there were two more handles he could hold onto. There were no reins, of course. This was a harness for a passenger, not a pilot.

Once Emsari was satisfied, she padded out of the bedchamber through a door that had previously been closed. This door let to a huge spiral ramp that led up through the center of the mountain. As she padded upwards with Tibor strapped to her back, his unease began to rise. He had never really liked heights, and now he was going to be actually flying off of a mountain. The harness felt secure, but the concept was still nerve-wracking.

Emsari must have picked up on his worry, and her head swiveled around on her long neck to give him an unexpected lick up the length of his face. "It'll be fine, my little gem," she laughed as he sputtered.

The ramp led up to a large cavern with one wall missing. The view through the opening was that of blue sky...and not much else. Tibor's heart beat faster as she moved to the edge. Before he had time to yell she launched herself out of the mountain.

He looked behind him as she dropped, and saw no hint of the entrance. It all looked like rocky crags and ice. Tibor figured it was from the same illusion magic he'd seen elsewhere in her lair. The mage looked forward and saw that they was still dropping, although now Emsari's wings were extended. The trees below were getting very close, and his cry of panic was quickly whipped away by the wind that roared past them.

Emsari made a casual tilt of her wings, and Tibor felt his stomach drop as she swooped upwards. Now his view was that of clouds and blue sky. It was a beautiful day, and he felt the dragon's strong back muscles flex under him as she flapped her wings to gain altitude. Tibor's panic faded. He was held secure onto the back of a powerful flying creature, and there was no way that she was falling. He felt a huge grin split his face as he looked down at the forest far below. In the distance he could see the small hamlet he and Vilmos had passed on the way here. The view looked like that of a map, and it made him feel like a god surveying his domain.

Tibor let out a whoop of joy, and Emsari gave an answering roar of her own. She banked around towards one of the farms, then began moving in descending circles around it. The dragon was clearly taking the time to let those below know she was approaching rather than simply dropping on them out of the blue.

By the time she alit in the center of the field, a sizable crowd had gathered at its far end. Tibor unbuckled himself and clambered down off of Emsari, then walked beside her as she padded towards the group.

An older man wearing a green cloak came cautiously forward to greet them. His beard was pure white and his bald head was wrinkled and spotted, but his blue eyes were bright and clear. The man hobbled towards them and used a long staff to support himself.

"Madam Emsari?" he called as he drew near. "I'm Jonas." He rubbed his bald pate and grinned. "Reckon I had a few more hairs up top last time ya saw me."

"Jonas!" said the dragon with evident delight. "I had hoped that you were still around, you old goat." She swept the man up into a big hug as they both laughed.

The sight of the two reuniting seemed to reassure the rest of the crowd, and they all swarmed forward. Tibor was the object of some very curious stares as Emsari introduced him. She used the term 'companion' to describe him, which seemed to impress them. He wondered what exactly that meant, but soon forgot about it in the blur of names and introductions.

Apart from Jonas, there were seven other people that had met Emsari previously. The rest of them had either been babes or as yet unborn when Emsari had entered her last sleep. Some of the children looked a little scared of the huge creature, although they warmed up to her after they realized that she wasn't here to eat anybody.

It soon turned into an impromptu party, with various beverages being produced out of cellars along with food. A few of the locals had some talent with instruments and supplied a little music while Emsari spoke with everyone in turn.

Tibor found himself near the outskirts of the party next to a man called Gaspar. The farmer had a lined face and a hair and beard speckled with gray, but his shoulders were broad and strong. He handed Tibor a mug of cider as the mage nodded his thanks.

"So were you here before Emsari went to sleep?" Tibor asked.

The older man nodded as he watched the dragon. She was in the middle of speaking with Jonas while several children played with her tail. Emsari whipped its tip around in a game of 'keep-away' while the young laughed and ran after it.

"Good ta see her awake," said Gaspar. "An' good ta see her happy. I owe her a lot."

"Oh?"

In response Gaspar pulled up one sleeve of his shirt. There was an ugly stretched-out scar that looked like something had tried to take a chunk out of Gaspar's forearm.

"See that?" asked the farmer. "Got that when I was six. From a ghost adder that was hidin' next to the cattle feed. Little bastard was probably lookin' fer rats. Bit my arm instead, and made it swell up like it was gonna burst. Local healers put some smelly herbs on my arm and also tried bleedin' it, but nothin' worked. They told my ma that I had two days at most."

Gaspar nodded towards the dragon. "So my ma wrapped me up and took me to 'er. Two minutes of the dragon chantin' and my arm was like new. That scar never gives me any pain, even before a storm." He pulled his sleeve back down. "It cost us our largest hog, but my da paid 'er with a smile."

The farmer cocked a curious eye at Tibor. "An' what's your story? How'd you meet our protector?"

Tibor shrugged. "Well, it's a little complicated. And embarrassing. Let's just say I wound up in the wrong place at the wrong time and woke her up by accident. Fortunately Emsari is very understanding."

Gaspar gave a hoarse laugh. "I guess so, if'n she made you 'er companion. But I'm glad ya woke 'er, honestly. Been hard times recently. Taxes are gettin' worse, along with our sons gettin' conscripted. Some of us were fixin' to go ask 'er fer help."

"Conscription?" This was the first that Tibor had heard of such a thing.

"Aye. I thought you'd have heard about it, bein' from the south and all. Now here, let me introduce you to the missus..."

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A little while after, Tibor managed to pull Jonas aside and ask him about the situation.

"I already told Emsari about it," said the elder. "Six of our strongest lads were taken away to go fight for the king." Jonas made a sour face as he said the last word.

"But why?" Tibor rubbed his neck as he thought furiously. "We're at peace. There's nobody to fight. And if they need a little more manpower here and there, the king usually just hires mercenaries."

Jonas shrugged tiredly. "Your guess is as good as mine." He looked around, then motioned for Tibor to follow him. After a little hesitation, Tibor followed the man to a far corner of the field.

"I notice that Emsari didn't give your last name," said Jonas. "Would it be Sarkany, by any chance?"

Tibor's heart froze, but he kept his face calm. "Why do you ask?"

Jonas chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes." From the depths of his green cloak he produced a little roll of parchment and handed it to Tibor. "Have a look. Don't worry, I'm the only one here who's seen it."

The young mage knew what it would be before he unrolled it. And sure enough, in the center of the parchment was a fairly good artist's rendition of his face. Above the picture were the words "WANTED FOR SEDITION" in large block print. Below his face was given his name along with a description of his build. The words 'extremely dangerous' were used as well, which almost made him laugh. Below that information was the reward offered.

"Five hundred crowns?" said Tibor in disbelief. "I didn't think they'd offer that much. Or hand out leaflets this far north." He rolled it back up and stared levelly at Jonas. "Five hundred would be a significant sum for a hamlet like this," he continued. "Especially if things are going as bad as Gaspar mentioned."

Jonas' usually cheerful features suddenly set in a furious snarl. "If you were a murderer, I'd turn you in myself. But for a bullshit charge like sedition?" He spit on the ground. "They could offer five thousand and I'd tell 'em to stick it up their fundamental." He leaned forward. "We hear about what's goin' on in the southern cities. I figure if it's getting bad enough that stories get all the way up here, then it must be really bad." Jonas looked off at the distant figure of Emsari. "Not to mention it would hurt her to lose you, and I ain't about to hurt her."

"Who gave this to you?" asked Tibor.

Jonas scratched his bearded chin. "He was passin' through with the same group of soldiers that took away our lads. Small guy, thin. Face like a cat that's gotten away with something. Odd thing was he only used his left arm and hand. His right hand was tucked in his pocket, and I don't think I ever saw him move it."

"Metternich," grated Tibor.

"Know him?"

Tibor gave a grim smile. "I'm the reason he can't use his right arm."

Jonas slowly rocked back on his heels and gave Tibor a look as if he was reappraising the young man. "Good job," he finally said. "Anyway, the little snake gave me that parchment and asked me to pass it 'round the farms. Didn't do it, of course. Like I said, sedition is what they charge ya with when they can't come up with a real crime." He gave another spit into the ground.

The young mage thought a little more. "Do you get a mail coach through here?" he asked.

"'Bout every three weeks or so. Should be due next week."

"Good. If you have some parchment and ink, I'd like to write up a letter..."

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The flight back to the lair was a little muted. Tibor could tell that Emsari was upset by what she'd heard from her old friends. But she did do a couple of swooping rolls as they neared her mountain. Tibor was well over his fears by now, and took delight in the new-found feeling of freedom that her flying provided him.

After he'd gotten the harness off of her, he was surprised by her suddenly grabbing him a fierce hug. "I keep forgetting how fast you all age," she said. "You'd think I'd be used to it by now. It only seems like yesterday that Jonas was a young hellraiser like you." She licked his cheek. "And now he's considered a wise elder."

And that night Emsari was particularly tender with him. In fact, she used her magic to pin his naked form down while she slowly licked and caressed every inch of him. It was as if she was memorizing his body. He was reduced to a whimpering lump under her ministrations, and then she flipped him over and repeated the process with his back. By the time he was turned over again, he felt like formless jelly...except for his turgid cock, of course.

She took him into her and set up a slow, measured pace. The wrym clasped him to her bosom while she rocked on top of him, whispering to him all the while in her own unfamiliar tongue. Their mutual climax was equally gentle, and they held each other for hours afterwards.

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"I hate politics," muttered Emsari the next morning while demolishing a leg of mutton. Tibor was perched on her coiled tail while they both ate breakfast. By now he was inured to the sight of her voracious eating habits.

"Jonas told me about their problems as well," said Tibor.

The dragon sighed. "Usually it's some local bandits, or a mercenary company trying their hand at extortion. That sort of thing is actually fun to deal with. Hell, even a plague is easy for me to handle. But this? My kind stays out of human politics."

Tibor smiled. "I guess it would be asking a bit much for you to just go and take out the king."

"Oh, I could do it," said Emsari with complete seriousness. "It's a little under two days flight to Vasalat from here. I could pull Bognar's palace down around his ears and have his head mounted on a pike by nightfall tomorrow."

The young man swallowed nervously. "Er. Yes, I suppose that you could."

"But then what?" the dragon continued. "If I just leave, then there'll be a power vacuum and that means civil war and even more bloodshed. So I'd have to choose some random noble twit to sit on the throne." She snorted. "And then I'd have to sit there and make sure nobody tried to overthrow him. And also make sure he didn't turn out to be just as bad as Bognar."

Tibor laughed. "Maybe you could set yourself up as queen instead." He flinched back at her sudden and furious red glare. "I was just kidding," he said as he held up a placating hand.

Her glare faded. "Sorry, I forgot you don't know. We tried that once before. You refer to that period as the First Empire."

The news stunned him. "Dragons ran the First Empire?"

She nodded grimly. "And it ended badly. That's all I will say on the subject."

"Okay." He thought a bit, then confessed to his own discussion with Jonas about Metternich's leaflet. Her face darkened again with rage as he mentioned the reward for his capture.

"If Metternich takes my companion, I will eat his liver while I make him watch," she growled. "NO ONE touches what is mine!"

"It's okay, Jonas is the only one who saw the leaflet," said Tibor soothingly. "And he's burned it."

Emsari subsided, but she still looked angry. "New taxes and conscription. And now they're hunting you in earnest, even out here. What a mess." She stroked his head. "At least I can keep you safe in here. But the rest...how do I solve this? Maybe they do expect me to fly to the capital and smash it."

"I'm sure the two problems are related," mused Tibor. "The king must have some kind of military adventure in mind. He needs new taxes to pay for weapons and armor, plus conscription to provide warm bodies to fill all of that armor."

The dragon nodded. "We need better information, it seems. But you can't go looking for it, it's far too dangerous. Not everyone around here will be as idealistic as Jonas."

Tibor smiled. "We might be able to have the information come to us. While I was talking with Jonas I took the opportunity to write a letter of my own, to my friend Petra. She's the gnome who saved my life."

Emsari looked sidelong at him. "Isn't that dangerous for her?"

"A little. I mentioned no names, of course. But there's enough context so that she'll know the letter is from me. I also hid a couple of communication runes in there. She'll activate one if it's getting too hot for her in Vasalat."

She looked amused. Tibor was pretty sure she knew what he had planned. "And the other rune?" she asked.

He cleared his throat. "Well, if it would be agreeable to you then I thought she could stay here. She's not rich, but she is a very gifted alchemist. Perhaps she could trade knowledge instead of coin. If you say yes, then I'll activate the other rune. She doesn't know about you, of course. The rune just lets her know that it's safe to come here. I should warn you that Petra can be a little...enthusiastic at times."

Emsari pondered the idea. "I have to admit, I'm not that adept at alchemy. There's been a lot of developments in that area since I last seriously studied it." She looked over at Tibor. "Is Petra cute?"

The question took him by surprise. "I, er, I think so? I mean, we were just friends and she's a gnome, so I never really thought about it."

She smiled and waggled her eyebrows at him. "Don't worry, even if she and I hit it off you would still be my primary companion." The dragon sighed. "There was a time when I gathered beautiful people like I hoard gold coins. I had quite a wonderful harem going. Anyway, go ahead and let Petra know that it's safe to come here. I'm sure we can work out some arrangement."

Tibor felt a little bit of relief. Petra had taken a huge chance in keeping him hidden, and if the gnome was ever found out she'd suffer the same fate as Natalia. Or perhaps a death worse than that, since she wasn't human. King Bognar liked to talk about equality, but humans tended to get better treatment even in criminal matters.

Emsari's voice cut into his musing. "So what is your plan, anyway?"

"Sorry?"

She tapped the center of her chest, indicating the position of his locket. "To avenge her. You must have one."

Now that he had a chance to say his internal musings aloud, it sounded a little ridiculous. "Well, I don't think a direct challenge to the king's authority would work. He's got too many of the nobles cowed. But they're cowed only because he looks strong."