Crito held Chapado. She was frustrated that she couldn’t help Ann and her pregnancy was making her depressed. “We’ll figure it out,” he assured her. It was odd being someone’s source of comfort but he didn’t mind. “I have tonight off. Why don’t we get out of the palace? Maybe a change of scenery will help.” She half smiled and nodded. “How about dinner at an inn in town?” She suggested. He nodded. “That sounds good.” He stood and offered her a hand. As she took it, there was a flash of light, and she transported them away. “Would you warn me before doing that?” “Why, so you can complain?” She knew he didn’t like transporting. Crito looked around. “When you said in town, I didn’t think to ask which town.” “I meant Sen-gan. Where are we?” “Looks like Paosij. What happened?” “Sometimes pregnancies can interfere with aim, but not usually this early or this bad. I’ll scry Morina and see if she can come get us.” “After we eat. This is a change of scenery.” She smiled. “It is.” *** A figure slipped through the gate between Torthoc and Earth unnoticed in the failing light. After a moment for recovery and to draw in magic, an obscurity spell was cast. The figure took to the air unnoticed, hesitating a moment to make a decision and flew off into the darkness. *** “I was stationed here for a while. At that time, this was the best place to eat,” Crito told Chapado. “The last time I was up this way, it wasn’t so great, but that was thirty years ago.” “Is it strange to come back to a place after being gone so long and finding it so changed?” Chapado nodded. “I think Earth is the worst. Their technology changes faster than a dragon changes scales.” “Why do you go back there if you dislike it so much?” “Checking on the gate and running tests on it and the other pinholes. One of the pinholes we tried to close in the desert leads to a world that has pinholes to Earth. Because of the damage we did to that pinhole, it’s almost impossible to get back that way. So I go to Earth and use the gate, if I can or another pinhole.” Movement near the bar caught Crito’s eye. He looked, but the inn’s muscle was dealing with it. “Relax,” Chapado said. “You’re off duty.” “I’m never off duty. It’s too much of a part of me. And if there’s trouble, I want to make sure you’re okay.” Chapado raised an eyebrow, amused. “You’re going to protect me?” “Yes, I am. You’re my pledged and you’re carrying my…” He stopped, distracted by the woman who had just entered. She was so pale, he thought she was Ann. Chapado turned to see what had distracted him. Her face lit up. “Raylee?” She moved to greet the pale woman. The woman frowned. “Do I know you?” She took a step back. “I’m Chapado. We met ages ago. I was just a little girl.” “Chappy?” Raylee’s eyes grew wide. “Oh my, how you’ve grown. It’s been millennia.” She hugged Chapado. “And congratulations too. Is this the father?” She gestured to Crito. Chapado nodded. “This is my pledged, Crito.” Crito nodded. “Ma’am.” “Ma’am?” Raylee grinned. “You humans are so stiff.” And with that, she gave him a hug too. “Come, join us for dinner,” Crito suggested. An old friend was just what Chapado needed. “She calls you Chappy?” Crito asked. “Do not call me Chappy. Cramda started that.” “How is Cramda?” Raylee asked. “He died. He went power-mad, and someone killed him in self-defense.” “I’m sorry.” “Do you know her whole family?” Crito asked. “I don’t even know my whole family,” Chapado admitted. “I have brothers and sisters I’ve never met.” “I only know Chapado and Cramda. Cramda was grown and Chapado was about seven.” “You were seven once?” Crito teased. “So what are you doing on Torthoc?” Chapado asked. “On Torthoc?” Crito frowned. “You’re not from his world?” “Crito, you’re off duty,” Chapado reminded him. “No, I’m not.” “Is there a problem?” Raylee asked. “Maybe. How did you come here?” “I used a pinhole near here. It’s damaged and quite large.” “You came through the gate? The guards didn’t stop you?” Crito pressed. “They didn’t see me. The last time I was here, the area was filled with trolls. I used a spell to hide from them. I only planned to pass through to the next world. But it’s been a while since I’ve eaten, so when I saw the city, I decided to see who was living here and maybe get some food.” “Humans, dwarves, elves, dragons, and immortals are here,” Chapado told her. “Chapado, we need to report this,” Crito insisted. “We will, after we eat,” she assured him. “You don’t want the baby to starve.” “The baby is not going to starve. But we’ll eat first.” He gave in. *** After they ate, Chapado scried Prince Remtani. He wasn’t happy that the guards had missed seeing Raylee. He said they should bring her back to the palace. Crito knew the prince would be looking for ways to make the gate more secure. Raylee agreed to transport them down since Chapado’s pregnancy had her aim so bad. She marveled at how much had changed, though she admitted she shouldn’t be surprised since it had been so long since she had been there. Andy and Cari joined them. “Were you visiting Ann?” Chapado asked. Andy nodded. “Any change?” Andy shook his head. “What’s wrong?” Raylee asked. “She went power-mad.” “And the usual treatments aren’t working?” Chapado shook her head. “Who’s this?” Andy asked. “Oh, sorry. This is an old friend, Raylee. This is my great-great-granddaughter’s husband, Andy and their daughter, Carina.” “It’s good to meet you.” Cari stuck out a hand for her to shake and she did. “Grandma Raylee, can you help Mommy?” The little girl asked. “Cari, just because someone is immortal, doesn’t mean she’s a grandparent,” Andy told her. “I’m not immortal,” Raylee insisted. “She’s a dragon,” Cari told him. “Like Mommy and me. She’s Grandpa Mishtali’s grandma.” “She’s what?” Andy frowned. “I think perhaps there are others who would like to hear this,” Crito suggested. So much for his night off. He went to have a page summon those needed so he didn’t see the curious look Raylee gave Cari. *** It wasn’t long before the group gathered in Ann and Andy’s receiving room. Chapado introduced Raylee. “Raylee?” Morina asked. “Like your imaginary friend?” “She isn’t imaginary, obviously.” “Cramda said she was, that you two were playing a game.” “Cramda was a mean, awful cur,” Chapado spat. Crito put an arm around her. “So those stories…” Morina frowned looking at Raylee. “They weren’t stories,” Chapado insisted. “What are you talking about?” Raylee asked. “Can we start at the beginning?” Emeton requested. Chapado sighed. “When I was little, only seven or eight, Cramda was helping me to learn my magic. I accidentally transported us somewhere away from Ertonia. We met a white dragon living all alone. That was Raylee. We had no idea where we were so we stayed there a few weeks while Cramda figured out the best way to get home. This was before the shade wells were created to collect the excess magic. Transporting was a lot more difficult if you didn’t know where you were back then. I became friends with Raylee but no one believed me when I got home. White dragons aren’t supposed to exist. “She was the reason why I started the white wyrm project. She was so lonely. She outlived everyone she ever met. I thought if there was another white dragon, they would likely live as long as she did and she’d have a friend.” “What white wyrm project?” Raylee frowned. “When I learned of the dragons on Tricon, I suggested experiments to try to create a white dragon by interbreeding immortals and dragons.” Raylee shook her head. “That would never work.” “We found that out. They all went insane, beyond power-mad. After a few tries, I said no more. But Cramda wouldn’t stop. He kept it up for thousands of years. I can’t imagine how many people died because of him.” “How did you create all those kids?” Remtani asked. “Well, Thailyn could explain the process better, but when there’s a man and a woman…” “I know how babies are made. I have five siblings. How did you get all those dragons to sleep with you? What about the bond?” “No one slept with anyone. We used magic. And they were volunteers, dragons having trouble conceiving.” “Magic?” Thailyn frowned. “Oh, come on. Really? I’m not that bad,” Chapado insisted. “No, sorry. I was thinking of something else. I wasn’t meaning to imply that.” He waved it off. Crito saw he was looking at Remtani. “What does this have to do with Raylee being Mishtali’s grandma?” Andy asked. “Your girl’s a strong healer if she read that.” “We don’t know how strong she is yet. It’s still developing,” Andy told her. “Chapado was right. I was lonely. Cramda did a lot of scrying while they stayed with me. He scried a place with dragons. I’d never seen any of my kind before. After the two returned home, I set out to look for them. “I stayed with them for several years. I had a mate and a son. Leaving them was the hardest thing I ever did. I assume you would be a descendant of my son.” She looked at Mishtali. “Do you have a black dragon in your ancestry?” “I am a black dragon. There were four others before me.” “Four? So you’d be my great great-great-grandson?” “Four greats. My father wasn’t black but gray,” he corrected. “And your son?” She looked at Andy. “Thailyn.” Mishtali pointed. “I’m purple.” “Most of my children are purple,” Mishtali told her. “As is my mate.” Raylee smiled. “So was mine. You said most. What color are the others?” “I only have one that’s not. He’s white.” “White? That’s not possible,” she claimed. “You’re white,” Cari reminded her. “Yes, but I’m an abnormality. It shouldn’t happen naturally.” “Uncle Ter is white and so is Mommy. And I’m going to be too,” Cari insisted. “Three?” Raylee looked surprised. “Your daughter’s the third?” She looked at Thailyn. He nodded. “And she’s your great-great-granddaughter?” Raylee frowned at Chapado. “He’s a dragon and you wonder why she went power-mad?” “She only has a slight bit of immortal blood,” Thailyn told her. “Yes, I could feel that in Cari.” “You’re a healer?” Thailyn asked. Raylee nodded. “I’m a lot of things, including the reason your daughter isn’t worse off. Had it been any other bloodline, she would’ve gone permanently insane. Cari’s immortal blood is thin enough, she’ll be fine and so should any other children they have.” “How can you be the reason Ann isn’t worse off?” Tylan asked. “Have you done something to her?” “I haven’t been here in centuries. I meant my bloodline. There are other ways I’m not like most dragons besides my coloring. I wasn’t born the natural way. There was a group of people from another world who abducted my mother while she was pregnant with me. I don’t know if she was from this world, or another world with dragons. They took her to a world of great technology. They changed the very makeup of me, introducing traits I didn’t possess, some no dragons did in an effort to create an ultimate mage to see if that could surpass their technology. They increased my mage strength and made me an Augmenter. They gave me healing abilities and made me an unreadable.” “What do you mean they made you?” Crito asked. He was only barely following the conversation. He hadn’t had the education the others had received. He knew Chapado would explain things in more detail later if he asked. But he wanted to understand enough to follow the conversation. “For you to fully understand, I’d have to explain so much, it would take hours. Basically, built into us are instructions for how we should be, our hair and eye color, if we’re mages or healers, how tall we should be, everything we should be.” “You mean our genes?” Andy asked. Raylee looked surprised. “Right. Normally, these instructions come from our parents. They changed mine to make me all of these things.” “So Mishtali’s strength and Thailyn’s healing came from you?” Remtani asked. “The strength, yes. It’s possible that the healing came from his mother’s side. But it’s the changes they made to me that were passed down that allows them to handle their magic. It’s possible, even Mishtali would be too strong to handle his otherwise.” The bells rang out the hour. Andy stood. “I hate to leave, but it’s past Cari’s bedtime.” “But you said we could go back and tuck in Mommy,” Cari protested. “We will. That’s why we need to get going.” “She’s actually willing to sleep?” Thailyn asked, raising an eyebrow. “It’s doubtful. But she promised Cari she could tuck her in and read her a story.” Cari made the rounds saying good night and hugging them all. She even included Crito, which surprised him. When she said good night to Emeton, she crawled on his lap. “Grandpa, Mommy’s doing what she’s told. Can me and Daddy have a sleepover with her?” “We’ll see,” Emeton told her. “She won’t hurt us. She wants to protect us.” “I know. But she’s confused and might hurt you accidentally while trying to help,” Emeton explained. “We’ll see about more visits.” Cari sighed. “Okay. Good night.” She hugged him again and followed Andy from the room. “Chapado said she’s gone power-mad. Is it that bad?” Raylee asked. The others explained what happened. “I’d like to stay and help, if it would be allowed,” Raylee offered. “I’ve worked with the power-mad before. Maybe there’s something I can do.” Emeton looked to Thailyn. He in turn looked to his parents and then looked back to Emeton and nodded. Emeton nodded too. “You can stay. Does Ann have any guest rooms available, or should we put her in one of the others?” “Only the north side of the hall is being used,” Morina told him. Emeton nodded. “Good.” “Chapado and I can get her settled,” Crito offered. “Don’t you need to get on duty?” Emeton asked, glancing at Remtani. “It’s my night off, Sir,” Crito told him. “And you’re taking it?” Emeton looked surprised. “I’m under orders not to go on duty.” “If he’s going to have a family, he needs to spend time with them,” Remtani added. “Very good. Thailyn, in the morning, you and the others talk with Raylee so she knows what’s been tried. And remember your limits.” Thailyn nodded. “Yes, sire.”