Page 10 of Winter's Dragons. Frozen Flames
You are, of course, invited to the Bacchanal as well. Bring your dragons. I look forward to meeting them in person.
May you have a most bountiful day,
Pandora."
The letter wasn't very long, but the underlining meaning of each sentence told me more than enough. Pandora had the tendency to resort to orgies to solve any problem, and for some reason, she seemed to think Eranthe was in a situation that required such an intervention.
I thought about February's return and Eranthe's insistence that he stay behind until her new flowers bloomed. As far as I could tell, nothing had changed in Eranthe's pattern of behavior, but I could be wrong. I'd never been all that good at interpreting emotions, and I hadn't seen Eranthe in a while.
Well, in any case, it was probably not something big. Otherwise, Pandora would've mentioned it in detail or Tarasia would've already swept in to handle it and taught whoever had upset our youngest sister a very painful lesson. Still, I supposed it wouldn't hurt Eranthe to have a little fun that did not involve hallucinogens she herself had created.
Ironically, Eranthe was only a few years younger than me, so this shouldn't have been an issue at all. It was just so easy to forget that, and Tarasia, in particular, tended to ignore it altogether. But even my summery sister would have to think about Eranthe's well-being and acknowledge the truth. Sex was healthy, and that was always something to pursue.
Nodding to myself, I sat at my desk and retrieved a quill and a piece of paper. As I started to write my response, another thought came to me.
Perhaps Pandora could give me some advice regarding my own love life. We might not always get along, but she was better than me at such things. At the very least, I could get an unbiased opinion on my current dilemma from her.
Then again, if she'd been here, she'd have probably already chastised me for worrying overmuch about an issue that would be easy to solve. My dragons' families might be a bit irritating, but they could never actually harm the connection I shared with Kerryn, Emmerich, and Raijin. My soulmates loved me, and we didn't have to do anything we were uncomfortable with. Beyond that, we'd take our time to decide what our futures should hold. After all, if there was anything we had an abundance of here in Chronikos, it was time.
As that thought processed, a sudden, wicked idea popped up in my mind. Perhaps I could teach my dragons a little lesson on the importance of being honest with me, all the while coming off as a good host. I always did love efficiency, and my soulmates needed to understand certain points I had not yet managed to hammer home.
Yes, our relationship still had some flaws, but maybe this message of Pandora's was a sign. Maybe I could take a leaf out of her book and discipline my dragons through one of her recommended methods.
If nothing else, it would certainly be fun.
****
Emmerich
"I must say, Your Majesty, this is a bit of a surprise. After our earlier exchanges, I didn't expect you to throw us such a grand feast."
Cassia's twinkling laughter echoed over the hall, her amusement at Brigid's words completely genuine. "I wouldn't call it a feast, per se. We didn't have enough time for that. But a welcoming dinner was nevertheless in order. What kind of host would I be if I did not feed my guests properly?"
Kerryn's father chuckled, the delicious taste of the venison having obviously put him in a good mood. "I don't think you have anything to worry about in that regard. If your sister's realm is anything like yours, I can see why Lerna decided to move to Chronikos."
"Well, she had plenty of reasons for the move, but it is true that The Realm of Eternal Bounties has always done justice to its name."
"Ah, when we return home, we will have so much to tell the rest of the clan," my own mother said.
The comment made Cassia perk up in interest. "I'm sorry, I forgot to ask. Do you have any other children?"
"No, not yet. Emmerich was such a troublesome hatchling. We did not get the chance to try for a clutch. But we want to do so in the future."
Over the rim of my wine goblet, I watched our female interact with our families and was torn between embarrassment at what my parents were saying and the desire to pull Cassia closer. She seemed to have cheered up since earlier, and that took a huge load off my mind. She had not explained the reasons for the change, but it didn't matter to me, as long as she was happy. Our parents had agreed to follow our rules and had not broken their word so far. The news of Lerna's presence in The Realm of Eternal Bounties had also distracted them from their previous concerns, and they appeared to have decided to encourage our bond with Cassia.
Still, I wished my fellow dragons and I had been alone with her, just the four of us. The sound of her laughter and the way she glowed with inner magic made me want to rip her clothes off and claim her right then and there, but she wasn't even within my reach.
Most tables we'd eaten at in the past since our arrival in Chronikos had been round, but this particular one was a rectangle. Cassia was seated at its head, on an ornate chair slightly higher than the rest. My fellow dragons and I had been placed at the opposite end, with our respective families in the middle.
I suspected the arrangement had something to do with the fact that our parents were foreigners, although I wasn't sure since it had never been an issue for us. I didn't much care about the reasons anyway. I was being denied the proximity of my female, and I was not happy.
From his seat by my side, Kerryn kicked me in the knee. "You're staring," he hissed under his breath.
"Can you really blame me? She's so beautiful."
"She is, but we have to maintain decorum," Raijin replied. "She wouldn't want us to be uncouth, especially not in front of our families."
I sighed but resigned myself to the truth of his words. I hoped the blasted feast didn't take much longer. As much as I appreciated Cassia's efforts, the only real appetites I had right now could not be sated through food or drink.
