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Pilgrimage of Eric – Part 3 – Family Ties

1.) When you think you know everything, you probably don't

I was just sitting in front of the Tavern watching the folks doing their daily business; merchants on chariots full with boxes or barrels, soldiers in groups defending the peace of the city, nobles riding horses, priest and priestesses discussing religious topics. But my thoughts got wings as the last thing the Goddess of Luck told me, Diana that magnificent lioness, that I was traveling with her sister. I was with twenty lions, the members of the Brotherhood of Claws a military organization swore to protect the Kingdom and the residents from the evil oppression of Copperhill. They were dangerous, battle-harden warriors but no one was like a Goddess.

Of course Clarissa could be, she was a legend, a powerful Sorceress, a brilliant general, but she had a well-documented past. She was born like everyone and fought hard, studied hard to become what she was. She had hundreds of scars proving the many battles she survived and I really doubt that a goddess would let me have sex with her. Despite the fact I did not think Diana would lie to me as she helped me big time. So I had to figure out who was her sister.

Illigna the Mother of Flames was a dragoness not a lioness, she was the older sister by a few millions of years probably and an Ancient Dragon God. It was still a clue to me how could be a dragon and a shape shifter lion related to each other. Maybe Gods has multiple form but they stayed with the well-known because of us. I had no idea really.

I thought I might find answers somewhere else so I stood up and hit the road to the center of the city, to the Square of the Seventeen Gods, with the huge golden towers. I was lucky and a carter let me sat next to him to the perch. He was an older man with huge mustache and a strange hat. When I asked him, he told me that he lived in Iceland too for a few years so he was familiar with the Chilly Folks as he called my people. He was doing business with spices from different countries and headed straight to the main market which was on the other side of the city. He was really cheerful despite he was from Copperhill but as I was told many times; in the City of the Gods everyone is equal and free from burdens.

Standing in the middle of the Square was amazing; It was round and at least a hundred yard in radius surrounded by the huge gold and white stone monuments. At their feet there were wide and tall walls with cravings of the Gods doing different deeds. I quickly went to the closest who was Zurik the Wild, the God of the Hunters. On the main image he was portrayed as tall and strong looking man dressed only in pelts of a wolf, bare feet handing a bow and pointing towards a deer at the distance. On the next craving he was hugging and kissing a lioness who was Diana the Goddess of the Luck as they were lovers according to the legends. The Predator and the Hunter. But there were other cravings as he was leading a group of raggedy men through a forest, bringing them rabbits and hogs. There was one where he was wrestling with a giant bear.

I thought I should check the Lion Gods so I went to the other side of the square where it started with the Goddess of Light. She was a lioness made from Pure Light, defeating the darkness and the creatures of the evil. On the main craving she was standing on a hill and rays of Light were shooting from her body, attacking disgusting creatures at the bottom and on the sides. They were smoking and fleeing from the Light. The legend said she cleansed the Kingdom of Three Valley from the beasts of the Dark Gods and made a home for the Lions. On the next wall there was she again handing over a ball of light to a lion in armor. Probably it was when she blessed the lions with the ability of magic. A little farer away a male and a female was summoning fire and rays of light to defeat a wingless dragon like monster on two legs made from black mist, meanwhile the Goddess were looking down from the clouds with a smile on her face.

“She isn't that big deal you know." Someone was whispering into my ear and I jumped in fright. There was a girl with tawny curls and light brown eyes. She wore a green suit with gold seam and buttons perfectly fitting onto her body. She wasn't taller than me and she danced in place, radiated joy and happiness from her as she was smiling with all teeth.

“I think what you just said is blasphemy." I said to her as a warning but I did not know the relations between Goddesses maybe they were good friends or something.

“I'm allowed to say things like that." She patted my shoulder and danced around me.

“I guess you are lucky." I snorted when I realized what I said, she laughed up in joy and her voice was like melody, it was like warm honey to my ears. To this sound many eyes turned to our direction with raised eyebrows. I think laughing on the Square of the Seventeen Gods wasn't tolerated which seemed to be true as a huge man in armor stepped to us.

“I don't know what is soo funny but quit laughing. This is a sacred place, keep respected!" He said on deep voice. He wore a chainmail armor and a two handed broadsword on his back. The crest on his chest were a stylized flower and a sword in it.

“I understood sir." I said and bowed a little but my companion made a pirouette to him and knocked his crest.

“You are a Kite'ean Knight!" She said loudly which made that monstrous man frown. I thought he could tear a horse in half with bare hands he was looking so strong.

“I'm a Knight of the Unbeatable Kite, lady. Could you please stop poking my arm?!" He said because the Goddess started to poke his muscles all around. I did not know what she was doing and foremost: why? Making a big and strong warrior angry wasn't the way for living forever an eternal life.

“Kite is a good lad. I like him, he used to give me flowers like this. I like flowers." She turned to me suddenly and I thought she wanted some reaction from me.

“Flowers are good." I said on a low voice as the man was slowly reaching for his sword and the wrinkles on his forehead deepened. I was thinking on a spell that can bind him in place when another warrior stepped to him from the crowd and stopped his hand on the grip of the broadsword.

“Devon, easy!" That older looking and a little smaller men waved the previous one away quickly. I kept forgetting that I was with the Goddess of Luck. As I put more thought to that, she was who provoked the warrior not me, I shouldn't have been in fear.

“Lady. Forgive me in the name of Devon gar'Allen. He has short patience. I'm Captain Jonathan gar'Reven." He bowed in front of her a little. “May I know your name?" He added after he straightened his chainmail.

“Call me Felicia." She smiled at his little surprise.

“Like Gold Rattling Felicia the Goddess of the Gamblers?" He asked scratching his temple.

“Precisely." She stepped next by me and reached for my arm, folded her into mine like we were a couple or something. I was a little nervous as I didn't know what to do or what she was up to.

“Then Lady Felicia, have a good day. Young Master, it was nice to meet you." He bowed again and went back into the crowd. I sighed while Felicia led me, more likely dragged me to one of the towers through the square. I was a little behind the events so I was still digesting the fact that somehow she was attached to me. She kept going back to me and making my day insane, full with strange events. Technically from the morning, I was creating Ever Fire, to break the curse on the Wind-walker, meanwhile risking my life and the whole city, I fought with Clarissa a magic battle because she was about to kill me, to the moment I became involved in a Lion Orgy and had sex with her. These all happened with me today and the sun was still high. Now the Goddess of Luck in human form were dragging me into the tower of some God or Goddess. I was shocked so I couldn't see whom.

The ground level of every tower was a temple, full with cravings, paintings and relics of the God. That temple was almost empty only a priest was visible far ahead of us near a huge bonfire which lit up that section. That old looking man was reading a book. Despite that light source I could only see a few torches near the pillars and walls. Every torch lit up a scene so I could see a white dragon fighting with monsters, burning up villages, saving children, giving the knowledge of the fire to lions and humans.

“This is Illigna's temple! The Dragon Goddess!" I sighed and yanked the hand still dragging me further and further inside. It wasn't a sacrilege to enter different God's sacred halls but it was unusual and even made me uneasy. In the Academy we respected all of them, but there was only one who were worshiped by the Magister and Wizard; Attot the Spell Singer, the God who introduced magic to humans and taught us to understand the chemicals and elements, manipulate them to our will.

“Who dares to enter the chambers of the Goddess?" A strong male voice distracted my thoughts and made me aware of my surroundings again. His sound was almost a growl it was soo deep and ground shaking.

“My friend Ekon, how you doing?" Felicia released my hand and ran to the appearing huge lion. He had dark brown fur and almost black mane. He was as tall as me, he was probably the biggest lion I have ever seen and that muscular body made him more fearful than anything in my life before. He slowly emerged from the darkness like the forecast of the death. His eyes were in an unusual color; sometimes I saw them reddish, despite it was amber. My companion quickly jumped to him and hugged with force. They must have known each other for long time.

“Dear Kaida. Long time no see." He hugged her back with one paw. He called him Kaida which meant Little Dragon in the Language of the Ancestors. Probably he just didn't want to debunk her in front of me. I was about to say something when she pointed to me;

“He is my Eric." She said so I just nodded to the big lion who was measuring me with predatory eyes. If I thought fighting with Clarissa would be my dead sentence I revaluated my whole life; fighting with that beast in front of me would be the hardest and probably the quickest fight of my life. I would be dead after a second. “He wants to meet with my sister and hear a lot about her beforehand." I opened my mouth to reflect her words, but I changed my mind. I knew only a little about Illigna the Mother of Flames so it could be instructive.

“All right Kaida." He sighed and released Felicia meanwhile I was wondering on the name he kept calling her. She was the sister of a dragon and called Little Dragon by that priest. I almost slapped my forehead in realization that the Goddess of Luck was a Dragon Goddess just with the ability to change her form. The realization put her in a different light; 'I think I won't see her a cute young girl or a beautiful lioness anymore as she is probably the most powerful among the Gods and Goddesses by controlling the Luck itself.' I thought.

“Have fun Eric. See you soon!" Then she danced out from the temple humming an old song leaving me behind in the barely lit hall with a lion capable of punching me to million pieces without breaking a sweat. I hope she made me lucky again before she went out.

“Come with me Eric." He waved with a paw after the humming faded away completely. He led me further inside of the temple to a big carpet on the wall. It was outspreaded between two pillars and reached the thirty feet in width at least. There was a picture sewed in it by copper, silver, gold some red and dark threads. It was showing me a valley of stone and lava; an egg was formed in the middle of it. It was beautifully made, I could see even the very details of the molten ground, even the resonating air above the hot lava.

“Magnificent art." I leaned closer and let myself the expression of sighing in awe. Then I saw something that made me taken aback; The egg made from molten stone was moving! I took a quick look onto Ekon but he just waved me; I should watch what is happening. It was moving and forming a fiery bulb which became an actual egg really fast.

“The Goddess was born from the fire and the stone which covered the whole world in the beginning of time." He started to speak and touched the carpet. The egg lightened up and a small little dragon flew to the sky suddenly. It was white and leaving sparks behind her trail. I found my jaws on the ground because it wasn't the magic of the lion. It was magic sewed into the fabric of the carpet. “She was alone so she created life." He continued. Suddenly a green wave went through the whole image turning the molten ground into a valley with grass, flowers, trees and bushes. A little bunny hopped across, a deer was peeking out from the forest at the edge of the carpet. I was standing there with dropped jaws

“What happened next?" I was asking when the huge white dragon landed on the field and the animals gathered around her.

“She gave birth to the first dragon; Balaur…" He continued the story. When Illigna flew away from the field she left a big green egg behind her in the grass. The animals were sniffing curiously when the egg broke into million pieces and a little green dragon was crying to the sky as he was born. “… she made him to the reflection of herself." The time passed quickly on the carpet, the seasons chased each other till the little dragon became a huge male dragon. His wings were enormous, a big bone crown was pointing backwards on his head and he had little spikes along his jaws and cheek. There was a huge blade on his tail and he breathed fire.

“Wait a minute!" I was stopping him which surprised the big lion. “You want to tell me that the Dragons are technically Ethereal Creatures? They are actually the descendants of a Goddess?" I had to ask. Of course legends and myths often proved themselves false or barely scratching the surface of the actual truth, but what he was telling me was a little overwhelming. Sure, dragons were powerful creatures capable of incredible magic, living for thousands of years, breathing fire and playing cruel games with the minds of their opponent or prey. But there were only a few dragons hiding around the world, rarely seen by anyone.

“Yes. They are straight-line descendants of Illigna the Mother of Flames." He answered my question.

“But how? I mean Illigna is a female… there wasn't any male around… right?" I blushed and tried to gesticulate the process of the mating by giving impression of putting two pieces of something together. Ekon smiled at me as he was obviously enjoying my confusion.

“Illigna is a goddess. She can create offspring without… males around." He explained slowly. “But she had a hatchling with Da'al the Black Worm later." He continued and waved me to turn my attention back to the carpet which was still showing Balaur standing in the middle of the valley. He then flew to the sky with a smile.

“Balaur was happy with his life and the guidance of Illigna taught him how to live in harmony. Soon he was helping her bringing rain when there was drought. Making snow when the winter comes, helping the animals survive and live another day." He touched the carpet again and the images changed. The green dragon was laying on the ground next by a lake and watched his reflection in the water. Then a tear was rolling from his eye. He looked really sad about something. “After a few thousands of years he became forlorn as he was the only one from his kind. Illigna saw the solitude in his heart and wanted to help him."

Illigna came from the thin air and caressed Balaur's head. She then pushed her hand into the lake and pulled out another dragon from the water. It was a female, almost looking like the male but with softer curves and lesser spikes on her face.

“That was the way Ysay was born. She and Balaur became mates and Illigna saw that it was good. Her children weren't alone anymore. It was the dawn of the Mighty Dragon Race." He continued and made the carped suddenly blank.

“What happened?" I was stepping closer to him.

“Illigna the Mother of Flames was envy watching the two having offspring and spreading the seeds of the race through the land. Soon, hundreds of Dragons were flying on the sky and taking care of the natural laws. She was proud, of course, but she realized that she was alone and they didn't need her guidance anymore." He hung his head in sorrow and touched the carpet. A white dragon head was filling the whole textile; Illigna with sad eyes, crying silently.

“How could they do that? She is their Goddess!" I touched one of the tears but it was obviously made from threads.

“They did not forget her and often prayed her, thanked her for all they had." He kept a little pause. “But the world was rolling without her. That was when she flew off from the Sky and started her journey to find other Gods or Goddesses like her." Illigna was traveling through lightning vortexes, looking inside of volcanos, searching the deepest points of the oceans.

“That was when she found Da'al." I guessed

“You know right Master Eric." He smiled at me wide enough to let his fangs peek out from his mouth. They were sharped to spikes and there were some engravings in it. I swallowed back a big one. “She found a village full with strange dragons, they weren't her children obviously. As she landed between them, a black dragon emerged from smoke." The carped was following his words and in front of the white dragoness a black dragon flew outside from the smoke. He was like a long and thick snake with only small legs and arms, coiling and slithering continuously. He had long tentacle like whiskers going from his jowls and only small horns at the back of his head. He had no wings, despite he was flying somehow. “He introduced himself as Da'al the God of Dragons. He was born from smoke and ashes at the beginning of time."

“So Illigna was born from fire and molten stone. Da'al was born from smoke and ashes. Quite a great couple." I was laughing shortly and Ekon was laughing with me, shaking the ground with his voice.

“Indeed."

“But what about Felicia, Diana… or Kaida as you calling her? Damn she has many names. She is a Dragon God as well and the sister of Illigna."

“Fire and Smoke." He said and I raised my eyebrows. “Illigna and Da'al. They were born in the same time but on the opposite sides of the world. Illigna was the Fire that is why we call her Mother of Flames. Da'al was the Smoke; the slithering Black Worm. One can control the fire like you can wave with your hand, other can control the smoke just like that. Every God or Goddess has a special ability over an element or dominating an aspect of the reality despite they can almost do anything."

“I know that. Gods can control the Ether itself. Ethereal Magic is the top tier and we mortals can only use the Cold Fire and the Ever Fire with great costs but nothing else. We use the Source which is a distillation of the Ether and a way less powerful. Like comparing a forest fire to a candle. Some of the most powerful wizards connected to each other can cast Creational Curses which is Ethereal Magic as well, but it happened only once and they all died afterwards. It was when the Academy created the Sapphire Sea, full with life and creatures, it was a huge dried desert before." I explained him despite I knew he probably was aware of the basics of the magic. Priests use to know things like that.

“Illigna didn't know that when she was born, at the same place, there was another Dragon emerging from the Fire later on. She was small and weak at the beginning but was lucky enough to survive the first times. She was hiding behind rocks, trees and riding on the waves of the unlikely events. She was the Little Dragon, Kaida."

“So she was born right after Illigna but she didn't know she had a sister, did she?"

“First she did not." He waved to the carpet and there was the green valley again, but this time a golden flash showed me where Kaida was hiding. She helped Illigna create the first creatures by giving them enough luck to survive the creation itself. Then when the Mother of Flames gave birth to Balaur, the shell of the egg was too thick to break it through. A gold eyed bunny sniffed the egg and gave him enough luck to find the weakest spot and with a huge kick the egg flew into million pieces. Another event, when Balaur was young and tried to fly, he was almost breaking his neck, a sudden air current stud him to the ground. But a golden feathered and eyed bird was on the next by tree. As he hit the ground, the soil became loose enough to deaden the impact this way he survived.

“She was there the whole time helping Illigna!" I sighed with dropped jaw.

The carpet changed to the journey of the Goddess, she became desperate day-by-day because she wasn't able to find the other Gods. But then she saw a gold flashing light at the distance and headed to that way. That was the Dragon Village where she found Da'al, her mate.

“So despite Illigna created everything and guided her creations, Kaida was helping from the shadows the whole time. Without her help Illigna would not have been… lucky with her plans." I concluded when a Golden Dragon flew out from nowhere and landed next by Illigna. She was almost half in sizes but then they rubbed their heads to each other.

“Kaida the Gold, Sister of Illigna, the Goddess of the Luck." Ekon introduced the new arrival. “The Golden Dragon. She has not just gold eyes and scales but heart as well." He added when suddenly the whole hall started trembling. The carpet turned back to the original image about the molten valley.

“What is happening?" I asked and leaned to the pillar next by me. The fires were blazing and additional flames were emerging from the ground like the marble tiles were caught on fire without any visible reason. I did not sense any magic which could mean only one thing; someone was using the Ether to create the fires around me.

“She arrives." Ekon whispered and bowed his head. Despite the increasing amount of fire everywhere there wasn't any smoke in the hall. The orange-yellow flames slowly engulfed everything causing enough light to reach the top of the hall. There was a huge painting about a white dragoness with spread wings flying among the stars. In one of her hands there was the moon, in the other there was the sun she carrying. Suddenly the flames turned into white, making the temple swimming in more brightness then on sunlight. “This is Ever Fire!" I cried in the realization and was shaking in fear. That much Ever Fire could destroy an entire country or even half of the world!

The painting on the ceiling moved, she crawled off from the picture forming a real, alive dragoness. She was huge and her scales were shining in the light of the Ever Fire. It was Illigna the Mother of Flames taking a visit in her temple. I was gasping for air, when every carpet, every pillar, every elements of the room vanished from my eyes and I was standing in a valley of the molten stone.

2.) Dragoness Gods use to keep their secrets

I did not know what happened with me as I was standing in a temple then I somehow was transported to Gods knows where. It was a small valley surrounded by tall rocks and hills. The ground under my feet was hot and only a few steps away lava was bubbling. I caught myself on sweating my cloths because of the really warm and dry temperature. Or maybe I was sweating in fear because there was a Dragoness God in front of me standing above the flames and molten ground looking at me with red flaring eyes.

“Goddess! Please don't hurt me!" I was asking her the most obvious thing anyone would do in my shoes. I did not know what happened, where I was, why and what will happen with me. Yes, I was a little confused again by the events around me.

“Why should I spare you?" She asked, whispering right into my mind. I knew from the books that dragons had natural telepathic abilities but as I never have met with one before I did not know that it felt so strange. She had a voice of a grandmother; warm and promising safe. I dropped my jaws again. Soo often within a few minutes I was thinking about never closing my mouth again.

“I… do not know…" I said slowly, uncertainly and stepped one back. “… your sister Kaida likes me. Maybe." I gave her a reason just to show her I'm not that dumb.

“Yes the Little Dragon likes you more than you would imagine. Both of my sisters actually, which is the reason why you are here." She said slowly and walked to me in the lava. She was enormous, big as a five-story building, even the molten ground was shaking under her feet and palms.

“Who is your other sister?" I was asking as Kaida was referring her before as well. I was still cracking this nut but it was hard.

“Before I tell you, look." She waved to my right side. There was a big bulge of molten lava, almost in the shape of an egg, but when it burst, it was empty. Almost; there was some vibrating, silver-blue mist emerging.

“What is that?" I was taking a step away from the phenomenon as it could have been dangerous.

“This is the same force that created Da'al, Kaida, me and the other Gods you know. It is the Essence." She said and I was shocked. I have only read a short paragraph about the Essence which was the building blocks of the Gods. I knew nothing despite that short fact.

“But. It isn't a God, is it?" I was looking at the whirling mist. It had no form and did nothing despite fading away slowly. Then it was gone. I gasped. “What happened?"

“It was too weak to create another God, too less to thicken into something more. The Essence gone with the possibility to become something fantastic." She explained.

“I see and it is really amazing, thank you for showing me. But…" I was careful choosing my words. "… how is this connecting to your secret sister?" I finished slowly. Speaking with this enormous Goddess was really hard.

“Do you know what is a demigod?" She was asking laying onto the ground. This way her head was two-stories high. Still making my neck ache to maintain the eye contact.

“Offspring of a god and a mortal creature." I answered automatically the definition by the book.

“Exactly." She pointed to me with her claw. “But sometimes, once in a million year, if an unborn child is affected by the Essence, it can create a demigod." She waved to my left side where another bulb was emerging and bursting letting only a tiny amount of Essence out which was vanishing within seconds.

“What is this place? I know you were born here but where are we?" I turned to her again. It doesn't make any sense because the Essence was the rarest thing on the entire world and I saw it twice within minutes.

“We are in the Sky as you would call it. This is the Dragon Cradle, my Domain." I looked at her wide eyed. She brought me up to the Sky? Was I standing on the ground of the Gods? I was in shock as I looked around.

“Damn." I let myself an expression in an image of a weak sigh. She smiled at me seeing that I went white and started to shake in fear and awe. I was in the Sky.

“The Essence sometimes can leak down to the mortal world from the Domains of different Gods and Goddesses." She continued. “It did leak from the Dragon Cradle, around sixty years ago and found a pregnant lion. The fetus drank up the Essence and later she became a Demigod." She laughed up happily. "Luck has strange humor. A mortal Lion with the blood of a Dragon God."

“Clarissa!" I gasped and put my hands onto my mouth. A lioness doing famous acts, defeating foes of immerse power, killing beasts of evil magic, fighting legendary battles and surviving them with only scratches. Clarissa, one of the five lions capable of forming magic and according to the words of the Wind-walker she was extremely powerful. Suddenly it all made sense. Clarissa, Flame of the Bone Tower was a Demigod. Probably the only one in this century.

“You understand now." Illigna stood up slowly from the lava like I would do from a tub of hot water and shook herself. Fortunately, the drops of molten stones did not land on me.

“Why she keeps it as a secret?" I asked before she would vanish again. Illigna's features had changed, she was sad about something.

“When she discovered what she is actually, she fought the Battle of the Bone Tower. She lost her brothers-in-arms, she lost her best friends which broke her spirit.“ She kept a little pause. "Then, she was able to use Ever Fire and Ethereal Magic like you would cast the easiest spells. That scared her to the point she had forsaken magic for years and went to the Sacred Forest as a voluntary exile."

“But she returned and using magic again." I said quickly. I could understand why she was scared by discovering ultimate power and the fact that you have Dragon God blood in your veins despite you were born as something else. I would be scared to death in her shoes.

“Yes. She returned as the General Clarissa Blood-drinker you know. A known Sorceress and a good leader of the Brotherhood of Claws." She smiled at me but it was a sad smile. She was probably sad about that Clarissa wasn't able digest the fact fully that she was the sister of Illigna and Kaida, she was half God, half Lion. I wasn't surprised at all 'I will need a lot of time to accept that I'm traveling with a Demigod and I had sex with her twice! It would take me years to process that I'm not what I thought I was. Poor Clarissa!' I was thinking.

“I think I won't look at her on the same way again." I sighed silently then a thought came into my mind. “But why did you tell me all this? I'm just a boy on his pilgrimage from the Academy." She smiled at me and lowered her head onto my level.

“You will find out really soon." She said to me silently. I was about to beg her to tell me when Ever Fire light up the whole place and the Domain of Illigna slowly dissolved into the Temple of Illigna. She wasn't there anymore just Ekon with wide eyes was standing next by the Carpet of Creation as I was able to read the letters on the bottom now.

“What she told you, what she showed you, belongs to you. You don't have to share with anyone, you shouldn't share with anyone." He said slowly and the reddish light returned to his eyes for a fragment of a second.

3.) Silence boy!

I was slowly walking back to the tavern on the streets. Sometimes I bumped into guards and they were interested in my problem as I looked like I saw a dragon, they joked, but it just made my situation worse. I actually saw the mother of all dragons, their Goddess Illigna and she told me, the lioness I was travelling with, I had sex with, was her sister; a Demigod. I had no idea why she involved me in that secret, she was saying I will find out soon. When? The sun was going down already but I had no idea what was I supposed to do despite sitting down onto the stairs of the tavern and looking the folks running up and down the street living their simple life, not knowing that Gods and Goddess, Demigods, Legends were walking among them. Almost a month ago I was just Eric the young genius, all my teachers were seeing me the future Grand Wizard of the Academy I was so talented and enthusiasm about reading all the books and getting all the knowledge I could reach. But the last three days everything I have ever known or I believed to know was turning upside down. I had no idea what should have been my next step.

“Eric. What happened? You are looking like you were told that the stones under your feet actually made from human bones." Clarissa sat next to me with a little smile at the corner of her mouth. She was a lioness with a blood of an Ancient Dragon Goddess… but still, she was a person I could imagine as my friend. Maybe even more. I was attached to her somehow, I felt that way.

“I find…" I started and stalled at the beginning. Should I tell her that I know everything? “I saw a goddess." I finished instead. It was true and it was a shocking event itself. Her expression changed to the well-known determined, hard and ankle shaking predatory.

“Which goddess?" She asked me quickly looking around at the street expecting an attack or trouble, she was even sniffing a few into the air.

“Gold Rattling Felicia the Goddess of Gamblers. She was in the tavern last night." I answered according to the recent events. I will not tell her that she was also Diana the Lioness but her original name was Kadia the Gold, her sister. Clarissa laughed up in relief, obviously she was expecting another name. Maybe Illigna's?

“So that is the reason why you are hiding forty gold coins in your backpack recently! Not to mention they are the thickest coins with the image of Ferdinand, our king." She was even poking my back with a paw. I did not ask how she knew what kind of coins were those and how many. I was putting them away in front of six Lions with extremely sharp senses. I was sure they followed every movement of mine last night.

“Yes, she made me lucky with dice." Also with the Ever Fire and with many more events after and before. It was still a clue to me why she did that despite she told she liked me. Gods and Goddesses used to keep their distance from mortals, visiting only the priests and priestesses with the highest ranks, not average, regular boys on their Pilgrimage, travelling with demigods… all right, maybe it was the reason after all.

“I'm sure not just with dice, according to the recent orgy you just participated in. How do you know it was her?" She dropped back the question.

“Her eyes were glistering in gold and…" I sighed shortly. "…she admitted after I debunked her." I answer just the part of the whole truth. The truth I probably will never admit to Clarissa. She lost her brothers in arms, her friends during the battle where she discovered the fact she was a Demigod. I did not want to tear up those wounds and not just because it would end with my early death, but I liked her much. She always seemed strong and like a stone wall. I respected her more than that; She was My Lioness to me.

“So you debunked a goddess? Wow Eric, you are indeed a fantastic Sorcerer!" She patted my shoulder

“Well, she made me lucky so it was her fault after all." I smiled and we both laughed up happily.

“Come on, the diner is almost ready and if you made yourself over the events, you can get a quick blowjob before we continue our mission." She purred the middle of the sentence which ignited my blood. When she licked my ear highlighting her words I was rock hard in my pants. I asked the Goddess of Luck for help again to be able stand up without anyone noticing it.

The dinner was still under preparation when we were asking the cook, so Clarissa thought she will show me something before we can finally eat. She led me to her room which was empty as the rest of the gang was down in the tavern waiting for something to consume. I was unsure about Clarissa's plans with me in an empty room. Maybe she wanted some quick round of love making before the diner? Or about to give that blowjob she was talking?

“I will start your teaching now." She answered my unspoken question. Oh! I made a surprised face as I did not expect a lesson about magic despite she dropped hints that she will teach me.

“All right. How will we start?" I folded my arms and leaned my back to the wall behind me.

“I show you a spell, you will tell me what it was and then, with my guide, you will repeat it." She took a short pause while she measured me from toe to top. It did not sound too complicated. “You made Ever Fire so I think you can handle some High Tier Spell with my help." She added.

“Wait! High Tier Spells? I'm too young to go mad, rot alive or burst in flames." I was protesting but she just smiled.

“I can Silence you if I see that you are using too much Source." She walked to me and poked my stomach with her nose gently.

“All right. Amaze me my legendary lioness!" I smiled at her and caressed her cheek. If she wasn't about to kill me and eat me, she was cute.

Suddenly her eyes flared up with bluish light and the whole room was trembling. I quickly stepped away from the wall as it was moving as well. Every aspect of the place was waving, turning, making new shapes and forms. Then she exhaled loudly and the room's size was growing fast. It wasn't just in my mind it really happened. Clarissa was crumpling the fabric of the reality and bending around her will. She was indeed extremely powerful as she was doing with fatigue like I would straighten my shirt.

“Reality Bending?" I was gasping for air. I have read a few books about reality bending and it wasn't the easiest spell on the list of the Higher Tier's. I was expecting some Transmutation or Illusion, not shaping the layer of reality on my first day.

“Yes." She said and inhaled deeply. The room was quickly changing back to normal. “You did it before as it is a part of creating Ever Fire; You have to take a slice of reality from the fabric of universe and sew it into the other ingredients."

“Yes but I was…" I started but she waved me to stop.

“Do not start a debate, just try it. Gather as much Source as you are able to then use what you learned. It is hard only for the first time." She said and I swallowed back a laugh. Shaping reality was easy only for a battle-hardened Demigod, but I was just a meek mortal being. Of course I had no choice, I had to try something impossible. I sighed as I thought that day just kept slapping me to go on like a carter would do with a tired donkey. I reached out for the Source and kept sucking up more and more till my bones were shaking under the amount. I was sure I was fully filled and just another drop would cause catastrophe.

“Strange." Clarissa whispered under her nose. “I was expecting that you will use more Source than this." She took one step closer.

“That is all I can do." I was shaking under the muffled power in my body and soul. It was waiting to gain meaning, to make a form.

“I think you can do more." She was speaking easily. I almost laughed again up but I was afraid that with Source inside me the laugh would burst out as an uncontrolled magic. “Try gathering more Source. I prepared the spell to Silence you instantly."

“All Gods, help me." I sighed but wasn't about to start a debate with the most powerful being in the tavern. I felt myself full already and I was connected to the Source so it wasn't a hard task to sip up just one more drop tentatively. Nothing happened, I did not feel myself less good or bad so I repeated and just kept going.

“That is what I'm talking about. You stopped because you felt yourself full, but your threshold is far above that. If you feel you can't gather more, you can almost twice than what you did already." She was teaching me for the fine art of the magic. To the things the book won't tell you, just someone with decades of experience.

“It is a really odd feeling." I let myself an expression. I was still drinking the Source, but the light in my bones remained as bright as it was before.

“Now, do the magic, but stay connected to the Source and keep gathering it." She waved me to act promptly. Bending the Reality takes more than just a few magic words and motions with your hand and fingers. Sure they help you going into a state of mind, because everything is happening inside of your head. Thoughts can form the reality, memories can shape the matter, feelings can bend the time. The basics of the magic wasn't helping me much, merely preparing me to discover the Higher Tier Spells.

I was concentrating onto the desk in front of me and I wanted that desk to extend its dimensions just like Clarissa did with the room. I wasn't dare to start with a whole room, it could lead to really bad things easily. As I was trying and trying suddenly I made the realization; not the magic was important but the thoughts of the caster. I literally put my thoughts into the table with the command to grow, meanwhile stay on the same size. I know it sounds confusing, but magic is something that hard to describe for non-Wizards.

The table did what I asked, commanded but there was a problem. The Source inside me started blazing and boiling or at least I felt that way. The light in my bones were disappearing quickly but I was still connected and the gate had been blown up by the incredible force of the magic I was doing. It demanded more and more, like I would have been filling a bottomless pit with water. I wasn't a caster anymore just a gateway for the uncontrollable spell.

“Silence" Clarissa whispered and I felt her magic penetrating my body, my mind and separating me from the Source, by creating a wall between me and it. The waves of the Source faded away, my bones been lit up for a second with extra bright blue light before nothing remained but the barricade she raised. That was the moment when I first felt the problem; The magic was still ongoing but without the Source it started to suck out the life from me. I fell to my knees in panic. 'It will kill me! Kaida, Clarissa help me!" I was crying with my mind as I couldn't open my mouth.

“Stop it!" I gathered all my strength and cried. It was like a blink of warmness which exploded into my chest, every light turned to gold for a second, but the explosion separated me from the magic I was doing so I could collapse to the ground while the world was slowly drifting away from my eyes. The last thing I saw was Clarissa opening her jaws wide in front of me and the feeling of her fangs pressing against my face. Was it a mercy killing because I used more Source than I was capable of?

Everything slipped into the darkness.

4.) Just one bloody lioness can make you scream

I was laying on a comfy bed when I regained my consciousness which was a surprise; The last memory wasn't forecasting long life for me. Clarissa was biting my face with her enormous fangs and incredibly powerful jaws. Sitting up wasn't on the table yet as I felt myself sick. Maybe I was.

“Fluffy kitten." I was croaking like a dying man would do the first thing came into my mind; I was able to speak. It was a good omen.

“You shouldn't call me that." Clarissa was next by me, her body was warming mine, but in that poor condition I did not realize her presence just then.

“What happened?" I asked as she licked my face. I knew what happened till the point she bit into my face. Or at least she was about to.

“You did something that I wasn't expecting from you. It was a mistake of course, but the biggest surprise, you were able to stop it without my help." She said but probably she saw my uncomprehending face so she continued. “I Silenced you so every magic you were doing should have been stopped because there wasn't anything to feed them. Your magic did not stop, it was still ongoing and when I realized why, it was a little too late to explain you the basics of Ritual Magic." She explained. I had encountered a book a few years ago about Ritual Magic. It was the kind what you could do without connecting to the Source. Technically everyone was able to learn. The problem was with the power source; you have to use the energy of the life. So if you use your own life energy, you should stay with the Lowest Tier Spells as they were consuming just a little amount. Even Middle Tier Spells would kill the caster of the Ritual Magic within a minute and I was somehow using it for one of the Highest Tier Spells. It was a miracle that I was able to tolerate it for that long and survive.

“I thought I will die. Did you bite off my face?" I was still speaking on a low tone like I would have been on my dead bed. Clarissa smiled and even laughed a little.

“Your face is fine. You stopped breathing after you landed on the ground so I exhaled some air into your lungs with my maw on yours."

“You kissed me back to life." I commented and she laughed up louder that time.

“You are soo romantic. Which surprised me greatly was the way you separated yourself from the spell before I could do by myself." She was frowning and looking onto my face, expecting some explanation but I was more clueless than her. “You were using some kind of magic instinctively despite the fact that you weren't connected to the Source at the moment." She kept a little pause. “With Ritual Magic you can cast and maintain only one spell at the time. It is the laws of the nature that you cannot cast anything meanwhile you hold one. But somehow you did. So. What was that?" She was still frowning as she was about to crack this hard nut.

“I do not know." I sighed and reached for the glass next by me on the table. It was only a small one but I felt it heavy like a whole barrel.

“It wasn't the Source, wasn't Ritual Magic." She was even growling and rubbing her jowls with one paw, looking something at the distance with eyes like a slit. Then suddenly she jumped up and looked at me thoroughly, totally taken aback, like I was suddenly turning into a dragon. I almost choked on the water she surprised me so much. “No, that cannot be! It is not possible!" She was protesting against a thought.

“What? What is happened? If you will eat me now…" I couldn't finish as she stood above me and leaned close to my face, sniffing it all around.

“Despite the Source and the Ritual Magic, do you know anything else capable to form a Spell?" She was asking the tricky question. I was still tired so my brain was slow to assemble her words and interpret them, but when it did I was taken aback too.

“Ether." I sighed into her mouth. “But no one can use Ether except the Gods and their beasts." I told her what I learned in the Academy. She proved me that the books and the curriculum wasn't everything. They were just a good start so anything can happen under the right circumstances. She snorted right into my face like I was wrong about what I just said. Then her features have eased slowly.

“You were probably just lucky." She slowly straightened up herself to standing, shaking her head with slow and long movements. “Maybe it was the Goddess you just met despite Gods use to stay away from mortals. But you probably cannot use Ether, you are just a mortal human."

“I do not even understand what it is."

“No one can understand except the Gods." She sighed in relief. “I will bring you some food. After you almost killed yourself you might be hungry." Then without further ado, she jumped off from my bed and went away. I couldn't even follow her movements with my tired eyes. Ever Fire was an Ethereal Spell I managed to create and maintain for fairly long time without any side effects. I thought it was the trick of Kaida the Gold that she made me extremely lucky. What if it wasn't? What if somehow I found a way to reach out for the Ether and use it to cast spells? I laughed up shortly. Even the Lowest Tier spells would act like a Top Tier with Ether. So obviously I was just lucky that time and during the recent events as well. It should have been the case as it was the most logical explanation. I wasn't a God!

Clarissa returned and her mode was better while she handed over a tray with a bowl, a slice of bread and a coup of wine. I got some soup with chicken meat and vegetables, it was steaming from the container decorated with paintings of flowers, small chickens. Then she helped me sat up, she even offered her help using the spoon but I did not let her take away my remained dignity, despite I felt like the spoon would have been made from lead. The food was delicious, just after the first bite I realized how hungry I was. It didn't take more than three minutes to empty the bowl and I was asking for more.

“You will regain your strength quickly." She commented the havoc I made on the tray. Drops of soup, bones of a chicken and crumbles were everywhere. “I have to find The Monk and speak with him. He has something we will need."

“What about Pa'adre al'Escon?" I was asking.

“He…" She stopped and made a grimace. “He is a hard case, but I will find something to convince him." She finished quickly. That meant she already tried but did not earn any success.

“What about the Wind-walker?" I continued, she looked at me with a frown.

“Him." She growled. “I was surprised that you made him join our forces. But he is an old, stubborn, grumpy…" She looked for more adjective.

“Then why do you want him so badly?" I used the little pause to interject. She was looking at me like I should have known that already, then probably realized that she wasn't talking much about her plans to me.

“He knows Ximminth's hideout and how to enter it without being caught."

“Whose hideout?" It was the oddest name I have ever heard.

“You will see. But I will need the Wind-walker till we find him. Then…" She left open the sentence and the well-known monster, the predator was peeking out from her eyes for a moment. I thought the Wind-walker will be in some deep trouble after he fulfilled Clarissa's plans. Maybe I should warn him, but then my lioness would bite off my most beloved parts and chew on them with gusto meanwhile I would be screaming on high pitch.

“May I come with you to The Monk?" I felt myself better already, maybe some walking would be healthy.

“If you can walk you may. I hope your luck is till with you." She smiled.

“Maybe we can test it somehow." I started tentatively.

“What is in your mind?"

“Well… If I'm still lucky then I can tell you; suck my dick. And you won't kill me or bite it off." My heart was beating faster and faster by the thought. She sucked on my cock only once and it was fantastic. The second time I had been fellated was rather inconvenient as I was technically pinned and raped by Henrietta.

“If you are lucky, then I would suck you off. If you are not, there are two possible outcomes…" She grabbed the blanket on me, which had a bulge already near at my hip and tossed it away."… number one is that I will suck you off, then have my bite." She clicked her teeth together. "You know I like to see in the eyes of my prey that it is having a good time when I tear off the organ giving him pleasure, right in the exact moment of the orgasm. Oh that look on their face… “She started drooling onto my hip meanwhile she aligned herself between my legs. To her words my cock was already smaller and limper. “The second bad outcome would be that I just bite this off without a single warning and continue my feast there." She poked my penis tentatively then made a sweeping motion up till my throat. I swallowed a big one.

“Am I lucky?" I asked and held back my breath. According to the events followed by my question, I wasn't. The door slammed open by a lioness soaking in blood and Gods-know-what fluids. Clarissa growled up in ager and jumped to her. I couldn't even recognize who was that under that amount of red.

“What happened with you?" My lionesses asked the newcomer.

“Not my blood and I did not break the rules of the city. I just… “She sighed. “…was a little too vehement eating that horse." She looked ashamed but I was still terrified by that blood-soaked monster in the doorstep.

“You should have gone straight down to the bathroom and clean yourself. You are leaving mess all over the place!" Clarissa was waving around, big paw-formed, red colored blotches were behind the sudden lioness.

“Forgive me General. I deserve punishment!" She hung her head ready for the attacking claws or teeth. My lioness was turning to me and I saw in her eyes she was up to something that involved me somehow. I felt myself uneasy under that predatory look, it did not promise joy and fun and I did not know if it meant me, or the surprise guest.

“I punish you Julia." She turned back to the lioness. Oh! So she was Julia the youngest member of the Brotherhood of Claws. She was only nine years old, but a lion was considered adult from age eight. So She was almost as old as me but in 'Lion Time'. “You will have some dessert." She told her and peaked back at me. I swallowed a big one.

“What is your wish?" Julia did not understand too.

“Go to Eric and lay down between his legs." She made it simple.

“Wait, what?" I quickly pulled up the sheets like it would have been a shield.

“You wanted to test your luck. Well, Julia will help you." She smiled at me with all teeth while the mentioned lioness was slowly walking up to my bed and laying between my spread open legs pulling off the sheets covering me. She was soaking in blood which made her the most frightening thing in the room and probably in my whole life. The fact that I was naked made the situation worse. I did not even want her to touch my tiptoe with her whisker, not to mention other activities what adults use to practice among sheets.

“What should I do now General? I'm full, I don't think I could eat him now, maybe just a few bites." She admitted to Clarissa and looked at my limp member when she said 'a few bites'. I thought I felt myself good enough for some magic and I slowly reached out for the Source.

“Eric!" Clarissa's commanding voice and the reproachful look was enough to release the Source, but she made it sure I won't use it; Her eyes flared up in blue and she Silenced me. I was edging panic when she took away my only weapon against a lioness about to eat me. “Julia, you will take his penis into your mouth." She gave the command to the lioness who did accordingly within a second. She leaned to my cock, opened her maw wide enough and enclosed it with her incisors. I was holding my breath but she did nothing despite holding and waiting for the next command. She looked up with the question in her eyes 'what is next?' The view of a blood soaked lioness holding your precious member inside of her deadly mouth, laying between your legs was a life altering experience. “Now, extend your tongue out under his shaft, till you reach his balls." Came the next command. Julia did not hesitate to obey. The problem was with the warm and moist environment and the reflex of my body. I got an erection while the saliva soaked tongue of that predator slowly moved down on my entire length.

“Clarissa please don't do that." I was begging her, but she did not listen. “I would gladly let you eat me alive because I like you a lot. But don't make her do the same!" I continued.

“So would you let me eat you?" She came closer with fluttering tail.

“Yes, take your bite before she does." I showed my throat to her and in that moment I meant it. Killed by a Demigod, a beautiful and fearful General, my first lioness is better than slowly eaten by a young predator covered in blood. Clarissa stood next to me and licked my offered neck with lust.

“Yummy." She commented after the third lick. Her raspy tongue made my skin ache. I was in an unimaginable situation; One lioness was holding my cock between her fangs, another was licking my neck. Clarissa opened her jaws slowly and showed me her teeth. I was ready to feel them penetrating my skin in the next second. She lowered them to my neck.

“I just want to say I'm happy that I met you." I confessed her suddenly but it did not stop her to press those four pointy weapon onto the sides of my neck. I was done with everything, Silenced and cornered by predators, Demigods, warriors, killers. Closing my eyes, I was ready to die.

“Suck Julia." She told her and the suction made my eyes popped open, the moving tongue made me moan in pleasure. She wasn't that good, she was too vehement, used a little too much force. My vision was engulfed by Clarissa's head as she grabbed me with her paws, pulled me closer to her and kissed me on my mouth. She pushed her tongue inside and I did the same; licked her incisors and fangs, massaged her tongue with mine, like we were fighting to occupy the other's mouth.

“Why are you keep doing this?" I was asking gasping for air when she released me. “You just keep making me believe that you will hurt me, eat me, kill me."

“You are funny when you are afraid." She licked my mouth and looked down to Julia working on my cock. “How is she doing?"

“She is about to suck off my cock from my groin." I admitted that she really tried to end this strange punishment but not on the way I would prefer.

“That would be a shame as I have plans with your cock later." She licked me again. “Julia dear, don't rush him." Then she put a paw onto her head.

“Oh it is better." I commented when the lioness slowed down and lowered the suction force as well. It was way better. She slurped loudly, the sheets under me were soaking in her saliva.

“I'm wondering If I would push her head down, would she bite off your penis?" It was Clarissa again caressing Julia's head. According to the fact that her chin was pressed to the bed I was sure about I would lose my beloved organ. “Let's give it a try." She told me and whispered something into the lioness's ear, pushed her head down.

“Fuck!" I cried as I felt she quickly pulled back her tongue into her mouth and the incisors pressing tightly around the base of my cock. It was just a little painful.

“And again!" Clarissa trilled playfully repeating the movement. That time I almost heard the clicking teeth, the pain was almost severing. I was sure that will leave a mark. “All right Julia, keep sucking. Oh Eric, the look on your face was hilarious." She came back to me and kissed me again when I was about to say something not too nice.

“I love you." I whispered into her mouth when she let me breath for a second. The culminating pleasure washed over the pain as Julia was sucking like she won't stop ever again. Her rough tongue only touched the last quarter of my shaft, the first few inches was massaged by the soft part and she even rubbed it to her palate. The moving jaws where making the pressure around my whole penis when she sucked it rhythmically.

“Even when I'm threating you losing your manhood?" She asked back in an unexpected moment. I started to feel every little bump of the tongue enveloping my cock, every ridge of the palate of her mouth and every time she sucked on, the pleasure was echoing around my groin, making the muscles of my pelvis tense up more and more. I was close to the end.

“I'm sure you will mutilate me and eat me one day. But I still love you." I grabbed her head and pulled close to myself exchanging a deep and wet kiss. I filled her mouth with my tongue in the moment when I filled another mouth with my semen. I couldn't roar up in pleasure just moan in Clarissa's muzzle. The slurping became more vigorous while I humped that deadly cavern of that blood soaked lioness, she probably enjoyed that little dessert I was offering her. I hoped she won't take another bite of dessert with it.

“This is all Julia." Clarissa released me and I collapsed back to the bed as Julia was still sucking, probably my balls out through my cock. My pelvis muscles were tensed painfully, I almost fainted. There was a thing called too much pleasure, no matter the books told me the opposite. It was a big relief when the attack on my super-sensitive penis disappeared with the bloody lioness, who went out from the room to clean herself up.

“You know Clarissa, the life with a group of lion as the only human is really interesting and eventful. The sex with you guys is something worth staying despite all the predatory shit you keep throwing at me. I like you all and love you" I confessed sighing and looking at the amber eyes of my companion while she was caressing my stomach.

“Post-coital confess." She laughed shortly. “I won't hurt you seriously you have to know that. I promise that. Scratches, little bite marks could happen if you are living with Lions, but you are a wonderful wizard and really nice boy, I like you much."

“You know since we met a huge part of my life is having sex with different lionesses. Julia was the fifth in the last three days. I still find it hard to believe that you let me have sex with you, the General, the Flame of the Bone Tower. How? Why?" I was in the mood for the confessions and questions I kept asking from myself. Maybe Clarissa possess the answers and will be so nice to share with me. She poked my limp and tortured cock with a smile.

“We are Lions." She told me like it was the answer for everything, but she continued thankfully. “We like to have sex often, pleasuring each other anytime someone needs it. It is the part of our nature, this is a reason why those prude Copperhill humans find us disgusting." She made a grimace which told me she did not like them too.

“But I'm not a Lion." I pointed to the fact which was brighter than the sun.

“Human penis is a thing we like to play with." She grabbed my shrink member with a paw. “It is a good feeling to munch on it. It can give us great pleasure inside of our pussy. So technically it is more fun to have sex with humans than with lions."

“Really?" I looked at her with wide eyes.

“Absolutely. Human males can give us more pleasure than Lion males. Maybe it is a joke of the Gods." She shrugged and licked the head of my cock, it caused me shiver because of the sudden pleasure.

“By saying 'munching on it' you mean sucking, right?" I asked tentatively. She looked at me with unreadable eyes. Probably the horror on my face made her laugh up loudly.

“Yes. Sucking on it somehow soothe us. Lion penis doesn't have this effect. I don't understand either, but it is a well-known fact; we like to suck on cylindrical things and the size, the form of your cock is perfectly fitting in our mouth." She giggled shortly. “Also we use to start our feast on the genitals of our prey."

“This is what I'm talking about! First you are speaking about the pleasure of sucking off humans, then you switch to the topic of eating human genitals." I was complaining about it despite I knew this duality of the lions from the books and I experienced it in the last few days as well.

“You have to make yourself use to it. It is in our nature. I will suck you off, make you feel more pleasure than ever in your life, then threaten you to eat you alive. I will have sex with you for minutes till you collapse in exhaustion and then whisper the way of torturing humans into your ears. It is us, we are Lions, predators, killers. But it doesn't mean that I will do these terrible things with you too. Yes, I will play with the thought, even make little games of it before, during, after we had sex." She was explaining me, smiling continuously.

“Then how should I know that you won't make those games serious and real?"

“Because if a Lion promises you something, that Lion will keep its word even if it dies by doing that." She looked into my eyes seriously highlighting that she promised me she won't do severe harm on me, so I could take that guaranteed.

5.) Bad neighbors, worse priests, shining blades

After I gathered all my strength by laying on the bed and talking with Clarissa about the nature of Lions and stuffs, I dressed up and went outside of the tavern. The Brotherhood of Claws were getting the chariots ready to depart, filling it with food, equipment for the road. It turned out that I was unconscious for two days and lucky that I was alive after I almost killed myself with the Ritual Magic. When I mentioned to my lioness, she told me that the chance of using that kind of stuff by instincts was around one in a million. Ritual Magic as the name suggests is something that you have to learn before you could use it. I have just read a few pages about the basics back in the Academy and I did not even understand how I switched Source Magic to Ritual Magic when Claudia Silenced me. Maybe she was right and I was a talented Wizard which will lead to the Top of the Tower of Magister as a Grand Wizard sooner than I would imagine.

“Where are we going?" I asked when she took an alleyway opening from the main street. We were about to find some Monk, but she did not tell me what kind of monk.

“There is a little monastery at the edge of the city. There are the priests of Ro'oe the Cruel, they will tell us where is The Monk currently." She told me turning left on a corner. She must have known the secrets of that city because she led me with determination like she exactly knew the little hidden paths.

“Ro'oe the Cruel is the God of the Assassins, Poisonous and Venomous Creatures, diseases and ill." I recalled the knowledge about the Gods. “Are you sure it is a good idea?"

“Only The Monk can make a really special sleeping potion." She barked to me while we took some long stairs downwards to a narrow street. We were near at the great white walls, but the part of the city looked bad with dirty walls and a few suspicious looking men waiting in the corners of the doorways.

“Are you having trouble sleeping?" I guessed.

“I am, but it will not for me." She stopped and looked around. “Damn I was here twenty years ago, a lot changed." She told probably to herself. Then she continued. “He can make a potion capable of rendering a dragon unconscious for hours." I dropped my jaw. It was a common fact that dragons could dismantle almost any kind of attacking magic in air and cannot be poisoned by the strongest decoction alchemists know. So if the Monk figured out something that can knock out a dragon, it could be an amazing discovery in the topic of Alchemy. I was about to ask why she wanted to make a dragon forcefully fall asleep and foremost; where she would find that one, as they were hiding deep underground, in huge caves and secret, hard to reach places, when she found the way and hurried me to follow.

She led me into a simple wooden house attached to the great wall next by to it, it had two levels and a small yard was next by with a handful of chickens scratching the mud for bugs and worms. It did not look anything like a monastery for priest it was hardly called as a home for a family. But if Clarissa thought we were on the right place she probably knew more than Me about the followers of Ro'oe the Cruel.

“Who is there?" A man in black robe shouted out from the window on the second level. He looked older with grey beard and hoarse voice.

“It is General Clarissa Blood-drinker. I'm looking for Priest Matthias." She answered the question.

“Why are you looking for him?" The old man dropped back.

“I need to know where is The Monk." I was surprised that she was honest with that stranger. I would expect some secrecy and half-truths not the complete honesty. “The reason is what I will keep from you." She said after a little pause. That was better!

“Matthias is in the monastery at the garden of the blue flowers." He was about to close the windows and disappear.

“That small, old, worn building made from stones, haven't used for a decade at least?" Clarissa was frowning, probably it wasn't expected by her.

“Yes, that one. Be careful, evil spirits are haunting that monastery." He used a strange intonation like he was warning us for a completely different threat he just said. Probably my lioness was thinking the same as she looked at me with an even deeper frown.

The mentioned garden was huge and neglected, not far from the house we just visited. It seemed that even in the City of the Gods there were dark places captured by the decay. The trees were destroyed by disease, the blue flowers only grew on small spots, the green grass were worn and small yellow spots told us it was attacked by lice. There wasn't a single soul near or far which made me uneasy. When Clarissa led me to the monastery that feeling just deepened. It was a tall stone building but not bigger than the tavern we spent our days. The stones were crannied, the door was hanging on one hinge, all the windows were broken. There were at least twenty steep stepping stones leading to the elevated ground floor.

“Are you sure about this?" I had to ask but she just took a deep breath. Obviously she was expecting something else too.

“I have to speak with him. It isn't necessary but without his help, we could lose too much." She made herself firm again and determined. I knew that was the armor of her soul which she hoists before the battle or hard tasks when she must have done things normally she wouldn't.

“I hope the Gods will help us." I whispered shortly and followed the big predator hunting for information.

Stepping inside of the house wasn't making me less tense as it was barely lit by the rays coming from the rising sun. The architects did not make much room for natural lights but there was at least ten torch-holder right on the wall next by the door. The priests of Ro'oe the Cruel seemingly had a crush on dark and forlorn places. The floor was full with splinters from something wood. I hoped it wasn't from the worn crossbeams above us. They looked like they will fall in any minute. There was a broken desk next by the remains of a couple of chairs. Overall the place looked abandoned for very long time.

“I smell smoke." Clarissa whispered to me and we went further inside. If there was smoke, there was someone using fire. I could barely make out the doorframe in front of us, lions had perfect night vision but humans can reach the end of the ability to see really soon. I trusted in my lioness that she will use some magic saving me when I will break my neck by tripping on something. The luck probably had forsaken me as the doorframe led to a cellar. Pitch black and stairs are the perfect combination for accidents. Deadly accidents. I sighed in relief when a light source was brightening up the bottom of the stairs.

“There is someone." I whispered really quietly but Clarissa just nodded to go. I grabbed the wooden rail next by the steps but it crumbled in my hand so there won't be anything to stop me in case I fall… just the ground at the bottom. I miss you Kaida really much!

We reached the end of the stairs without problems, I only slipped once on a worn stone but I managed to keep my balance. It was a wine cellar in the same condition as the upper level. The remains of the barrels, desks and chairs were all over the place, but someone brought torches and lit them probably recently. They were stuck tightly into the rust eaten holders near the walls.

“Who is that?" I pointed to a man was sitting, leaning onto a barrel which somehow was in a really good shape. Not like the man who had some shining liquid plash under him and was remarkably motionless.

“It is him." Clarissa growled up while I went to the man. The hope was weak that I find any life sign which would have led to the outcome, he can be saved with the information he possessed. Stepped over a little pile of wood, I was there. He had a wound on his chest near at his heart, he was stabbed by someone.

I felt movement behind me but I wasn't fast enough. Someone grabbed me and squeezed a blade to my neck. I couldn't see much about my attacker but I was sure only because Clarissa he did not finish the slashing move. If he would have killed me instantly my lioness would have no reason to keep him alive. Knowing her, she would have just torture him to death. Probably it was the same thought-flow of the attacker who reached to my pocket and pulled out my little purse of golds. So he was a robber! Probably that was the reason why he hid his face behind a hood.

“I can turn you to into a piece of wood if you won't release him!" Clarissa shouted at him and stood into the fighting stance.

6.) Ethereal Magic for beginners

“Touch the Source and the boy will die." The man in the hood pushed the knife tighter to my skin and a thin stream of blood ran down on my neck.

“I do not need the Source to kill you." Clarissa told him silently, her facial expression changed from frightened to the well-known determined again. She was looking at him with a gaze I have never seen from her. She was the Flame of the Bone Tower in that moment, ready to kill even the monsters sent by the Gods not to mention a simple man with a knife.

“One step and I slit his throat open!" The attacker cried again, clearly losing his mind because the events wasn't following his plan. He just wanted to rob us from our money and equipment as he did with the Priest but he made a terrible mistake by confronting with a Demigod.

“I do not need to step closer either." She said slowly on a voice of an upcoming storm. I swallowed a big one as she was looking only in my direction but I felt the air vibrating and heating up. Then her eyes flared up in 'white' color and the whole building had been blasted into million pieces in the next second. I did not feel magic around me, she was using… she was using the Ether! She debunked herself in front of me, revealed her Demigod being just to save my life from that probable follower of Ro'oe the Cruel. The huge stones which were created the long abandoned monastery weren't continuing their path, they just stopped midair. The ground was shaking; storm clouds were gathering on the sky meanwhile lighting struck on a hundred places everywhere near us. She had vast power using Ethereal Magic. I looked at her in awe as she started to brightening up the cellar with silver light. She looked almighty and magnificent in that moment.

“Forgive me!" The robber dropped his knife away and threw himself down to the ground a few steps away from me, like he was praying. “I did not know that you are a Goddess!" He was in shock and desperate. I understood why.

“I'm your worst nightmare." She told him which was obviously confusing considering that she was an angry lioness Demigod. So she shouldn't have highlight it more. The robber slowly levitated away from the ground and was shaking in fear. Clarissa did not stop by making that man peeing himself. She wanted to punish him badly. Suddenly the air around him were resonating and pieces of skin and flesh were floating away from that poor bastard. He just cried in pain meanwhile I did not know if I should puke or turn around and run. Maybe both?

“Stop it!" I cried to her and she looked at me like she did not realize I was still there just then. Clarissa the Flame of the Bone Tower, the Half-Dragon Goddess was pissed off badly to the point she only wanted to make someone suffer. She saw me, but she wasn't about to listen to me. I thought I should do something against torturing someone to death in that way. The robber's cloths were torn apart already and little pieces of his own blood and flesh were floating around him in extending amount. She was slowly dismantling him piece by piece. I realized that I was Silenced, probably by Clarissa or by the Ether culminating around us. But I had to do something!

“I will stop you!" I cried to her again and she cooked her head. Yep! I wasn't believing me either, but there was a slight chance, a weak hope like a single thread. Extending my arms to her like I was about to grab a ball I reached out for something else than the Source to create the most powerful magic I knew. The lights around me turned to gold and sudden warmness were filling my bones. I only had to think about creating Ever Fire and it was in my palms. Clarissa dropped her jaw, just like she dropped the heavily mutilated robber.

“You are using Ether!" She commented the events. I started to shake and tremble. Red blotches were floating in my vision and my skin started to blistering on my arms and I felt them on my face as well. Side effects of using Ever Fire. Side effects of touching Ether, the source of the power of the gods. Side effects of my stupidity!

“I won't let you torture anyone!" I pulled myself together and oriented my thoughts back to the act I was doing. The lights were made from pure gold, the warmness inside my bones increased greatly and the pain faded away. My skin which was blistered a moment ago were shining in gold as well. I was using the Ether, the side effects were vanished and maintaining the Ever Fire wasn't hard anymore.

“Noted." Clarissa sighed and walked to me, crossing over the still alive robber pulling himself into a shaking ball of misery. “The only rational explanation to this… “She sighed again looking in my eyes. “… you are like me." She finished on a low voice meanwhile the stones flew back to their original place, the storm faded away and everything returned to normal. Except me, still keeping a ball of Ever Fire in my hand, still using the power I shouldn't have been able to touch. “Except your eyes are gold, not white." She noted silently.

“Am I a Demigod?" I asked and my body started to tremble like before. That time the reason was that it made sense; I was often visited by Gods, they even helped me. Illigna told me that she revealed the truth about Clarissa because of a reason I will figure out by myself. The pieces of the questions of my life clicked together, formed the picture; I did not know my parents as I was found in the doorstep of an orphanage. They probably threw me away because I born to become something different. I was learning fast and was smarter and luckier than anyone I have ever met before. Reaching out for the Source took me longer indeed, but maybe just because I looked for a different driving force for magic by instinct. Right after I discovered I was able to do it, only three days later I was creating Ever Fire, I countered Clarissa's spells and made the Reality Bending without beforehand experience. It all made sense in that moment.

“Yes. You are." Clarissa reached me and she wasn't using the Ether anymore. Looked at me with the understanding in her eyes. She knew how shocking could be that realization, how it could alter your whole life by giving it new meaning. I wasn't angry or frightened anymore. The Ever Fire faded away and the Ether slowly flew out from my hand. I tried to grasp on it but I wasn't able. The lights lost their shining gold tones, the warmness gone cold and I was trembling again. I quickly lunged forward and hugged Clarissa's neck with force. She hugged me back with a paw and slowly caressed me while she purred.

“Everything will be all right." She whispered into my ears. I didn't want to believe her but somehow she soothed me.

I was a Demigod. In that moment I set the goal to meet with Illigna again and scold her to the ground for what she did to me; She knew that I wasn't just a lucky wizard but she did not tell me! I will have some serous conversion with the Mother of Flames!

7.) It will stay inside the family

I was sitting on the bottom stepping stone of the monastery looking the dried grass in front of me while the thoughts were chasing each other in my head. Illigna told me how the Essence can leak out from the Sky and create a Demigod despite it was born from mortals. Clarissa was one quite impressive example of that. She just sat next to me and kept caressing my back. We didn't exchange a single word for Gods knows how long. I was still under the effects of the fact that I was a Demigod somehow.

“It took me five years to accept I have Ancient Dragon God blood in my veins. I'm a Demigod." She told me quietly and licked my cheek. “I don't know how much time you will need, but don't rush it. It isn't something small." I almost laughed up but it faded away before it could have reach the surface. My whole life seemed to be a lie from that perspective. Of course it wasn't like a flu, she shouldn't have highlight that it was a heavy secret. I was an eighteen years old Demigod from the Academy of Iceland.

“Sure." I just sighed instead.

“Don't worry that you will destroy a whole city by accident. You can use Ether only when you are seriously afraid or angry. We are not Gods playing with this force like a cub with a leaf. Which is good you have to admit." She continued. Also it made sense again; I was afraid that I will die when that warmness filled me and the gold shining lights appeared first time. I was really angry when I used recently. Also I was terrified when I created the Ever Fire in front of the Wind-walker.

“Illigna brought me up to the Sky and told me how a Demigod can be born from mortals." I admitted suddenly which made Clarissa stop caressing my back.

“That explains me a lot. She visited me after my discovery and told me everything. The little story that because the Essence was leaked from her Domain, she is my older Sister." She snorted like it would have been something she was still munching on. I understood her in that moment more than ever before.

“And Kaida?"

“So you know her real name. She is my sister too. Yes, I have two Goddess sisters. One dragon and one shape-shifting."

“Kaida is a Dragon Goddess too." I interjected, but I don't know why.

“I know that. She is the Goddess of Luck in every religion but in different forms and with different names." She continued caressing my back, I wouldn't have admitted to her but I needed that piece of intimacy, it made me not crying in despair.

“Despite shouting Illigna's head off, I have no idea what should I do now." I leaned to her body and she squeezed me closer too.

“I wouldn't start a debate with any Ancient Dragon God. They created the world and everything in it. They are respected even by other Gods and Goddesses. Kaida told me even Kite the Unbeatable and Edimoth were bowing in front of Illigna when they have met. The Dark Gods most kept secret is that they are afraid of her too. The Mother of Flames are the strongest, just like Da'al." She whispered into my ear while purred.

“I think Kaida is the strongest. She controls the luck itself." I was debating but only with a half-god, a Demigod… like me. I sighed on the thought for the thousand times; I didn't think I will ever use to it. I was something else than I believed. There wasn't any handbook about dealing with something so big.

“Hmm…" She just answered that much. When I looked up to her face she was frowning, thinking about something. I saw her that concentrated only once before, after I knocked myself out with the Ritual Magic.

“What now?" I sighed again as it seemed she was about to tell me something that I will not like. I had no idea what could have ruin my mood more. I was already desperate.

“You know I have read everything about Demigods in the Sacred Forests. They have the biggest library. Every Demigod made by the Essence has white flaring eyes, silvery rays around it, when they are using the Ether. Demigods made on the conventional way, by sex with mortals, has unique features." She started her tale. “Edimoth the God of the Ocean has green mane and eyes, and he had a son once with a mortal lioness. Their offspring had green flare in his eyes and his mane was glistering in green when he used the Ether." She kept a little pause. “Farkas, the son of Seel the Destroyer in the human religion, had red eyes just like his father when he did the same."

“Why do you tell me that?" I leaned away from her a little just to look into her eyes, she did the same with me and was searching something in them. I was without answers, grasping on millions and millions of questions.

“Your eyes, just like your skin was glowing or more likely shining in gold color." She told me with a voice that I should have known what she was suggesting. “There is only one God with gold eyes. More precisely a Goddess who use to referred as Diana Goldfur or Gold Rattling Felicia." She continued which caused me another dose of shock. I didn't even know that when you are IN shock you can be shocked again. As It turned out in my case, it happened easily.

“What?!" I jumped up and stepped away from her. “You are telling me that I could be the son of a Dragon Goddess, aren't you? I'm not the offspring of the Goddess of the Luck!" I was shouting and grabbed my head in disbelief with both hands.

“I think Eric you will find out soon what you are really." She walked to me and licked my face by standing onto her hind legs, grabbing me with paws. “I will teach you everything I know about being a Demigod. I promise that, but we have to keep it as a secret." She hugged me and whispered into my ears. Suddenly my eyes popped wide opened and pushed her away from me. “What now?" She asked not understanding my newly found horror.

“If my mother is Kaida, your sister, that means we are related! You are my aunt!" I was shouting again.

“This is very likely. Then what?" She just shrugged.

“What we did was incest!"

“But we enjoyed it and we won't have offspring. Another lion custom you are introduced to. Congratulations!" She was smiling with all her teeth while I was pulling my hair in pure horror! 'I had sex with my Lioness Demigod Aunt and my Dragoness God Mother didn't even tell me!!!

My Pilgrimage just turned into the most confusing and disturbing period of my life. Oh, all the Gods and Goddesses in the Sky, where is the end of my misery?'

_ _

8.) Who tamed and what fire?

Clarissa was a powerful Sorceress probably that was the reason how she convinced me to skip my problems for a short period of time and help her talk Pa'adre al'Escon into joining our forces. I was still in shock when we took the road to the monastery of the Tamed Fire so the first few steps to take was the hardest task in my life. I managed to bundle my emotions and throw them into the depths of my mind. It will help me to concentrate and avoid my nervous breakdown, which was imminent. I just did not have time to mourn myself and my more-or-less normal life. Being a Demigod obviously will change everything… or at least I was expecting life changing turns in the events really soon.

My lioness became super kind with me. She was walking close and sometimes rubbed her head to my arms and even purred weakly. I thought she was acting strange because she finally found someone like her, despite the fact I wasn't created by the Essence but on a conventional way. Finally, I understood how I ended up in an Orphanage. Kaida was a Goddess so she couldn't have foster me as she had many things to do, I wasn't even sure about my father knew that I was born. Actually it made sense that I had been left behind because it was the best for me. I could have grown up as a normal child, mostly, and figure out by myself the secrets inside me. Then the lucky, unlikely events led me to the City of the Gods. It wasn't a strange coincidence that I have found another Demigod and we stuck together in the only city where the Gods actually was walking among the mortals.

“We are almost there. A few things I should tell you about the Pa'adre before you meet him." She started while we were walking on a wide road. I just realized the buildings there were decorated with gold and silver, forming pictures of mighty persons doing noble deeds or Gods helping them. I snorted in disbelief when I saw Zurik the Wild hunting with a lioness made from gold. Kaida was chasing me in every form, I was sure!

“I'm listening." I told her because it seemed that the picture I was looking also distracted her. She was Demigod by some supernatural accident. I was because the Goddess of Luck wanted me to exist.

“Don't mention him the war, Seel the Destroyer, blacksmiths, the Harpy Order but foremost the Knights of Kite the Unbeatable. Flame Knights are angry with Kite'eans for years because of some misunderstanding." She started to make the list.

“Sure it will be easy to convince him. Should I even open my mouth?" I snorted in disbelief again. I thought it could have been my new habit or something. If I thought for a second it will be easy she made me sure it won't. They just could have given me a break. “Can't we just use Mind Altering spells?" I dropped up the topic, Clarissa jumped in front of me and stopped me with a paw on my chest. She looked determined again and really serious.

“You never, ever should use or let anybody use Mind Altering Spells. I know the Academy of Iceland has different opinion in the topic, but in the Kingdom there are a few spells punishable by death. Mind Altering, Time Bending, Transmutation of Sentient Creatures, Cold Fire, Alchemy of the Dark Gods. If you do any of it, moreover, if you cast them onto anyone, you will be hunted down by the Sisterhood of Fangs and killed instantly." She told me seriously and I was nodding continuously. “I will not let you use them and I don't want you to mention them again." She added. I understood it perfectly.

“Sisterhood of Fangs? Who are they?" I asked just to divert the topic. I did not like when Clarissa looked at me like that.

“Dark Wizard Hunter Lionesses." She said and I only blinked a few big one.

“But… How?" I pulled myself together. “I mean, how can a simple lion fight against dark wizards?" As I had no idea. Of course I was surprised by the lack of knowledge I had despite the fact I was a brilliant student and earned my Magister rank sooner than anyone else in my age. Real life proved me that I have to learn more and more. That could have been the main reason for the Pilgrimage at the first place.

“They have special armors blessed by the High Priestess of the Goddess." She told be but she probably saw that I was about to start a debate so she continued. “We learned the secrets of the Rune Making. Which means we can transfer and enclose spells into written forms." She explained. I had no knowledge on Rune Making, I have read a book about the strange people of the Sacred Forest invented it long time ago.

“You mean; you can do it too?" I asked with raised eyebrows.

“No I can't, it is a well preserved secret of the Priests of the Goddess." She smiled to me apological as she could saw on me that unfolding this mystery made me forget about the recent event, even if only for a few minutes. “They can draw a rune, practice some Light Magic on it which will make that Spell embedding into the rune slowly. In the case of the Sisterhood of Fangs, they are wearing armor that can protect them from the most common curses and magic." She added.

“It could be useful if they are against evil wizards and witches." I admitted with a nod.

“Yes it's good that we learned that. In case of hunting Sorcerers gone bad could be lifesaving and make your luck." She said then when I made a grimace she rubbed her head to me and purred apological. I accepted, caressed her head. Mentioning luck will cause me shivers for an unforeseen amount of time. 'Still munching on the facts that I... No! I should concentrate on the task in front of me. Convincing some Grand Master to help us. That's it Eric! Sweep the problems under the carpet!' I took a deep breath shook my head and continue the road.

“So." I grabbed the thread of the conversation again. “Despite what you told me, do you have any plan to make Pa'adre change his mind?" Clarissa blew the air like she was expecting me to go berserk or something. Obviously she blamed herself for that little slip. One spark can cause a forest fire easily.

“I think we have to improvise this time. First I asked him nicely and offered anything he would wish for. It wasn't working as he had everything but the intention to help us." She growled on her failure and stomped hard. “The second time I tried to appeal on his warrior spirit by telling him, it could be the fight of the century." She kept a little pause. “He refused again, saying he had been involved in many glorious fights when he was younger so one more wouldn't add to his fame." She snorted. I concluded that the Grand Master was famous and rich, offering money and noble deeds won't work. 'We had to offer something else, something that he values more than anything.' I was thinking.

“What the Knighthood of the Tamed Fire value the most?" I spoke my thoughts aloud.

“The Tamed Fire." She answered and I looked at her with wide eyes so she continued. “Their legends are full with the Tamed Fire which was made by the Gods. They handed over it in an image of a torch to the founder of the Knighthood."

“But it is just a legend." I said and regretted in an instant. Demigods were legends too; nonetheless I was there.

“Alium the Light Winker is their God, so we could use it somehow." She stepped over my objection and concentrated on the ways to convince the old warrior.

“I don't know much about him." I thought I will follow her lead. “He is the God of the Stars. The legend says he painted the night sky to help the travelers find their way." And that was all I knew about him. Of course I could have name all the Gods and Goddesses, list their main features, maybe even some main events they were involved with, but that was all.

“Doesn't matter… darn it! We need him badly!" She growled again.

The Monastery was the same building Cedric showed me, but that time we arrived to the front gate and we were led to the fifth floor by a knight. To my biggest surprise when Clarissa introduced herself, the Grand Master immediately welcomed us in his office. It was poorer than I expected as there was only one big, craved desk with a comfy looking high-back chair made from velvet. The room was surrounded by bookshelves and hundreds of books were there in different topics. Mostly religious novels, scrolls, but I found books of Alchemy or even Wizardry. They seemed old, worn, used often so I thought he must have read them all. Which lead to the fact he was smart, erudite, hard to make him act against his will. Despite the shelves there was only one small writing table with a few papers. I couldn't see much but the quick peek gave me an idea.

“General Clarissa Blood-drinker from the Kingdom." He welcomed my lioness with an officially looking smile. He wasn't happy about us, but he wanted to keep the customs alive so he was polite by rote.

“Grand Master Pa'adre al'Escon from the Knighthood of the Tamed Fire." She nodded him in return then all the eyes turned to me.

“I'm Magister Eric Anderson of the Academy of Iceland." I thought I will use my rank and origin as well. I felt myself uneasy. He was at least seventy years old, wore a shiny breastplate with the colors of the order but it was also engraved with pattern that resembled small flames. Under the armor he only had a long-sleeved crimson shirt with baggy-curled wrist part. I was sure it was made from silk. He had a black and burgundy pants in the same style and metal plated boots. He still seemed strong, it was obvious that he saw more fights than most of the men ever.

“I suppose the topic is the same General." He sat down and put the cover onto the ink holder, he was writing a mail when we arrived. “Just like my answer." He added, folded his fingers in front of his face, elbows on the table.

“I begged you, I offered you everything. I don't know how could we convince you." She sighed. Pa'adre sighed too like he was tired of hearing her again and again.

“There isn't a thing that will convince me. We can continue this on and on again, till the end of the time. I know what are the stakes, I even admitted that I like you and your folk. But I just simple cannot leave this Monastery for a suicide mission. My people, my knights are need me." He finished so I thought I should say something. It was obvious that Clarissa offered him everything, but I hardly believed that she asked the important questions from him.

“What do you need?" I asked suddenly. My lioness looked at me surprised and even Pa'adre's eyebrows rose a little, but he was handling his emotions well.

“I told her, I have everything I need." He answered unfolding his fingers and waving around the room.

“I mean, your Knighthood. Is there something specific we can do for you?" I stood closer to him when the door was slammed open and Cedric was standing on the doorframe, surprised by us. He was obviously not expecting anyone else. He had a letter in his right hand.

“Magister Anderson! What a surprise!" He looked at me then back to his Grand Master. “I'm sorry for the interruption Pa'adre but those insolent Kite'eans pinned this to our building." Then he put the paper onto the desk. I couldn't read from the position I was standing in, but according to the grimace the Grand Master made it wasn't a pleasant reading.

“I will deal with them later. Send a message to Victor gar'Gommer and inform him about this… mischief. Ask him to handle it internally. He will understand." Then he gave him back the paper.

“Understood." He hit his chest plate with a fist then turned to me. "It was nice to meet you again Magister Anderson. General Blood-drinker." He nodded to us and was about to leave when the Pa'adre stopped him.

“What is the story of you and the Magister?" He was asking.

“He helped me out with that insane lion we found near the city. I owe him a big one." He wasn't the man of the words obviously but it was enough to make the Grand Master thinking. He just waved Cedric away to attend his duties then turned to me again.

“Your question…" He started and stood up slowly. “There is a torch up on the roof of the temple of Alium the Light Winker. A torch burning with the Tamed Fire." He slowly walked to the writing-table and folded a paper. “Every once in a while a Knight tries to take it and bring it down to us. No one was able to." He handed me the paper so I unfolded. It was a letter with handmade drawings and a few sentences about that the temple has no door to the roof so nothing can be there except if the Gods put it there. The signature was from a captain.

“Let me guess; If we can give you that torch, you will help us." I sighed. It was an impossible task to do.

“You are bright Magister Anderson. If you put that torch into my palm, you can ask anything from me. I give you my word for that." He held his right arm out to me.

“Then, I will climb that tower." I smiled and grabbed his hand, shook it. We made a pact.

When we were heading back to the tavern Clarissa told me I was fantastic. She wasn't expecting success not to mention that quickly. We only spent five minutes there and I managed to convince the Grand Master. I highlighted to her that we got an extremely hard task to accomplish, but she was really optimistic. She even made a joke about that lions are cats and cats use to climb on stuffs. It made me laugh which was a miracle after the events of the day. At the tavern she asked me to stay in the room till she gather all the necessary equipment for the climbing but I told her I will waiting on the Square. She thought it wasn't a good idea, but the she agreed.

_ _

9.) The Goddess of Luck, her Son and a Lioness Demigod walks into the Square

I was standing in the middle of the Square of the Seventeen Gods. It was around noon so most of the citizens were cooking the lunch or eating it already; there was only a few people wondering around. I looked up to the towers and smiled on the thought that Kaida was the only Goddess who had two of them. Gold Rattling Felicia the Goddess of Gamblers in the human's religion and the Nameless Goddess of Luck in the Lion religion. It was strange that among the Ancient Dragon Gods she wasn't listed. Probably it was already enough temple for one person. The Two Golden Towers were on the opposite sides of the square so I could have walked inside any of them to ask my questions before we would have start our mission with Clarissa. She was reluctant about leaving me alone after what happened but I convinced her I will be fine for an hour or so, till she arrives with the climbing equipment. I saw it was a hard decision for her to let me walk alone through the streets but I promised I won't do anything stupid.

“Hello my Eric." The well-known voice said to me from behind meanwhile I was hesitating which temple of her should I use.

“I was about to find you and speak with you." I turned to her. She did not hide her true nature very well that time; She wore a golden robe decorated with white and black dragons holding dices and cards. Gold Rattling Felicia visited me with tawny curls and light brown eyes like honey. One of the dragon was obviously Illigna, with hands and legs, opened wings. The other was a big snake like dragon, without wings, and with only small legs, arms. He was coiling, slithering all around the fabric of the robe. So I figured out he was Da'al. Kaida challenged her luck in disguise with that cloth, I was sure about it.

“I know what happened. Half of the city was wondering on that sudden storm; all the Gods were watching you discovering that you can use the Ether without any problem." She told me and smiled like a proud parent.

“You are my mother, aren't you?" I asked quickly pointing to the important things. It wasn't as easy as it seemed. She stepped closer and slowly reached around my shoulder, hugged me with love. My heart was beating faster than faster; I was gasping for air. I must have stay strong.

“I am, my Eric." She whispered into my ears and I broke into silent tears. As the drops rolled off from my face to the golden robe we just stood there for long minutes forged into the hug. I didn't have a mother for eighteen years, I used to it. Suddenly the Goddess of Luck was my mother, an Ancient Dragon God with the ability to change her form. It was overwhelming.

“Why didn't you tell me earlier?" I pulled myself together which was hard and wiped away my tears after who knows how long time. Still gasping from the suppressed emotions.

“You wouldn't believe me. You had to discover this by yourself." She told me kindly. Sure if a Goddess would have told me she is my mother I did not know for years; I would have suspect trap or deception. It was the best way that I used the Ether in front of a Demigod and made myself realize of my true nature.

“Who is my father?" I asked suddenly and her expression has changed to sad. I thought my father died or didn't even know I was existing that was the reason why he wasn't looking for me, why I hadn't been left with him.

“Your father…" She sighed, was looking away, thinking on how to put it to me. “…he is someone who wished to remain nameless in front of you." She finished softly.

“But why?" It was worse than I thought. He did not wish to see me despite he had the chance! He was who threw me away! I was suddenly angry, promising silently that if I will ever find him, he will answer for his cruelty towards me.

“It is complicated." She sighed again but on a tone 'it will be hard to explain' which made my anger disappearing. "If a certain person would discover that your father… is your father, both of you would be in trouble." She grabbed my hand and pulled me away from a group of guards walking towards us. For the first time since we met she was extremely serious. Obviously the topic she just shared with me was important and she had to measure every single word before she have spoken out loud. I thought because really bad things could have happened if she would have said something by accident.

“Oh… so it is for my own safety." I concluded. Actually it made sense. “That was the reason why you gave me away too." I nodded while we were heading to the front side of the Tower of Nillimina the Flirty which was empty luckily. She was the Goddess of Women, Childbirth, Love, Romance. She was portrayed as a beautiful woman laying among roses, waving with a finger to come closer and dressed nothing but the leafs of the roses.

“Yes. But…" She stopped for a second. “…you can figure out by yourself. The truth will make your mind free and help you become what you are actually." She kissed my forehead gently.

“I'm a Demigod." I told her but she just laughed up happily.

“You are more than that." She whispered to me. A little group of men wearing chainmail was heading to us from the entrance of the Tower of Kite the Unbeatable. Probably she laughed too loud. Again! It was a habit of her.

“What do you mean?" I lowered my voice too.

“You have to experience and find out by yourself. If I would tell you now, your mind would crumble under the weight of knowledge and you would die or even worse. But if you pick up the pieces of the truth one-by-one, you will become stronger than you can imagine." She leaned to me, caressed my face. From the group of men, one stepped to us and looked at me like I would have been just a disgusting bug nothing more. But as Kaida turned to him he bowed a little. It was clear that her presence suggested she was a noble in high ranks if not a goddess.

“Lady…" He gesticulated with his hands to substitute her name with the pause he took. She just smiled with joy and pure happiness. “… you have to respect the Gods by not laughing in front of the Sacred Halls."

“My name is Felicia and Kite knows me well enough to let me laugh as loud as I'm able to, wherever I want to. I don't think Nillimina would mind either. You should hear her laughing; like a donkey coughing." She told him, she was acting like on the day we first met; dancing in place and gesticulating wide, full with energy.

“Felicia?" The man looked at her with a frown, grabbed the hilt of his sword hanging from his belt and took a step backwards looking at her golden robe and tawny curls. Probably he suspected something funny business, but the dragons with the dices and cards, the honey brown eyes made him careful on the Square of the Seventeen Gods.

“Magister Anderson!" Someone was shouting at me from the opposite direction. It was Cedric al'Akim in his colorful chest plate, with broadsword on his back. As soon as he saw the Kite'eans, his expression changed to determined and stone wall hard. The two knighthood they represented did not like each other. The recent events back in the Monastery made the situation tenser than before.

“It is nice to see you again Grand Sword-Master al'Akim." I welcomed him on high voice, highlighting his rank which was just one step under the Grand Master's. The gang was looking at him with disgust just like they did with me a minute ago.

“Knights of Kite the Unbeatable, I don't think your God would approve the way you are acting with this two kind people." He turned to them but his words probably achieved the opposite effect as they were standing into fighting stance quickly, hands on the hilt of their swords. They were ready to pull them out and fight.

“If laughing on the Square of the Seventeen Gods is disrespect, fighting is sacrilege, I'm sure." I stepped between them. For my biggest surprise al'Akim just stood there with folded arms and smiled at the warriors ready to kill. He didn't seem frightened at all, he started humming a song unknown for me. But that song made the Kite'eans terrified.

“You will hear about us again soon, Flame Knight!" One of them told him and waved for the others to leave, they quickly left us alone with the quietly laughing Cedric.

“What just happened?" I turned to him, my face was a huge question mark as he made the enemy flee only with humming.

“I made them remember the laws of Kite with that old melody. Probably they forgot that the noble and mighty God, protector of the innocent, will not tolerate harassment of young ladies and gentlemen." He shook my hand, bowed to Kaida. “I'm glad that I could help you Magister Anderson, Lady. Have a good day." Then he left still smiling wide. I was preparing myself for fight, probably because I was still too confused about the recent events to realize my mother was the Goddess of Luck. If she was near me, I didn't have to move my finger to be lucky in everything.

“I was afraid for a moment that I will need to protect you with some magic." I told to her but she just laughed up happily and grabbed my shoulder with both hands

“Oh my Eric, your heart is gold." She kissed my cheek, then hugged me. It was still strange that I had a mother, not just a simple person, but an Ancient Dragon God. Which meant I was half dragon as well. 'No! I shouldn't think about these things, at least till Clarissa is in my reach to calm me down, hug me and purr into my ear that everything is fine and she will protect me form harm.' I thought and hugged her back.

“Could you help me with something?" I told suddenly which did not shape her out from the smiling. I was glad that her joy and happiness was contagious as I caught myself on smiling as well. She nodded to me so I continued. “There is a torch on the top of the Tower of Alium the Light Winker. I need to bring it to the Grand Master of the Knighthood of the Tamed Fire. Could you..." I suddenly become shy and uncertain. "… you know. Do something miraculous? These Towers are high and there is no entrance to the roof." I massaged my neck and looked away. I had no idea why I felt that kind of confusion. Probably because I just realized that the first time I have met with my mother, knowing she was my mother, I asked for a favor. I was a terrible son!

“Come with me." She just grabbed my hand and dragged me to somewhere. After a minute I figured out that we were heading to the Tower of Illigna. 'Maybe she will ask help from her sister?' I didn't find that believable as she was as much, if not more powerful than the Mother of Flames. Inside she tossed me to the surprised Ekon with the command I should not move, and went further into the dark temple. The big lion just looked at me like he lost the thread and he hadn't had any idea what was expected from him exactly.

“Kaida the Gold sometimes hard to follow. Goddess's whim I suppose." He said to me when a big golden flash distracted both of us. It came from the other side of the huge hall. I was about to ask Ekon if he could have seen anything with the senses of a lion, when something really big and shiny came closer to us. It was a dragon with gold scales, big as a three story building, walked slowly on all four. Her wings were folded and pressed closely to her slim body, the light of the torches slipped on her skin as she arrived. She was glistering in the semidarkness.

“Wow! You are marvelous." I confessed to that magnificent creature who was my mother in her true form. She was like a miracle!

“Thank you my Eric." She whispered her thoughts into my mind. I was still shuddering to that strange phenomenon that someone was speaking inside my head apart from me. She noticed and laughed up, which in that form was a dashed growl.

“Can I serve you somehow Goddess Kaida?" Ekon made me aware of his presence, standing in front of a Golden Dragon Goddess somehow distracted me from my surroundings. Well, it wasn't an everyday average sight I had to admit.

“Thank you Ekon, I will be fine. My Eric, come with me." She turned to me and walked to the exit. I was in shock when I realized that she was about to walk out from the temple into the square where everyone would see her. So I wasn't surprised by hearing the gasps and screams as I was following her steps. I didn't think that luck will keep us away from the trouble that time.

“It is a monster! Call the guards!" Someone was shouting only from a few feet, then another next by him grabbed him and tossed him to the ground with the warning:

“It is a Dragon; can't you see?! Behave idiot!" Then others were talking around them.

“It came from the Tower of Illigna!"

“But Illigna is white, it is gold!"

“Maybe it was just worshipping its Goddess!"

“It is gold and shining! Look at its eyes!"

“EVERYBODY JUST SHUT UP!" A man was leading a group of warriors on horse in the golden-white plate armor of the city guards. He was older with white beard and short grey hair. Among the men there was a woman in robe, looking at us with eyes like a slit. She was a witch for sure. When the noises of the surprise and fear were disappeared, he gave a hand gesture to his followers and stepped forward to Kaida al by alone. He was brave that was indisputable. She laid onto the ground next by me.

“Maybe you are lucky but it wasn't a smart move." I whispered her as she should have known that if a dragon showing up in the middle of the city from nowhere, will make some commotion.

“Dragon! With all due respect, what are you doing in the city? Where are you came from? Who are you? What are your intentions with the citizens?" He spoke on elevated voice after he stopped at sixty-five foot from her. Kaida looked at me and I saw in her golden-shining eyes she was having a good time. I sighed silently; Dragon Goddesses have strange humor!

“I'm here to help my Eric. I came from the Sky. I'm Kaida the Gold. I will not harm anyone." She answered the questions with straight honesty. My jaw was on the ground!

“Thank you for the simple answers… Kaida the Gold." He bowed in the saddle. Dragons were extremely powerful enemies. Just a normal, everyday dragon could to destroy half of the city without the guards would be able to react. So I totally understood the uneasiness of that guard captain. He looked at me with a frown, probably wondering on who I was; A young boy walking next by a miraculous golden dragon from the temple of Illigna the Mother of Flames. Speaking about confusing events, eh?

“Come on my Eric. Sit onto my back and we will get that torch no time." She turned to me and I found my jaw on the ground again; Flying on a dragon was my childhood dream! What I was thinking, it was a childhood dream for everyone I knew.

“Are you sure mot… Kaida?" My tongue stumbled upon the word but I managed to correct in time. Debunking myself wasn't a good idea, Clarissa would be angry and she was a lioness I wouldn't want to make angry. Kaida reached for me as her palm was big enough to stand on with both legs and hurried me to do accordingly. She then just lifted me up to her back, near at her neck. I quickly realized the first problem: There was nothing to grab on. The second was the scales, they were sliding on each other when she moved and they were sharp and pointy enough to hurt me by accident. Of course the luck was with me so I managed to find my balance on top of them safely, meanwhile she stood up.

“Kaida the Gold!" The guard shouted at her. “Would you please be so kind and tell me what are you doing?"

“I know better than that! I show you!" She said with a smile, so all the three rows of her teeth were peeking out and with a huge jump we were in the air. First I thought I will fell off and die within a second, but again, I could keep my balance. I was flying on a dragon's back! On my mother's back! The air was whistling in my ear as she made huge circles around the Tower of Alium and gone higher and higher. I caught myself on laughing loudly; the feeling that I was up in the air, like a bird on the back of the Goddess of Luck was indeed like in a dream. It was surreal, even after the events of the day behind my back.

She was right and we reached the top within seconds, which caused me different feelings; I was happy that I could finish my mission. I was sad because it meant the most amazing thing in my life just ended. I was flying on a dragon! The roof of the tower was at least fifty-five hundred square foot big, which was enough for Kaida to land. The first problem was with the mentioned torch. There were at least a hundred torches, some fire-bowls and even candles all around the place.

“Pa'adre told me there is only one torch up here. Which one?" I was scratching my head. All were lit but was burning in different colors; red, green, purple, golden, white… and different shades. There was one changing its color, one was black like the night. I had to figure out something.

“What do you think which one is that?" She asked me! ME!

“You are the Goddess!" I was gasping for air when she laughed again. Standing up close her deep rumbling laugh was resonating my whole body.

“What do you know about the Tamed Fire?" She was dropping that ball back to me. Well, I read a few books about many things, but nothing about the Knighthood of the Tamed Fire. They were respecting Alium, the God whose tower was under my feet. He was the God of the Stars; he gave the Tamed Fire to the first Knight of the order. Nothing indicated the color of that. Wait a minute!

“They are wearing, red, orange, white, black plate armors." I told her and quickly walked through the forest of the torches. I have found all the colors but on different places. There wasn't a single one with all the colors.

“You know Alium in person. Couldn't you just ask him to point me the right direction?" I turned back to her but she shook her giant head. Obviously she left me crack that nut all by myself. I regretted that I asked help from her, with Clarissa we would have been back on the ground already with the right torch. I was sure about that. Then a thought came into my mind.

“What if, there isn't only one torch but four of them?" I was thinking aloud. For the sake of safety, I walked around again, checking them closely for any clue, but the only made any sense was what I figured out. So, first I grabbed the torch with the red flames. It came loose from the holder easily. Then I went to the orange, did the same. When I tried to put the two stick into my left palm, they merged into one magically.

“I think you can figure out what will happen if you collect all the colors on the plate armor of the Knights of the Tamed Fire." She sat down, smiling like a proud mother looking on her son. It was still a little strange for me.

“They will melt into one torch with all the colors." I answered looking the one in my hand. It was burning in orange and red colors; they were changing quickly. So I grabbed the white and the black as well, putting them together. To my biggest surprise, they turned into a long, white marble torch, with decorated fire-holder at the top. The flames were multi-colored. The inside was white, coming to the sides it was orange, red and then black. It looked like it was made from magic, but as I did not sense any in the air, it was obviously made from Ether.

“Hop onto my back and we can return it to the Pa'adre." She laid down while I was looking at the torch with opened mouth and wide eyes. There were cravings all along the white material, like stars and even planets. They were moving slowly, shifting from one side to another. I was grasping on a legendary item, made by a God and the day just barely started.

“We have to pick up Clarissa first." I pulled myself together. “Then we can go together." I added as she was frowning.

“All right my Eric." She agreed finally.

There was at least a hundred of the city guards when we landed on the Square, read to fight. All the swords, spears were bared, bows were tensed the suppressed magic of the twenty wizards and witches were vibrating in the air. In front of them, Clarissa and ten of her warriors were standing ready to fight. I did not know what happened meanwhile I took a little detour with an Ancient Dragon Goddess to the top of the Tower of the God of the Stars. Kaida landed softly, like a leaf into the grass, not far from my lioness.

“Dragon! I command you to surrender!" The Captain we met before was on his horse's back and shouted through the small group of lions in front of him. I quickly slipped down from my mother's neck as she laid to the ground, with the torch in my hand. Everybody was looking at it with dropped jaws.

“Clarissa, come on, she will take us to the Monastery quickly." I shouted to my lioness who just jumped to me and looked at me with wide eyes meanwhile I caressed her face gently.

“You just couldn't wait, could you?" She told me with the determination in her eyes. Obviously she was ready to kill anyone and everyone in her way when we interrupted them, but when I touched her she softened up a little.

“Why should I surrender Kevin?" Kaida told to the Captain of the guards like she was asking for the precise time of the day.

“You desecrated a Tower of a God with your friend! You will be executed both! Surrender or prepare yourself for the fight." He shouted and made himself ready for the onrush. The horse under him was snorting and shaking its head sensing his rider's uneasiness.

“Alium use to be rude indeed, but he isn't angry with me or my Eric." She gesticulated with her hand which caused the Captain to become a little confused. He was living in the City of the Gods and if a golden dragon speaking about a God like her best friend, he gets suspicious.

“Captain! She Silenced us! All of us! And she didn't used the Source for that!" One of the Wizard told him with pure horror on his face. Obviously they weren't expecting some strong magic from a dragon. Which was foolishness as it was common knowledge that dragons were powerful. The worst of them would win a magic battle with the Grand Wizard within a minute. Kaida wasn't in the mood for the fine nuances of casting spells and I felt that I was Silenced too. It didn't count much in my case as I was able to use Ether no matter what. The Captain started to squirm in the saddle; the events weren't following his plans.

“Are you a Goddess?" He had taken back from his voice a little but he was able to see through the meaning of it; someone wasn't using Source to do magic was obviously related to Gods. “Which one?" He licked his lips often because of his increasing frustration.

“I'm a Goddess indeed. Does it matter which one?" She asked silently but her voice was clear in my head. The Captain nodded probably just for himself then looked at me. I was standing between a Dragon Goddess and a Legendary Lioness. He was obviously thinking about who the hell I could be; flying with a god, caressing a legend. He just shook his head like he wasn't in the position to figure it out by himself.

“I ask your pardon for this misunderstanding. We are leaving you and your…" he was hesitating for a second. “…companions alone." He finished and I just snorted. 'Companions? If he would know that she is my mother and Clarissa is her sister, he would shit his ankles in the next minute. He was messing with a Goddess and two Demigods.' I swallowed back a laugh too.

“I accept your apology. Begone!" She waved with her hand and it did not take more than two minutes, they were gone.

Clarissa was smiling on me, she was gathering the best climbers, the tools for that, making a plan that will keep everyone from harm, but when she arrived to the Square she didn't find me just a huge group of the City Guards in panic, shouting about a golden dragon and a boy desecrating the Tower of Alium. She quickly figured out it was me and my mother so she tried to convince the angry horde to leave us alone. She also told me that she was at the end of her patience which would have led to bloodshed within seconds, but we arrived luckily. She convinced us that we should continue our mission on foot, but I thought she had an aversion about flying on a dragon's back. I told her it was the best thing in my life but she was uncompromising so I waved goodbye to my mother.

Pa'adre al'Escon was neither live nor dead when he saw the torch in my hand. He went white like the snow and fell onto his knees, silently praying to his God, thanking him for that miracle. Clarissa whispered into my ears that the Knighthood kept trying and trying for a hundred years at least, without success and we managed to bring it back within an hour. After he overcame his shock he promised me that he will help us with all the knowledge he possesses. Then we were on the road back to the tavern.

“If you put more thought to it, it wasn't a surprise." I told to Clarissa, walking slowly behind a cart full with wine barrels. The street was full with people just like before so we could speak openly no one would have notice that in the loud razzmatazz.

“What do you mean?" She did not understand.

“Is there any mission two Demigods couldn't accomplish within an hour?" I was laughing silently but she just frowned. “What? It was just a joke!" I had to ask why she was so obscure and looked at me like that.

“We are not immortals. We can be killed just like anyone. Of course it would be harder to achieve as we are stronger, faster, our wounds will heal quicker. We can fight for longer which makes us hard to defeat, but we are just better than the rest of our kind." She was explaining seriously. I wasn't in the mood for lessons about us.

“There isn't our kind." I was protesting. “We just look like a Lion and a Human, but we are not." I sighed as she snorted. “You killed an unstoppable monster, did what no one was able to do before you. So you are not just better than any Lion; you are a half dragoness-god warrior with vast powers of magic." I punched her shoulder playfully.

“Maybe you are right, but you shouldn't trust in that. Yes, you can do incredible deeds but you shouldn't challenge the fate and jump into missions without thinking. You should only do as much you would without knowing what you are. Let the life select your challenges and face with them with all you can. If you just jump into the danger because you are a Demigod, you will be killed sooner than you would say; Help me Clarissa I screwed it badly." She was determined again but not on the same way, she was lecturing me, teaching me how to live with the knowledge I possessed. She was right, I was just a boy from the Academy on my Pilgrimage, that was the only thing mattered.

“Maybe I should just forget that my mother is Kiada and live my life like nothing happened." I sighed silently.

“Darn Eric!" She growled so I picked up my head. “You can't do that! Believe me I tried for five years. I was pretending I'm just an ordinary lioness without magic and all. It did not work! I had to use magic to save lives, I had to embrace the fact that I'm a Demigod. It was hard, indeed, but it is the only way to live." She punched my shoulder back.

“Then what should I do?" I was puzzled. I couldn't live a normal life, but I wasn't ready to live as something else. There wasn't any good way, only less bad.

“First we will meet with the rest of the Brotherhood. Then we will spend the night with them. On the morning…" She sighed. “… we will go and find Ximminth with the help of the Pa'adre, without being noticed by the Army of Copperhill, sneak inside of his lair with the Wind-walker then pray for all the Gods and Goddesses we know to not get into a fight with him." She sorted her plans but I was asking something else.

“You know how I meant." I scolded her but she just smiled.

“I know. If you concentrate on the near future, you won't go insane. Just use your newfound knowledge carefully when you are overcoming the obstacles in your way. After you accepted fully what you are, you can make your own plans. But for now, follow mine and keep yourself close to me." She advised and rubbed her head to my side. I caressed her.

10.) Lusty Lionesses Longing for Long Lasting Love

From the Tavern we went straight to the border of the city, nearby the great white walls. There we stopped at a building with all the twenty lions and the two chariots full with the equipment, food, water for the long road. Clarissa told me that was the Friary of the Brotherhood of Claws in that city. As the City was inside the territory of Copperhill they had stuck far behind the front line. She also told me it meant another fifty warriors which would improve our chances in case of a fight. When I asked how much the fact weighted that there were two Demigods in the group she just looked at me a way I quickly left the room and waited outside. It was an inconvenient topic for her as well despite I just made a funny remark. The building was enormous, made from white stones but there wasn't any decoration on it, just a small wooden painting above the entrance of the wrought iron fence, with the crest of the Brotherhood; a lion's and a lioness's head looking away from each other, roaring ferociously and two, four fingered claw marks next by them.

“Who are you?" A male lion was walking towards us in full plate armor painted to black and dark green, like a cloaking pattern. He was robust and big, obviously a fearful warrior.

“Maybe your sight had been crippled by the age, Jeremy." Claudia shouted to him but he just bared his fangs and growled for a few seconds.

“The last person called me blind has one less limb and still wearing my claw marks." He reached us still acting frighteningly.

“Really? The last person threating me became my food." She stood in front of him bearing her claws and fangs as well. I was preparing for fight, slowly reaching out for the Source when they both laugh up happily and rubbed heads, even hugged each other with a paw. I lost the thread somewhere again.

“I wasn't expecting you Clarissa. How are you doing my General?" His voice softened just like his mood and waved us inside. My lioness just threw some orders to the rest of the gang, to park the chariot and meet her in the great hall.

“I'm doing just great. I had to make a little detour before we could meet again, my Captain. How are you doing Jeremy?" She was cheerful to see him. Sure he looked like a powerful ally despite he was older than Clarissa, or at least looked older than her. Some of his fur in his mane was already white.

“I'm doing fine. I see you brought us some meat." He looked at me and I tried to act determined like my lioness. It didn't seem to work with a battle-hardened warrior, he just snarled with half jowl which made me swallowed a big one.

“He is my snack, I won't share." She told him which surprised me again but Jeremy understood what she meant by that. I was untouchable from that moment. I hoped it really much at least.

The internals of the building were lit by candles and torches everywhere. I couldn't see more than a few armor holders next by the wall, no furniture, meanwhile we walked towards the great hall. There was some music infiltrated from somewhere and muffled cries, speaking. They were celebrating obviously, but what? When I peeked inside of a door left ajar, six lions and lionesses were having an orgy so I quickly caught up to Clarissa with face red like a poppy. I secretly hoped that I will be able to have sex that night too as lionesses were fantastic in bed, they were uninhibited, wild, passionate which made my blood blazing when I was with them.

“Eric, if you want you can walk around and have fun." Clarissa distracted my thoughts. “Just be ready at the morning as we will depart with the first beam of the sun." She warned me then went inside the great hall. The attributive was good as that room was enormous with two long wooden tables in the middle full with drinks and food. A giant fireplace lit up most of it, but there were torches at the walls and chariot wheel chandeliers were hanging from the ceiling full with candles.

There was the fifty Lions in the room, drinking, eating, playing board games or music, singing and having sex with each other. They were having fun for sure. A few of them were already laying on the table, sleeping their drunk dream, or in the corner, all around the floor. If I would have guess only half of the group was still awake and the sun did not leave the highest point of the sky.

“What should I do here?" I whispered to Clarissa who just smiled wide.

“Whatever you want." She told me then continued. “Drink, eat, play, have sex or just rest at the fireplace. Any of it, all of it. You are protected by me so you are the only human here who don't have to fear." Then she went out with Jeremy talking about the plans for tomorrow. Well, I thought if I have to participate in that celebration I will start with some drink. It will make me less tense. I was still a little uneasy among a bunch of drunken apex predator-warriors as the only human.

“You are saying that…" I sighed under my nose and went inside, right to the direction of the first table with a few huge pitchers. As soon as I reached there was a lioness sleeping on the bench next to it and a lion was aligning himself to fuck her.

“After I finished, she is all yours." He told me while I grabbed a chalice made from silver and decorated with blue lions.

“Thanks." I replied while he pushed himself inside with a moan. The lioness didn't even move as he humped her with fast and short movements. Probably it was another lion custom Clarissa didn't introduce me, but I wasn't sure I would have like to know everything about their customs anymore. They were eating humans, having sex with relatives and drunken, sleeping lionesses, it was already more than my soft, innocent and clean spirit could handle. As I poured some wine the lion roared up and tensed in pure bliss. Lions couldn't hold back for too long indeed.

“It is yours. Warm and well lubricated." He dropped me and went away. I found it better to go further inside the hall and check the others. I was bypassing at least five couples having wild sex in different positons and I sat down onto the end of the bench. I felt myself like an outsider so I sipped into my chalice a few times, it was a delicious, strong wine.

After a few minutes, five lionesses dragged a few men into the hall not far from me. They tied them up to the torch holders when they noticed me. The men were muffled, with multiple claw marks on their bodies. They were all looking muscular and strong, wearing nothing.

“Who are you?" The lioness asked me but I couldn't answer for a few seconds.

“I'm Magister Eric Ander…" I couldn't finish, she cut into my words.

“Eric? Clarissa told me you are protected by her." Then she smiled on my confusion. “Do you want to have fun with us? The girls are starving for males." She purred the end of the sentence with made me hard in my pants. Fun with lusty lionesses sounded good. 'Maybe that wine was spiced with something else too. Or it was just stronger than I expected.' I thought as I was involved within an orgy only once before and it was against my will… mostly. Why was I heading to another with a wide smile and a rigid cock?

“Fine, six yummy males on the dish." A younger lioness was chirping sweetened, licked her mouth. She was already drooling in rivers. Without much hesitation they deprived me of my pants and shirts and I couldn't blink twice I was tied to another torch holder. It seemed that the things were getting out from my hand but somehow I was longing to figure out how much. The five men got something into their bloodstream by a suddenly turned up syringe. The substance made them rock hard within a minute so I concluded it was some kind of aphrodisiac. I could name at least twenty with the same effect and mix half of it with high accuracy. I was good in Alchemy.

“We will play a game. The girls will much on your delicious cock for a few minutes. They like the taste of the cum but your yummy meat as well. If you will cum they will eat. If you will not, then you will fuck our tender pussy." Their leader told us and I accepted the challenge in an instant. I was the only one who weren't muffled by a rag, which led me to the conclusion; the rest of the gang wasn't participating willingly. As I looked at them, I saw a military tattoo on the shoulder of the closest. It was written in the common language 'Long live the Empire' and the crest of Copperhill. So they were soldiers and it wasn't exactly a game; they were on their death row, probably by torture and cruel games of these lionesses. I was about to reach out for the Source and free myself up when the lioness in front of me engulfed my cock and started to suck on it with great skills.

“Oh fuck!" I sighed out loudly and let myself to the feeling of the moving tongue, the slurping jowls and the warm breath on my pubes every time she exhaled. She was fantastic! She curled and bent her tongue all around my cock and she sucked with just as much force that I liked. She looked up at me with smiling eyes and swallowed back my pre-cum. Which made me moan in pleasure. The sudden pressure on the tip of my cock made shivers in my spine and I knew I won't last long.

“Noooooo!" The man next to me cried up as he managed to spit out the rag in his mouth, just in the moment when he came hard into the muzzle of the lioness. It was strange but to the view of a man in ecstasy, spurting his fluids into the hungry mouth of a lioness, meanwhile another was sucking me, was almost enough excitement to follow him.

I quickly guided my eyes back to the still working lioness. The look in her eyes changed to blood lusting and the slurping became so intense I almost fainted in pleasure. She knew how to coax out what I was storing inside my body, waiting for a female to impregnate or at least to fill.

“I'm close." I thought some warning wouldn't hurt. Surprising a predator with warm, white, erupting liquid not the best idea most of the times. I closed my eyes, the muscles in my pelvis tensed when suddenly all the feelings disappeared as the sucking maw was withdrawn from my cock.

“Time is up." The leader said and I felt myself betrayed. I was only one slurp away from the pure bliss, when she stopped it. My balls were in pain and my cock was jumping in the air, waiting to release my fluids into a mouth or a pussy. I almost begged even for a touch, when the leader continued.

“Let's feast on them!" She smiled like a beast ready to kill. I suddenly realized that I was about to stop them before I was distracted by a skillful lioness on my cock.

“I won't let you torture them." I told to the leader who wasn't believing me obviously. To her eyes I was only a weak looking young boy, tied to a torch-holder, completely naked. Of course she suspected something as I was traveling with Clarissa and she told them I was protected.

“How would you stop us?" She stood closer, locked at my cock which went limp after the lack of attention it got and licked her mouth. I touched the Source which made blue waves and blotches moving under my skin on my whole body. My eyes were glowing in blue and all the nearby torches burst in five-foot-long flames. I was free again, the rope became liquid and splashed the ground. Somehow using magic was easier than ever before.

“How about this?" I smiled to her while they slowly levitated from the ground. I understood in that moment why Clarissa was so determined every time she fought or was ready to fight. I knew I could have done almost anything with the Source, even the Highest Tier Spells. I was full with the power, the moving spring of everything, were flowing inside my bones, veins, nerves. I was almighty and no one could have stopped me. A weak voice deep inside my head told me that I was wrong; Clarissa was the only person capable of defeating me whenever she wanted. It made me realize that I was just only a wizard with talent, a mortal and can be killed. But it wasn't something I would tell the beasts in front of me.

“You are a wizard!" She concluded while she was floating in the air in front of me.

“I won't let you torture another man. You can suck them off, fuck them, but no torturing!" I made all the lights going off quickly and even used some weak Illusion which made the room pitch black. The music suddenly disappeared and the only visible thing was me standing there with blue glowing body and eyes. Like a blue sun in the darkness.

“I understood Wizard Eric!" She told me quickly. The look on her face made me sure about she won't do anything against my will.

“Good." I took a little pause, then let the light of the actual sun slowly fill the room, another moment, all the torches were lit like nothing really happened. The lionesses slowly descended to the ground. “Now. She was sucking me with great skills but she stopped when I was ready to give her my semen." I told her which confused her a little, she cooked her head.

“I hope I can ask for your apology." She put on a smile, but I saw it was only a mask to disguise she was frightened by me. I have never believed I could make a lion frightened. My bewilderment just deepened when she turned around showed me her hindquarters and bent away her tail. My erection returned suddenly. I could say it was popping up magically to the view of a lioness's pussy.

“I'm about to accept that apology." I smiled sardonic while I knelt behind her.

The well-known feeling hit me as soon as I pushed my tip to her opening. The soft cushiony lips, like some little black pillow with a pink button in the middle slowly extended around my thickness and let my glans inside of the hole. She flowed around my first inch and when I left behind the first muscle ring she didn't wait anymore; she pushed herself back till her rump hit my pelvis. I had to grab the hips not to fall.

“Oh fuck!" I cried again as she started to milk my rod with all the powers she possessed. I thought Clarissa was well experienced in pleasing humans, but that lioness proved me wrong. It was like an accident; you just grab on something and hope you will survive. I did the same; grabbed her hips and let her did the trick of the lioness's. Her tapered shape vagina was pulsating in the rhythm of her erratic purring and the muscles rings were crashing on my entire length. She was wonderfully understood what a human male would have need to achieve orgasm within seconds. I did not know how much time had been elapsed since she started but I was sure it wasn't even half of a minute but I was near at the end of my stamina.

There were three lionesses next by us. One of them were looking our connection closely and drooling, she even twitched and made a little pond of fluids behind her. She was turned on badly. Another was laying and rubbing her pussy with her paw looking at us, the third one was sucking off two male lions in turns, when another came and licked the second one between her legs. Her yowling made it sure she was experiencing something miraculous. Just like me!

To a sudden thought, when the leader was also started to spasm and making purrs of bliss, I made myself ready. I wanted to make her reach the end first which was another second away or so. She yowled up, even roared and her internals became snakes coiling in berserk, I pulled myself out, grabbed the lioness's head next by me and pushed my cock inside of her mouth opened by surprise. As my hip slapped her nose she closed her lips around me, lolled the tongue under my shaft and sucked me vigorously, while she made mating movements with her hips and purred loudly. I did not know till that moment, that a lioness sucking you meanwhile purring loudly can make the vibrations travelling through your rigid shaft, to your spine causing so much pleasure you almost die. I thought my heart stopped beating when she started and I died a little as soon as I reached the top of the culminating feeling. My mouth opened to silent roar while I emptied my load deep into her throat. She yowled up when I did, clenched her jaw tightly around my shaft but in that moment I did not even cared for if she would have bitten it off. The bliss overruled everything. I was blind, deaf, mute as I collapsed onto the floor.

11.) The luck reared its head again

Clarissa found me on the same spot surrounded by satisfied lionesses and lions. She made jokes on that probably I had a lion ancestor in my bloodline as I just kept having sex with them whenever I got the chance. I did not care, I was satiated and happy. I made two lionesses yowling in bliss; one with sex, the other one just came when I fed her with my cum, she was so badly turned on by that time. Then she asked the same lioness to munch on my cock because she wanted to motivate me to move. She was obeying her superior but I did not move even when she engulfed to the hilt and started to suck. I was surprised, I managed to achieve another hard-on despite I believed I gave everything I had to her before. It was hurting a little, my cock was sore but I just laid and let her work. She was indeed a miracle maker as I was able to cum again after ten minutes of intensive care. Clarissa sighed and shook her head as she earned the opposite effect. I told her if she wanted me to be somewhere else, she has to drag me there. She just waved in resignation and left the hall.

The rest of the day and the night were just flashes of memories. I was able to remember only that after I regained my strength, took me an hour, I sat onto the table next by a musician and drank all the wine in my chalice, refilled two times before I lost counting. Probably that was the reason why the morning found me with headache and muscle pain. Thinking about it, I had no idea why my muscles were in pain.

“Probably because you had sex with five lionesses in various poses during the day and night, till you collapsed and fell asleep." Clarissa told me while I was drinking water from the flask.

“What? Five? I can remember only two, maybe three." I was scratching my temple but the memories weren't coming back. It was the gift at the bottom of every chalice; forgetting.

“Five that I know, but I heard about two more were sucking you dry." She continued.

“That is why my cock looks like an overripe sausage. I'm surprised it is still on my pelvis after the night." I was massaging my forehead but it did not help; I was still clueless about the events. Then I remembered the captured soldiers of Copperhill. “I hope the Copperhill guys are ok."

“They are dead." She told me on low voice obviously expecting that I will go berserk. “I killed them quickly and painless." She added.

“That is good... That is good." I repeated a few more times. It reminded me that I used Ethereal Magic back in the abandoned building and I met with my mother, who was an Ancient Dragon Goddess. No! I wasn't ready to face with the truth, at least till I survive my hangover. “Do you know any magic curing the hangover?" I changed the topic and Clarissa was glad for that, I saw on her.

“You are the Magister of the Alchemy." She laughed at me.

“Yes, but I have never looked for cures to this in the library as I thought I will never drink that much." I admitted while I pulled up my jerkin and tied my shoelaces which was harder than I would have admit to anyone.

“Ether will cure you immediately." She remarked.

“Fantastic! Could you make me angry or frightened just to touch it for a second?" I did make a double knot onto my left shoe, but after I realized I just sighed and left it that way. Maybe during the first stop I will push my head into a barrel of ice-cold water. That would help me for sure. I was wondering on the options.

“Frightened you say?" She lowered her head, her pupils were dilated to huge black disks, claws popped and sunk into the floor, fangs were peeking out meanwhile she started growling frightfully. The predator was ready to kill.

“Not working on me anymore." I massaged my neck. “But thank you for trying it." I added but she just stepped me closer and opened her mouth for an attack. Two days ago I would have shit my pants by the look I got from her; lusting for blood, wanted me to feel pain and suffering. But the past two days made me sure about she would never hurt me intentionally. What's more, she promised me not to. Clarissa suddenly lunged forward knocked me back into the bed and put her fangs onto my neck still growling threateningly.

“Still nothing?" She asked, releasing me.

“Nope, my dear lioness."

“Well, it worth a try." She let me sat up again. “You have to drink a lot of water. It will help."

“Or just the bite in my neck that you offered." I stood up grabbing my head.

“It would definitely work, but I don't want to make my sister angry." She smiled at me.

“Good point. Let's go." I walked out from the room.

I felt myself less miserable after I stepped outside of the street. The sun was just getting up but the first beams heating my face caused a good feeling, the fresh air and the lack of people on the street made me look the bright side of the life. There were four chariots full with stuffs, almost seventy lions were waiting in plate armor around them, talking or checking the equipment. They were ready for the road we were about to take. To where? I had no idea, I only knew that we will sneak around the war zone to find some bloke called Ximminth, who was a dangerous person according to Clarissa's description. Maybe he was a retired warrior lion or something. I had no idea really. Pa'adre al'Escon was there too nodding a welcome to me, fully ripped into a brown travelling coat, but he had a broadsword peeking out, attached to his back. There was the Wind-walker, he was bathing in sun with closed eyes. They were the key figures we came for, too bad the luck wasn't with us fully and we did not find The Monk eventually.

“Look at this." Clarissa came after me and a box were in her mouth, hanging from a cord. She put it down in front of me. “It was next to my bed, but it isn't mine." It was a small wooden box, without any decoration or mark. Not bigger than ten inches in every dimension. She opened slowly, reaching out for the Source ready to the magic in case it was a trap.

“What is that?" I pointed to a bottle full with some silver fluid. There was only a small paper next by it, my lioness just took, unfolded meanwhile I crouched down to examine the contents from closer.

“Hm…" She have read the letter and smiled with all her teeth.

“Good news? Because I have no idea what is this." I took the bottle, leveled to my eyes. It was a sliver colored liquid but as I moved it the little waves at the top turned to orange and green. The viscosity was oil like, the density was close to some syrup, but the bottle was unusually heavy, despite the glass wasn't thick.

“The best news. Look." She handed the latter to me so I gave them the bottle in exchange. There were beautifully written letters in green color, obviously drawn by steady hands:

_Greetings Legendary Lioness Leader,

I know you were looking for me because of this; A small flask of Dragon's Dream. It will be enough to put twelve dragons into a two hours long sleeping period. I have no idea how you will make that beast drink it, but I trust your skills.

All debts are cleared, we are even.

Best Regards,

The Monk_

There was a little image of a sleeping and snorting dragon under the text and a similarly made lioness dancing in victory next by an empty vial. She resembled to Clarissa quite well. That Monk was a talented caricaturist.

“Wait a minute!" I told on a high voice my head almost split into multiple pieces so I hissed in pain. I continued on lower tone. “You are really want to make a dragon sleep by force? Are you insane?"

“It is just a precautionary measure to get this bottle. I don't want to use it just if he will attack us. I hope we can convince him to help us without problem." She explained and put the bottle into a pocket of her pack. She also wore the plate armor with side packs.

“Ximminth! He is the dragon!" I almost slapped my forehead in realization but it would have kill me in that miserable state I was sure, so I stopped in mid-motion and just rubbed my temple.

“Indeed."

“So after we convinced the Wind-walker and the Grand Master to help us, you want to convince a Dragon to do the same. Why?" I asked with wide eyes.

“Because he can help us win the war. Once and for all." She looked into my eyes and the well-known determined General, the Legendary Warrior who defeated many foe was standing in front of me. She took into her head that she will stop a war ongoing for three hundred years and nothing will dissuade her.

She was Clarissa Blood-drinker, my Aunt, a Demigod, Flame of the Bone Tower, General of the Brotherhood of Claws, my friend. I will help her reach her goals with all the power and knowledge I had, because I was Magister Eric Anderson from the Academy of Iceland and I was the Son of Kaida the Gold, an Ancient Dragon Goddess!

We will need my mother's blessing as we should not fail.

“Let's go then My Dear Lioness, win that war!" I told her with a smile, she smiled back at me and purred her thank when she rubbed her head to my chest.

The End of Part 3