Dragon Dance - MaxTul's Story

Part 8 - Intrigue

They talked a bit more, out on the steppe, where Max filled them in on Wayo's poisoning. How his trained nose smelled the poison, plus the rare, banned substance from the America's. 

Both siblings were shocked and scared that the Queen was doing this. Why to the new princeling? Why to the tiny pregnant Wayo? They had no answers among themselves.

Max only shrugged his human shoulders. "Tonight, at the court feast is where we will find our answers. For now, don't eat a meat dish unless I do first. I spent 30 years training with a poison expert as part of my diplomat training."

Again, both siblings nodded, although now they were more subdued. Max could feel through the bond Tul didn't want to return to the clutch. He sent reassurance through it, until Tul calmed down. 

Personally, Max couldn't wait to teach Tul all of what the bond entailed, both personal and magical. He smiled to himself. The first mating on the wing... was special.

Tul punched Max lightly on the arm. "I can feel your excitement but I don't know what it's about. If you can't hold back those thoughts, at least share them."

Teena watched with amusement as Tul's face flushed. "Ohh, yes, please Max, do tell! Tul rarely blushes. I want to know."

Max laughed aloud. "Are you sure you're older than him? You sure give off younger sister vibes."

Teena preened. "I will take that compliment."

From a distance, on the wing, the spy shivered. The Queen was going to go ballistic on him, again, for not having any intel. How was he going to learn anything if they didn't speak out loud? Tell her what? That the foreign dragon complimented the princess?

Finally, they shifted to dragon and flew, sedately back to the clutch. The spy, disgruntled, deliberately let himself be seen. He was tired, cranky and hungry. He knew he was in trouble. He knew his life was over. 

Teena looked over her shoulder at the flash of yellow. "Tul, isn't that Pip?"

Glancing back, Tul sighed. The red wing pattern on the wing flashed distinctly in the distance. "Yes, that's Pip. Do you know when he started working for the Queen?" Teena's tail swished, no.

They had developed a way to communicate with their tails, since if their mother was around, she could, in essence, break into their thoughts. At least, they believed she could. So they never took any chances. All wyrms had restless tails.

"What's a pip?" Max inquired.

"My classmate." Sadness laced Tul's sending. "We went through graduation together. Since I was a prince, Pip was held back another year, to go with me." Tul's tail swished in agitation and he beat his wings twice, with fury. "Why is Mother doing this?"

Max sent back reassurance through the bond. So that Teena could understand, "We will figure out what the Queen is up to, Tul. I'm here to help. I'll contact Giant and ask him also to help guard Pha and Wayo."

With a flick of her tail, just before landing, Teena inquired, "Who's Giant?"

Tul sent a picture of him, in his human form, never having seen him in dragon. Max replied, briefly, "My older sibling."

"Ohhh, he's handsome!"

Tul snorted, smoke coming from his nostrils. "Rein it in, sister. If Giant follows in his other sibling's lead, there is a good chance he will fall for the same sex."

The tiny dragon shrugged, clearly a talent as the sleek bodies didn't HAVE shoulders, "It doesn't matter, Tul, I can appreciate beauty. Can't I, my beautiful brother in law?" Her tail sneaking up to caress his boldly colored scales.

Swiftly, Tul's tail snapped out. "Hand's off! I told you, he's mine." It was the bond, accenting the natural tendencies in Tul's nature, to strengthen the bond in it's early stages. Both siblings clearly heard Max's laughter in their minds.

Teena turned, this time, it was her underbelly flushed to a rosy gold. "Why are you laughing?"

"Do you normally tease your brother this intensely?" He slid closer to his bonded, and twisted their tails together. "Do you normally get so angry?"

They all paused in their walking... and slowly both siblings shook their heads. Teena spoke first. "No, I don't. I tease him gently, because of mother, to bring laughter into the gloomy clutch. That's it."

Tul nodded his long sleek nose, "I laugh, we fly. It's not serious at all."

"Don't take this seriously either. It's just our bond, forcing us to be together, to be stronger as one." Max slid his tail free and pointed with his eyes. "I feel sorry for that Pip spy. He looks completely miserable. Should we talk with him?"

With a odd look in her eye, Teena sighed, "No. He got himself into this mess. If we need to save him, it has to be done with the saving of the whole clutch. You know, there are things I didn't understand until I met you, Prince Max." She shifted to human and smiled. 

He shifted and pushed his hair from his forehead. "And what's that, Princess Teena?"

"Sometimes, one dragon has to be sacrificed for the good of the whole clutch. I'm sorry, Tul." Regret laced through her voice as she shouted aloud, "NOW!"

Six wryms came and surrounded the two royal dragons. "Thank you for explaining to the Queen, your treachery, my brother. Our mother always knew she gave birth to a traitor." Teena circled him and clicked her tongue, sadly. "I gave you chance after chance to prove your loyalty to the clutch. Instead, you had to act like a human, with feelings."

Another circle around the bonded pair, that odd look on her face. "We rule the skies. We rule with might. We will gain our rightful place as the dominate species of the world again. No more hiding. For 2,500 years, it's all Mother has wanted. Who are the other wyrms to stop her?" Turning, Teena strode to Pip and stroked him gently on the nose.

"You played your part well, my pet. Good job." Pip's eyes flashed with regret, as he met Tul's gaze. Tul nodded once at him. He could, for some reason, feel his anxiety and something else, coming off of him in waves.

Max grinned, suddenly. "Look at him, with sight." Tul shifted his eyes immediately and looked at poor Pip. There, wrapped around his heart, were the thick, bright bonds that traveled all along his veins. He followed them as they wound down his arms and... 

Glancing at his sister, she too, had the same thick bonds! Tul burst out laughing. He threw back his head and roared. "Sister dear, YOU are screwed." Merrily, he linked arms with Max. "Are we confined to my cavern? Let's go and get dressed for dinner. The Queen has standards."

"Tul, stop! What do you mean by that?" Teena screamed at him. "Don't you dare walk away from me! Tul! Tul!" Turning on the six wyrms, "Don't let them wander around unescorted you fools!" 

Their laughter and Teena's screeches mixed in the corridors, causing fear to all the lesser wyrms.