Author's Note: Was I inspired by a reality show? This story is taking an odd turn... Promise we'll get back to dragons soon.

            Craven woke up when he thought he heard something rustling leaves. His eyes only took a moment to adjust to the dark of night, but his mind took much longer to figure out where he was. He found Sephira naked by his side with her body stretched out in the most beautiful position on the grass. The way she laid on her side accentuated the curve of her hip and the slenderness of her waist and her arm sprawled out in the grass in a graceful way. He looked up from her to the dark stones that surrounded them in a perfect circle and the memories of their night became clearer. Whatever had rustled the leaves wasn't in his line of sight between the slits of the stones. He felt exhaustion tug at him, but the thought of being found naked with his mate in the garden in the daylight by their companions didn't appeal to him.

"Sephira." His voice called to her softly, as his warm hand pressed to her shoulder. He guessed she would want to bathe before getting into bed, but she didn't seem to wake up from his touch and her skin was clammy. "Sephira, baby, we should go." He said in an urgent whisper close to her face.

"Craven..." she sounded weak like her energy had been completely drained and her eyes didn't open. "I can't move." She told him, making worry wash over him. She tried to reach her hand to him, but she couldn't lift her arm and she was breathing with effort.

"Is it from the wine?" he asked as he tried to swallow his panic and keep his wits about him. His worried gaze went to the clothing scattered in the grass. He frowned at the white skirt and the silver dress, before he decided to grab her undergarments and he pulled them on over her limp legs. She seemed to sigh in relief when he pulled her arm over his shoulder and lifted her body from the grass with one arm around her back and the other in the bend of her knees.

"Craven." She breathed as her head rolled to rest against his shoulder. "I lo-ve you." It was barely a whisper and it made him more nervous about what she thought was happening than what it meant for their relationship. He didn't care that he was naked as he adjusted her against him to slip between the stones out into the dark garden. She was limp in his arms and felt colder than he would expect on a tropical island. The night was cool so he was clinging to that being the reason for her body's drop in temperature. He walked quickly against the tiredness in his legs and was breathing heavier than he thought he should've from carrying her light body. His eyes landed on the magick pool. The naiads had crawled out and were laying against each other dead asleep on the far shore on a patch of moss. Their violet skirts draped about their naked legs and their skin looked dry like they had been asleep for a while.

Craven tried to be quiet as he entered the water with Sephira still in his arms. The water was relaxing, but it seemed to make the exhaustion in his muscles heavier. He placed her up to her collarbone on the edge in a sitting position for only long enough to use his hands to wipe the sweat from her skin before he pulled her back out so it didn't make her condition worse.

The warmth of something dripping down his dry chest made him look down at her face to see tears falling down her face. He climbed out of the water as quickly as he could. His body felt like it was falling apart and he couldn't tell if it was from some spell or from the crippling fear of losing her.

"What are you doing?" Malina's voice asked with a hint of intrigue at the sight of Craven's bare tattooed buttocks.

"I need help." His voice sounded broken and it made Malina get up quickly at the sickening sound of it.

"What's the matter?" she asked softly as she lifted herself from Demitro's arms to go to where Craven crouched on the other side of the pool. She couldn't see much in the dark and used the side of the dimly blue glowing water to get to him.

"I don't know what's wrong with her." His voice wavered as Malina looked down at the female Duvendis' half-naked body laying lifelessly on the ground. Malina knelt beside him as Demitro asked what was wrong. She ignored him as she cautiously reached to touch the elf's bare shoulder. When the elf didn't react, she gathered the courage to check her pulse on her slender neck. She was alive but her pulse was a little weak. Demitro had gotten up and he lit a lantern, letting Malina see that the elf seemed to be a normal pallor and didn't have any wounds.

Craven's hands went to her face as if trying to wake her up. Malina took her hand back nervously when she saw the Duvendis' silver eyes open a sliver. Instead of opening her eyes further, the elf breathed out in exhaustion and her eyes closed. Her head looked heavy as her body went limp in Craven's shaking hands.

"She's alive. She doesn't look poisoned." Malina tried to comfort the orc whose jaw was clenched and body was frozen as if he was barely holding himself together.

"It could be from a spell." Demitro pointed out in a quiet voice, making Malina think back to the song she had sung. Was this the cost of her Duvendis spell? She'd never seen a Duvendis show weakness let alone collapse and she'd seen Duvendis sing songs like hers on the battlefield.

"I don't think it's from her song. It must be from another spell." Malina said, waving her arm out in a flowing movement to gather water from the pool before weaving a sign with her hands. Craven inched back, but didn't take his eyes from his mate as he held out hope that Malina could heal whatever was wrong with her. He could barely breathe as he watched the water follow Malina's mesmerizing movements and form a wavy circle over Sephira. The light from the lantern reflected and refracted in the water casting branching strips of light over Sephira's damp gold skin.

"She seems drained of magick." Malina commented. Craven turned to her stiffly and Malina glanced to see the questions in his eyes. "It's not a big deal." She explained. "Magick comes and goes and sometimes it gets drained-" She had refocused her green eyes on Sephira like she could see something through the diamond she made with her fingers and her eyebrows had furrowed like she was perturbed by it. "She'll...regain...magick naturally..." she muttered as she focused on her hands and moved them slowly as if looking at every inch of Sephira's body or maybe her soul inside. She dropped her hands suddenly and the water dropped with gravity all over Sephira. Craven scowled at Malina and Sephira stirred slightly, trying to open her eyes but losing the battle with sleep.

"What did you see?" Demitro asked with urgency as Malina sat on her knees looking down at the elf with perturbation still in her expression.

"There's a spell used for sacrifices..." she started making Craven's heart go cold. "It's not like that." She told Craven. "In order to strengthen certain spells or give magick to a certain site. Sometimes an unborn soul can be given up before it becomes a soul. It's just stray magick until it gathers in a fetus as it grows." She glanced to see the shock on Craven's face. "She wasn't pregnant. There's no fetus... but, she must've conceived and then offered the conceived up. It opened a channel when the magick was taken and must've sucked out some of her magick too." Craven was grappling with the idea of Sephira giving up his unborn child, but knew there was more to the deal she made with Hera than he was aware of. He had struggled to keep up with their cryptic conversation speaking of magick and spells over dinner. Then he remembered Hera speaking with her briefly alone. Was there another deal they made?

"I'm sorry, Craven." Malina broke him out of his thoughts.

"Is she going to recover? Is the channel closed?" he asked, running his hand over her cheek to her neck.

"As far as I can tell. She may just need to rest..." she answered, letting her eyes travel over the elf's enviable body in curiosity.

"Be careful of the witch." Craven murmured to Malina and Demitro, making Demitro frown. "This must've been part of the deal they made to get us off the island." Craven slipped his arms around the Duvendis and lifted her from the grass. Malina had to stop herself from eyeing Craven's naked privates and knew her mate was watching her intently. When the orc left and disappeared into the darkness of the jungle, she ruminated on what kind of deal the Duvendis could've made with the witch. She could still feel the calming effect of the spell that had gotten through her wards, the relaxation from the water, and a little bit of a dizziness from the wine. She didn't feel like her magick had been drained much if at all. Why would a Duvendis sacrifice her own magick for a bunch of strangers of other races? Did she only make a deal to get her mate and her Duvendis companion off the island or was it for all of them?

*

Isolde woke in confusion and found herself in a white gazebo, when the memories of the night before returned. The nymph boy had been in her bed! She turned to the sleeping boy and panic flooded through her. Did she accidently lose her virtue? He had his arms around her, she still remembered the feel of his firm body and his soft lips on hers. She frantically threw back the covers to see that she was still dressed in her tattered red dress and undergarments and he stirred. He was wearing his white clothes as well. Isolde searched the white sheets for blood to suggest she'd lost her virginity but even when she didn't find any, she couldn't help the dread that pooled in her stomach.

"Isolde, what's the matter?" he asked sleepily, his pale hand running through his jet-black hair. It shined in the morning light along.

"You have to get out before someone finds you here!" she cried, springing up out of bed to pull his arms. He stumbled onto his feet and her head was pounding with a headache from the sudden movement.

"Nothing happened. I didn't take your virtue. Is that what you're worried about?" he asked gently, resisting her attempts to pull him towards the door.

"No one can know you were in my bed." Isolde answered in a harsh whisper. She couldn't decide if she believed him. His silver eyes were dark grey in the daylight and she worried she couldn't trust him. He looked sad as she pulled him to the door.

"I don't understand." He frowned. "Didn't you have fun last night?" she felt terrible and guilty, but was resolute in making him leave. The Princesses of Earth Kingdom would have their reputation irreparably damaged if a boy was found in their bed and even if they hadn't gone so far as to lose their virginity, the people wouldn't believe them anyway.

She opened the door with her heart pounding and looked out into the empty hall before nudging him out. He looked so sad she was on the verge of tears.

"I did, but you have to go." She whispered to him. He nodded with a heart-broken look on his face before his head bowed and he made his way down the hallway. Before he had gone, the door across the hall opened and Luna met Isolde's half-teary eyes. Her sharp eyes turned to the footsteps and she turned back to Isolde before her head tilted slightly. Her black hair fell in luxurious waves around her heart-shaped face. Isolde was grimacing.

"Luna, don't tell anyone." She murmured as tears burst from her green eyes. It couldn't be any worse except maybe if Markus had caught her.

"What happened?" she asked softly, making her way across the hall on bare feet. She was only wearing a white nightgown and Isolde was struck with how different she looked than when she wore her armor.

"I- I don't remember if I... there was a boy in my bed when I fell asleep! I was drunk! I don't think we-" Isolde could barely get her words out and Luna closed the door after entering the room with her eyes going to Isolde's unmade bed.

"You woke up dressed? There's no blood." Luna shook her head as Isolde collapsed to sit on the edge of the bed with her head in her hands. "Relax, Isolde. I didn't hear anything last night. I think you probably just slept." She said in a high voice as she took a seat next to her and rubbed her back.

"I'm in so much trouble! How could I be so stupid?" Isolde breathed, holding back her sobs.

"Isolde, even if you did, no one would know except your future husband and maybe he wouldn't care. You'd have to be married first before he found out." Luna told her with sympathy.

"That's horrible! What if he leaves me and tells everyone?" Isolde cried.

"You're going to be the queen of Earth Kingdom. If he left you, he'd be leaving everything that comes with marrying you." Luna told her stubbornly.

There was a knock at her door and Luna opened it hesitantly. It was only Dawn and when she saw Isolde she instantly looked concerned.

"What's wrong?" Dawn asked moving into the room to Isolde. Isolde stood up and hugged her and she rubbed her back as Luna made eye contact with her and closed the door quietly. Isolde explained what happened as they pulled apart and Dawn rubbed her shoulders comfortingly as Isolde tried to calm down.

"Relax, Isolde. You probably didn't." She sounded unsure and was annoyed at herself for not sounding more confident, but after she kissed a Duvendis and had erotic dreams herself, she was worried there was something in the wine.

"Dawn." Isolde squeaked in turmoil as she sat back down on the bed.

"There's no blood. You would feel it wouldn't you?" Dawn asked in a whisper, feeling unequipped to help her because she herself hadn't lost her virginity.

"I'm not sure. I think so." Isolde was calming down slowly and Dawn sat her on the bed, but Isolde was practically shaking in apprehension about the consequences. Dawn knelt down in front of her.

"You woke dressed." she confirmed seriously. Isolde nodded slowly. "Just slow down your thoughts and try to remember. I don't think it's something you'd forget even if you were drunk." Dawn told her more confidently. Isolde's eyes were far away, but she seemed to be calming down gradually.

"Are you sore? I think you'd be sore." Luna added nodding.

"No, I'm not sore... anywhere." She breathed in embarrassment.

"I think it's safe to assume your virtue is intact..." Dawn decided after a moment.

"Gods, I hope so." Isolde whimpered, pulling at her dress nervously.

"You should drink some water. Did you drink a lot of the wine?" Dawn said, getting up to search for a cup and a pitcher of water.

"I had... maybe a few sips. I don't understand how I got drunk." Isolde answered, her eyes searching the floor as she tried to remember when exactly she started to feel drunk.

"The wine was very strong. I was drunk after a sip too." Dawn said darkly, as Dawn appeared with water and handed her a metal chalice.

"Don't tell anyone, please." Isolde said, turning to Luna after taking a shaky sip of water.

"I won't. I promise." Luna said resolutely.

"I don't think anything happened, Isolde." Dawn insisted.

"There's no blood. She's right. I think there's supposed to be blood and most women are sore. That's what my mother told me." Luna added.

"Have you seen the Duvendis? I was looking for the male, but I don't know where their rooms are." Dawn said hesitantly after a few minutes.

"No, I didn't see him at all last night. What does he look like?" Isolde asked, her eyes alight with a sudden curiosity.

"He's blonde and tattooed." Luna told her with her eyes wide as she remembered seeing a glimpse of his skin when he rode to find the ship on his dragon.

"What? Really?" Isolde asked, seeing a funny look in Dawn's eyes like she had seen him and was guilty about it.

"He looks just like the female. I just wanted to know if he knew anything about the deal with the witch." Dawn lied, knowing there were other more embarrassing reasons about why she wanted to see Sorin. "I'm going to go look for Leuthil too. Are you going to be alright?" Dawn asked, looking to both girls as Luna joined Isolde on the bed.

"Yeah, we'll be fine." Isolde answered before taking another sip of the water. Dawn sent her a sympathetic smile as she left the room and closed the door behind her before making her way down the hall.

*

"Dawn." His voice was soft when he found her and she practically jumped out of her skin when he suddenly appeared in front of her. She had passed Markus' room where the naiads were helping him with his hangover. He looked terrible- definitely worse than Isolde.

"Sorin, I was looking for you." Dawn said, looking down at the tile floor like she was too nervous to meet his eyes.

"I was going to go see Sephira. Do you want to come with me?" he asked, sounding reluctant. Dawn almost said it would be fine for him to go without her, but she really wanted to know about the deal they made with the witch.

"What deal did you make with the witch? Will we be able to get off the island?" she asked as he started walking and she followed him.

"It's complicated." Sorin said stubbornly. Dawn sent him a look that made him smirk.

"I'm sure I can keep up." Dawn deadpanned.

"Let's just make sure she's okay. I'm just worried she's not okay." Sorin muttered hurriedly as he picked up his pace and Dawn struggled to keep up with him.

"What happened to her? Did the witch do something?" Dawn asked in a whisper with a glance around the half-enclosed hallway that had openings that led to the gardens which were bathed in bright sunlight.

"No..." Sorin answered slowly as they came to a closed door and he looked back at Dawn in apprehension. She couldn't decide what he was so worried about, but his worry was making her nervous.

*

Craven was sitting on the bed with his tunic and blackilt on when Sephira's eyes opened to a bright room. She closed them with a cringe as the brightness seemed to pierce into her eyes causing sharp pain in her head. She shifted to use Craven's dark form to hide herself from the sun. She reached around his hip as she pulled her head closer to his other side around his buttocks. She could tell by the way he didn't stroke her arm that he was mad at her and she opened her eyes slowly, with her eye lashes brushing his blackilt that was touching her nose and lips. It must've been midday with how bright the sun was. Even in the covered gazebo it seemed to blaze against the white sheets.

He looked down to see her trying to look up at him with her eye brows arched at the effort. She was only able to open one of her eyes and he could tell the brightness of the room was the problem. He guessed she'd be hungover from the wine since he heard from Malina that Markus wasn't even able to get out of bed after consuming only one glass.

He was definitely mad... Sephira decided when she saw the stony look on his face as he looked down at her. Did Hera tell him? She vaguely remembered seeing Malina. Craven reached to the table by the bed and held a glass of water up for her. She untangled herself from around him and gladly took the water to lessen her headache. She found he had put her undergarments and shift on and she was relieved to not be wearing the silver dress.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, taking the water from her shaking hands before she was able to spill it. "About the spell?" he growled, when she struggled to swallow her water fast enough to answer him without choking.

"I-" She felt like her body was too heavy and wanted to collapse into him and hide her face in his chest, but he gripped her shoulders and stared her down for an answer. "She said if you found out, the spell would fail." She answered in a squeaky, hoarse voice. The sound of her voice seemed to lessen his anger slightly. "I was going to tell you, but I got drunk and forgot..." she frowned in embarrassment. He didn't look like he believed her. "I used the dress to perform the spell. It made me go into heat when I put it on." She told him, seeing his eyebrows furrow as if he was disturbed. She pushed out of his grip on her shoulders to press her head to his chest and reached her arms around his torso. "I didn't realize the wine was so strong. Something Hera said made me want to go to the stone circle. It's the safest place I could've performed the spell, but I- I forgot about the spell... The stone circle and the full moon must've amplified it. It took more than I meant to give... I'm so tired." She groaned, against his chest. He couldn't help putting his arms around her, but he was still annoyed that she didn't tell him. He felt betrayed.

"You should've told me. I thought you were dying." He huffed. She felt the rumbling of his deep voice in his chest and it was comforting until his words registered in her mind.

"The spell is dangerous. You wouldn't have let me perform it if you knew what it could cost..." she whispered. He pulled her head away from his chest to stare into her face. So stubborn. Why's she so stubborn? He asked himself. "If it wasn't performed right, I could've given up my ability to bear children, your ability to bear children, and I guess it could've killed me, but I'd have to be an idiot for it to kill me..." Her eyes were far away as they seemed to look back and forth down at his abdomen.

"How do you know we didn't give those up?" he asked in anxiety and exasperation.

"Because I performed most of the spell sober." She laughed. He was frowning as her body was still floppy in his grasp and her voice was weak.

"Do you even remember last night?" he asked, new feelings of upset coming over him when he remembered their conversation. She looked up at him as if she was confused.

"Of course." She answered finally, seeing the frown on his face. She reached up to touch his cheek and jaw softly and his eyes had been avoiding her but her touch made him look and she could see how upset he was. "Nothing I said was a lie." She insisted in a strong voice that sounded much more like herself. His jaw clenched beneath her hand. "I don't lie to you, Craven. I didn't want to hurt you. I never meant to hurt you." She whispered her words close to his face after pulling herself into his lap with both her hands on the sides of his face. "Please, don't be mad at me." She whimpered, before pressing a soft kiss to his lips. She was relieved when his lips answered hers and his arms came around her.

They were interrupted by a soft knock at the door and Sephira could feel that it was Sorin.

"Sorin." She murmured to tell him to come in with her lips still only inches from Craven's. When the sound of the door opening wasn't as purposeful as usual, she turned to look. Sorin wasn't alone like she expected. Dawn was with him, but what made her tilt her head was his hesitancy. He was hiding something. Dawn watched as Sephira's eyes narrowed not at her, at Sorin and then she saw the strange blonde's silver eyes suddenly go wide in a kind of blank surprise. She was sitting on Craven's lap and he was lounging back on the palm of one hand with the other still on her hip. She still had one hand on his shoulder, but the other had dropped into his lap.

"Uuughh, Sephira!" Sorin groaned in exasperation, throwing his head back and looking at the ceiling after Sephira had found out about his kissing Dawn within the first few seconds he had stepped into her presence. Sephira smirked when Sorin's outburst told her that her suspicions were right and her eyes fell on Dawn with new interest. Dawn was shocked at the look on Sephira's face and horrified that she seemed to have just figured out about what happened between her and Sorin. She stepped back in shock.

"Shush!" Sorin demanded, when he saw the question in Craven's eyes and Sephira turned back to make eye contact with him.

"Somebody's been making out with an Undine..." She whispered in Craven's ear.

"Ach, Sephira!" Sorin growled when he saw the slight smile on Craven's face. "Shiiy-ai, I knew this would happen." Sorin growled with his fangs showing viciously in his mouth. Dawn was practically dumbstruck at how they had communicated. It was unlike anything she had ever seen.

"Relaax." Craven rumbled. "Who cares? We're probably stuck on this gorram island. I'm beginning to become resigned to my fate..." He muttered as he felt Sephira take a deep breath and rest her forehead against his shoulder. Even in Dawn's presence, she was still having a hard time sitting up through the exhaustion that still gripped her. Her head was heavy and she just wanted to lay back down in bed with Craven.

"I'm going to see the dragons." Sorin muttered, stepping out off the tile into the forest to make his way towards where Oryx and Caius were still crouched with Crow. Dawn wanted to follow him, but the anger in his stride was enough to stop her. She looked up to meet Craven's serious gaze.

"What deal did you make to get off the island?" She spoke up when she finally found her voice.

"It doesn't matter." Sephira spoke up without looking up. "It's done. Hera needs to hold up her end now. I just need to sleep and then we can leave." She explained in a grumble.

"Leave?! Leave and go where?" Dawn cried, making Sephira take her forehead away from Craven's shoulder to glare at her.

"Back to the mainland. Obviously." Sephira hissed in Elvish. Dawn looked at Craven. He looked like he was lost in his thoughts then she looked back at Sephira and bowed her head to the intense elf.

"I'll take my leave." Dawn muttered, feeling like she was speaking to the Lord Sith as she slipped out of the room.

"Go back to sleep." Craven whispered to Sephira as her body relaxed against him and he had to use both arms to keep her upright in his lap. She didn't answer, so he lifted her to place her back on the bed.

"Don't leave me." She whimpered, her watery eyes rolling as she tried to keep her eyelids from closing completely.

"I won't." he sighed softly before pressing a kiss to her forehead. Her eyes had closed and sleep had taken her before she could reach to touch him with her arms falling limply onto the bed. He ran his hand down her head and shoulder and she seemed to relax from his touch. He watched her, thinking about how strange and beautiful his mate was. He still had a hard time believing she hadn't put a spell on him to make him feel so strongly about her. Even just the look of her sleeping made a warm almost painful yearning spread in his chest. He never wanted offspring, but the thought of losing an offspring from her was making him feel heartbroken- a feeling he had never had before. How beautiful and perfect would their child have been? How she would glow during her pregnancy. He was upset, but even if she was pregnant, how would they be able to keep their child safe? It wasn't the right time for them. It would've been dangerous and they'd probably be hunted by the Duvendis to the ends of the world. Their mission would be forfeit.

*

Dawn joined Malina, Demitro, and Leuthil at one of the tables for a late midday meal after they had checked on Markus and make sure he ate and drank a lot of water. Isolde and Luna had elected to eat in Isolde's chamber while Nuka had joined some of the young nymph boys and girls in the garden to help Hera. Rauka was led to the gazebo by a human servant and was relieved to join her companions. She had asked about Markus and the others and got a short explanation from Malina.

"Where's Craven and the Duvendis?" Rauka asked hesitantly, looking around at all the empty tables under the white stone structure. Like most of the bed chambers, it had a ceiling but no walls, only white pillars and a view of the garden.

"They're in their chambers." Dawn lied, knowing Sorin had gone to the dragons and Craven was with Sephira probably sleeping. Malina noticed the elf's odd guilty look and narrowed her eyes, but then she saw the dark shape of Craven and his black-clad mate approaching quietly from another direction. He didn't look very happy and Malina recalled their encounter the night before. Was he upset that the Duvendis had betrayed him, sacrificing their unborn offspring?

The blond elf was graceful in her scanty black dress, but she had a dangerous look about her with her black tattoos and the unyielding expression in her silver blue eyes. Dawn practically gulped at the sight of her, but as Malina studied her as she came closer, she realized she recognized her face. Her blond hair, Undine features, and unique silvery blue eyes...

"I've seen you before." Malina accused boldly when Sephira sat down beside Craven. He glanced over at Sephira and she was watching Malina with a guarded look on her face before her eyes glanced over the group of them. Leuthil and Demitro were looking at her in distrust and Rauka and Dawn had their eyes pointed down submissively at the marble table where food was laid out on golden trays. Demitro turned to Malina in confusion when the elf seemed to ignore her statement. Did she fight that Duvendis in the war?

"You were in my dream." Malina's eyebrows had furrowed and her eyes were far away as she pictured the blond girl who saved her from her torturers in her dream at the beginning of their journey. The others couldn't help studying the dark elf's reaction to the strange accusation. She didn't look surprised or guilty, only unconcerned.

"Took me hours to get through your wards." Sephira said suddenly with a smirk.

"You what?!" Leuthil and Demitro cried in outrage. Sephira turned her smug look to them and thought it was funny that Malina hadn't noticed sooner. The others seemed shocked silent.

"That spell was fifty years old. I was barely able to remove it. Most die within a few years. Obviously, your people tried to free you of it." Sephira said calmly, turning back to Malina's shocked, confused expression.

"You were young. You made the Duvendis torturing me vanish..." Malina seemed to be putting the pieces together.

"I only managed to slip part of me through. The spell was deep in your mind." Sephira shrugged. She hadn't wanted to reveal herself. She would've appeared in full armor and mask if she could've, but she was stubborn and decided to go ahead and remove the spell anyway, in the process revealing a version of her younger self.

"What? Your nightmares?" Dawn asked, realizing they were speaking of Malina's nightmares that the naiad had been suffering from for years. Dawn knew she had seen countless healers both naiads and Undine, but there hadn't been much success. She had been taking potions to help her sleep dreamlessly for two-thirds of her life.

"I... I haven't had any... since..." Malina was staring at Sephira in bewilderment as the elf calmly ate some of the food, seeming to be ignoring the stares she was getting.

"It's a Duvendis spell. You must've unmasked someone during the war." Sephira suspected, seeing the recognition in Malina's eyes that she was right. Dawn was shocked, watching Malina's expression before turning back to the mysterious Duvendis. "It's the same one the druid used." Suddenly, the elf's face showed her perturbation and then she turned to Craven looking worried. "I removed it from you as well." she said to him, seeing him tilt his head, before his eyebrows raised as he remembered the void that was under the grey hood of the Grey Council member that had attacked them. It was similar to the one that appeared when Ariemme had taken Sephira's mask off on the ship and that was the same as the one when Sorin's mask was taken off when they arrived on the island.

"The void..." Craven muttered, making Sephira nod gravely.

"If the pain in your nightmares doesn't kill you, the lack of sleep does." Sephira explained softly, shaking her head as her hand went to caress his jaw. Craven remembered the feel of her fingers on his skin and knew without a doubt she had been in his tent that night and had touched his face the same way while he was asleep. The others were riveted on the gentleness of her expression and how she touched him. How could a heartless Duvendis care about an orc?

"You removed a Duvendis curse... from a naiad?" Dawn asked slowly, wondering what got into her to utter her strange question. She was shocked that the dark elf would have any interest in helping a naiad, especially one like Malina who had only hatred and suspicion for Duvendis.

"The war is over. No need to carry around old curses." Sephira said sternly, turning back to see the vulnerable confusion on Malina's face.

"You could get through our wards?" Demitro uttered in distrust. Sephira raised an eyebrow.

"Can you not get through mine?" she asked lightly, turning to Leuthil and Dawn to see they both looked surprised. Neither could think of what to say. They wouldn't dare try to get through a Duvendis' wards for fear of the curses that would befall them or the wrath of the Duvendis for trying.

"How could the Grey Council have knowledge of Duvendis magick?" Craven asked in worry, his eyebrows pressed down.

"We'll have to find out." Sephira announced sounding deadly. The dark sound of her beautiful voice sent shivers up Dawn's spine in the same way her voices would have. She was beginning to fear the woman again, even without her mask and ghostly voices. Then Sephira's eyes went white and everyone at the table froze in shock except Craven who figured she was getting a message from her brother or her dragon. They went back to normal and she went back to eating her food, looking unconcerned. Rauka and Craven were eating slowly, but the naiads and Undine looked alarmed, like they didn't expect her to be able to trance with her dragon.

"What is it?" Leuthil ventured to ask the dark elf, making her look up.

"Nothing." Sephira answered nonchalantly. Then the other Duvendis appeared after silently approaching. Malina was amazed at how handsome he was, with his sharp features and long blond hair. The shape of his lean muscular body made her burn as much as the look of the black script that showed on his sternum from where his black tunic was loose on his smooth tanned chest. His eyes flashed as they met Malina's and she reluctantly looked down at her food. "Eat." Sephira urged him again, this time out loud. She saw his eyes land on Dawn whose pale skin was blushing as she avoided looking up from her food.

He sat down reluctantly with a stern annoyed look on his face and they ate in silence until Hera stepped into the room from the direction of the garden. Sephira stood up using Craven's shoulder for support before anyone spoke and approached the witch with a slight bow.

"I have made preparations for a portal to appear at sunset on the western side of the island." Hera told her, seeming disappointed that they'd be leaving.

"Thank you." Sephira answered, trying to sound gracious and only sounding cursory.

"Will all your companions be accompanying you?" she asked slowly with a hungry glance at the table.

"Perhaps." Sephira answered, guessing they'd all want to leave, but not having seen the humans to know if that's what they wanted.

"My nymphs and I will be sad to see you go. It would please us if you came to visit again." Hera said, to Sephira's surprise.

"Where is the island? If it's somewhere we'd be able to sail to... without becoming trapped?" Sephira said slowly, trying not to sound as reluctant as she was.

"It is off the southern coast of your mainland. You would of course be able to stay as long as you like." To Sephira's surprise, images of the southern coast appeared in her mind. She saw the city of Leiberthia south of the Pedassus desert and then her mind's eye flew down over the forest of Aekroba. She'd been to Leiberthia before and recognized the land from above before the ocean obstructed her view and then the Northern edge of the island appeared. She could tell the journey over the sea was long, too long for a dragon to fly if it flew for three days straight. She nodded when the images receded and Hera wore a friendly smile, satisfied that Sephira seemed to recognize the lands.

"Where does the portal lead?" Sephira asked suspiciously.

"Nowhere good, but it is on the mainland." She sighed.

"Does it go both ways?" Sephira probed, making Hera raise an eyebrow.

"I don't know. No one has ever taken it and come back, so I assume not." She frowned. "You're welcome to stay here as long as you want before you go on your journey. There is plenty of food on the island." Hera told her, offering Sephira a golden apple from the basket she carried on her elbow. Sephira thought for a moment before she took a bite of the apple. Dawn's mouth was a thin line as she watched Sephira eat the strange apple and she spent a moment worrying that it was another drug. Hera moved towards the table and placed the basket near the center.

"These are the most precious fruit that grows on the island. Please, enjoy." She said with a smile. Sephira had come back over and found the apple seemed to have helped her regain her strength, though her spell had taken almost all of her energy and she had been feeling almost too weak to walk when she made her way to the table. Craven glanced at her to make sure it was alright before taking an apple and she took her place next to him as she enjoyed the sweet flesh of the amazing apple. Sorin had taken one too and the others followed their example with nervous thank you's to the witch.