"Sorin, I will be fine. Caius is more than fast enough to get me away from them if I make an attempt on Azaesel's life and fail." Sephira tried to tell him, though she knew they both could feel her uncertainty. He only ripped off his mask to give her a knowing look and her eyebrows pressed down because she knew he was right. "We decided to send the naiads and the Undine will stay because I think I'll be able to get more information." She told him, which made him look a little less angry. "Actually," She said in a low voice. "I need you to get me a new mask." She could see the outrage on his face as he swallowed in an attempt to not scream at her that she's crazy to ask him to leave her. "If I do make an attempt to kill Azaesel, I'll need my mask to be able to get back home..." She told him, looking at the floor away from his intense stare before looking back up underneath her eye lashes. He pursed his lips and took a deep breath as he tried to think about it from her point of view. "I will play it safe until you return. Azaesel is under his own spell." She told him, as she put her arm around him as she plopped down beside him on his sleeping furs. "He has tried to mesmerize me since he met me and he thinks it's working, but I've reflected it back at him. Craven thinks he's too in love with me to hurt me." She laughed.

"Doesn't he know his spell is reverberating?" Sorin asked in confusion.

"He hasn't stopped trying to use it. He would've stopped if he thought it wasn't working on me." Sephira told him as he took her hand in his. He interlaced his fingers in hers with their hands clasped over his thigh. She could tell he was uneasy about her proximity to the man he'd seen through her eyes fighting and hurting Craven and looking at her with that unnerving lust.

*

Sephira woke in familiar sleeping furs to the sight of her brother's sleeping face close in front of her own. Her hand was in his between them where they laid on their sides facing each other. She removed her hand from his relaxed grip only to run her fingers down the side of his face. His eyes flickered open at her soft touch and he sighed, feeling much more complete with her close to him again. He knew he had gotten agitated since being left to wait without her and he felt bad for how difficult he had been with the Undine and Naiads. They seemed to fear him more each day as he grew more irritated about not being able to help his sister. The loving look on her face made him smile. He hadn't seen his mother make that look since he was very young and though his father made it every once in a while, he tended to direct it at Sephira rather than himself. Though his mother seemed to favor him over Sephira since her and her mother fought more often than they agreed on things, she only focused on making him fight more viciously or lead with a merciless attitude.

Sephira shifted to put her forehead to her brother's and though he felt an awful desire to kiss her, the feel of her smooth skin against his was comforting. He ran his hand down the silky black tunic on her shoulder and upper arm and she let her leg slide between his as her eyes flickered closed again and he focused on keeping his breathing steady and his body relaxed.

*

Craven joined the Undine and Naiads by the fire in the morning while the others were all in their tents still. He had been disappointed not to have Sephira with him in the night, but he was glad she was spending time with her brother she hadn't seen. He could hear her laugh in their tent and caught himself before he let himself become jealous. They were speaking Elvish and he could tell the Undine and Naiads were listening in by the look on their faces.

"What are they talking about?" Craven ventured to ask.

"They're trying to decide who would win in a fight, Ariemme or... Mithayr? Is that a name?" Malina answered, before looking to the Undine.

"It's the maternal word for sire. It's a Duvendis word. I guess an orc might say birth mother. It's sort of a more impersonal word for mother, I guess." Dawn explained.

"They have a different word for mother? They don't use 'myamit'" Malina probed.

"Uh, I thought they did, but I haven't met many Duvendis..." Dawn looked to Leuthil.

"I guess they aren't very close to their mother." Leuthil commented.

"Not surprised. Their mother doesn't sound like the nurturing type..." Craven frowned as he remembered some of the stories Sephira had told him.

"She told you about her mother?" Malina asked in surprise as Rauka and Erek came out of their tents and joined them.

"Just a few things..." Craven said cryptically as he resisted the urge to brag about their relation not only to the leader of the Duvendis but also the leader of the Undine.

"Are you close with your mother?" Dawn asked Craven out of the blue. His eyebrows furrowed and Rauka and Erek looked like they knew why. Dawn regret her question when he didn't answer right away.

"Not really." Craven said finally, looking at Erek and Rauka as he tried to decide. "My father has a lot of mates and I'm the eldest of his offspring, so I've lived with him since I was young..." Craven explained with his eyebrows furrowed as he thought back to the last time, he had seen his mother. Though she was always loving and gentle when he saw her, he didn't get to see her very often.

"She does love you, Craven." Erek pointed out, sounding very unlike an orc to the others.

"Sure, but I rarely see her. It's been half a year." He said as Sephira appeared behind him and he felt her hands slide over his shoulders. He looked distractedly up at her and she closed her eyes as she kissed him lightly on the lips. She settled herself behind him on the rock, sliding her arms around his tunic-clad abdomen and leaning her forehead against the back of his muscular shoulder with her legs folded on either side of his hips. He rubbed her arm as he felt her sigh with her body pressed close to him and he turned back to the others who all seemed riveted on her show of affection. Rauka had grown used to seeing her without a mask and used to her and Craven together. She had practically forgotten about how taboo their relationship was.

Rauka got to work making some food and was glad to get to cook when she hadn't for what felt like so long. Sephira moved to sit next to Craven to eat and Erek tried not to look uncomfortable by her presence and was glad Rauka had taken the seat between him and the Duvendis wraith.

When Sephira finished her food and the sun had risen in the sky, she sat still while she tranced with Caius and she had him fly above them to make sure there was no one around. It was much easier than the last time she had tranced with him to get him to fly away from the castle. She could feel that he wanted her to get on him and fly home. It was almost breeding season and he wanted to see his mate. The others were all watching her as she blinked and her eyes turned their normal color. She had a smirk on her face.

"What is it?" Dawn asked before Craven could.

"Nothing. I just missed my dragon." She said as she saw Sorin look down after he had read her thoughts and seemed to regret it. "Come." She told Craven as she got up and took his hand. He followed with the slightest hesitancy and she had him get on Caius with her. She heard the others ask where she was going and Sorin told them 'just for a flight', but knew she had something strange in mind. He was skeptical that it would work.

Craven clutched onto the saddle behind Sephira while Caius took off straight up into the air. He missed flying on his dragon and found himself call out to Crow to follow who didn't need any convincing and flew beside them with his red eye on his rider. Sephira spun in the saddle to face Craven with a beautiful smile on her face that made him smile back.

"Have Crow fly below us." She told him, making him shoot her a what-are-you-up-to look. He did as she said and although Crow didn't like flying below other dragons especially a dragon as formidable as a Felis, he did it without complaint. "When you jump, connect with your dragon in his mind." She told Craven. He moved to crouch on Sephira's saddle and when he went to look where his dragon was below them, she stopped him. "Don't look at him with your eyes. Close your eyes and find him with your mind." She said, turning his face back to face her where she was crouched. He had a slight anxiety in his eyes, but knew his dragon would catch him whether he was successful or not at connecting with his mind. He closed his eyes and leaped from her dragon's neck. His weight pushed Caius slightly in the air as he pushed off and Caius flew up and to the side so Sephira could see Craven as he fell. She could tell Crow had positioned himself to catch Craven by himself, but as they came together she thought she saw him connect to his dragon's mind successfully as Crow lifted slightly in the air to catch Craven's body which looked lifeless for a second until he landed in a crouch on Crow's saddle. Sephira leaped down off of Caius and landed lightly behind Craven. "Did it work?" She asked with a smile, even though she could see from the surprise in his eyes that he had seen through his dragon's eyes. "Come, jump down to Caius. I want to see if you can trance with Crow while he's flying. Caius will make sure you don't fall off." Sephira said, taking his hand as she stood balancing with the wind at her back as Caius flew below them.

"Why don't I just try while riding?" Craven asked, seeing Caius was way further down than Crow had been.

"Because if you accidently make him dip while you're riding, your body will slip off." Sephira laughed.

"But you stand while you link your dragon..." Craven pointed out.

"I've had a lot of practice. When I was learning, I kept falling off and I had to break the trance for Caius to catch me." She explained, before leaping down to Caius. Craven frowned and took a deep breath before leaping from Crow. He felt his stomach drop as the fall was longer than he would've liked, but Caius lessened his landing and he landed easily behind the saddle as Sephira sat backwards watching him with her blond hair whipping at her pretty face. He joined her in the saddle and she put her hands on either side of his face and kissed him. He felt the tips of her hair sharply, but her lips were soft and smooth and he hugged her irresistible body closer to him. She was breathing heavily when she told him to 'try again' and he reluctantly stopped kissing her even though her face was still close enough to his he could easily kiss her again. He closed his eyes as he sent Crow closer and then reached his mind to push him away and felt feeling leave his body before he felt strong wings and saw the world change colors. He looked down at the bright violet white dragon below him and to his surprise he saw the two sitting on him. He dipped in the air as his bat-like wings folded and his heavy strange body dropped and he saw Sephira looking up at him as he extended his wings before his mind slipped out of his dragon into his body and he opened his eyes to find Sephira's arms around him as he slumped in her saddle. He inhaled in shock as he heard her laugh in his ear.

"You did it." She told him, kissing his neck. His arms came around her and he looked up and back at Crow who had righted himself in the air.

"Does Caius see colors differently?" Craven asked, turning his attention back to Sephira who sat in his arms watching his expression.

"A few. Red isn't as bright to him, but blue and yellow are the same." She explained. "His sense of smell is very different. It can be hard to focus if there's something he smells." She told him. "Oryx is easier to trance with, honestly. She sees things the same as us and she has very good focus and not as distracted by smells."

"Wow." He breathed. "I'm going to try again." He decided, focusing. She nodded and when he left his body, she saw with surprise that his orc eyes turned black as she held his face in her hands before letting his heavy body lay back onto Caius' back as Caius glided along level. She held his body until she was sure he wouldn't slip off and then looked up to watch Crow dip and soar excitedly.

Craven could see further than ever with Crow's sharp vision even though the colors were dizzyingly different. Black was a bright ultraviolet and the sky was an unnerving orangey red color. Sephira's hair was a shocking black and he could see her beautiful face was not her normal shade of beige as she watched him from where she lounged on Caius' white violet back. She was leaning back on her elbows as she watched him and her legs were on either side of Caius' neck as she hooked her feet around Craven's calves and ankles.

When Crow fought Craven at the sight of some animals he wanted to eat far away, Craven relinquished his grasp on his dragon's mind and was happy to return to his body when he found Sephira's hands on his thighs. He sat up with a smile on his face and righted himself in the saddle before pulling Sephira onto his lap and into a kiss. He pushed her down onto the saddle as he put his tongue in her mouth and her hands were above her head to hold onto the saddle while she arched to press her body against his. He had to let go of her in order to grab the saddle to stay on when Caius suddenly started gaining altitude and Sephira wrapped her legs around Craven's waist while her arms kept her from slipping from the saddle. His strong arms were hard as he held himself to have his face level with hers and for a moment, they were completely vertical as they felt their own weight shift into their arms before Caius turned back and leveled out again.

"Your eyes turn black." Sephira told him after they had sat up and started making their way back to the others under the warm afternoon sun high above the clouds.

"Really?" he asked raising a black eyebrow at the intrigued smile on her lips.

*

"We're going to leave at dawn." Malina announced when Craven and Sephira had joined them looking windswept and happy. Sephira wanted to pull Craven to the nearest tent even as he fought not to get an erection in the presence of the others. She tried not to look down at it, but her desire was plain on her face and Craven had to avoid looking at her and slow his breathing consciously.

"Why don't you leave in the cover of night?" Sephira asked, as she peeled her eyes away from Craven as she pulled him to join the others around the fire. Malina raised an eyebrow and scowled even though she could tell Sephira's question was innocent.

"We can't see at night..." Malina stated, sounding unamused. Sephira and Craven's eyebrows raised in recognition as they sat side by side and Craven's hand went down to hover in front of his privates.

"Oh, right... How'd you get back here? Didn't you fly at night?" Sephira thought back, until she made eye contact with a slightly annoyed Sorin. "Oh, yeah... Hm." She muttered as they watched her make the connection. "Well, why don't you fly tonight together so that you can get out of Lightning Kingdom territory during the night?" She pointed her question at Sorin and then Malina and Demitro. The others were mostly confused and she could feel Sorin's unwillingness clearly. "I'm serious! Sorin!" she implored with her dark voices making everyone freeze and Sorin avoid her eyes. "Get my mask. You promised!" She demanded Sorin in elvish with a shove, that he anticipated and avoided making her catch herself using the bench before she grabbed his arm to twist it behind his back but he got out of it and wrapped his arm around her waist to lift her from her feet from behind. She pulled forward to keep her feet on the ground and stepped behind his foot to knock him off balance as she got out of his arms. She spun to shove him but he pulled her into him and looked into her eyes with a miserable frown on his face under his mask.

"I don't want to leave you." He whispered in elvish making her hiss a Duvendis hiss that made the others all shrink in their seats as it practically weighed down the air around them and made their ears ring. Erek had shrunk almost behind Rauka with his ears covered and his eyes were wide in shock.

"You have to! I need you to do this!" She growled in elvish as she grabbed his chest plate, making his torso shift with her unwavering grasp. "You will help them get out of Nimbi territory and you will have Tryx make me a new mask." She hissed quietly in their native tongue with her fangs bared viciously.

"I hate you sometimes!" he said in Elvish with his voices swirling as he threw her hands away from him and stormed to take his tent down. She stood still, knowing she had won, but wondered if she'd used too much force like her mother. She turned back to the naiads. "Pack your things to leave at sundown." She told them in elvish. They both backed towards where their tent was still set up and they obeyed.

Dawn and Leuhil had sat quietly and Rauka and Craven looked the least affected by Sephira's strange outburst. Caius yawned widely with his white teeth and blue tongue on display, catching Erek's attention as Sephira stood stonily. Craven didn't want to bother her and wondered for a second if his embrace would be welcomed or spurned. He decided not to bug her and Rauka began making their evening meal. Dawn got up to help and eventually after Sorin had taken down his tent and packed it on Oryx, Sephira had relaxed enough to sit by Craven's side stiffly.

Sorin and the naiads left before the sun had fully gone down after the naiads said farewell to the Undine and they ended up taking Erek Northwest with them since they could save him days of traveling if he flew and would be safer closer to orc territory. Desoto was more than big enough to take two and Erek, being a Valkyri was unafraid to ride the foreign dragon. He was relieved to not have to ride with the Duvendis wraith and was not unhappy to sit close to Malina in her tight tunic.