Chilled air blew across Josie's bare back. She awoke shivering, the contrast between her front side plastered against Maxxus's heated body and her backside exposed to the breeze causing the tremors. She could feel his heart beating in rhythm with hers and was content to let the chill remain. Memories of the previous night's promises seeped in. She knew she would never forget a single word or action. Her life was just beginning. All the years of study and scientific work had led up to this. Without them, she wouldn't have been able to come to Talonia, and she wouldn't have found Maxxus. It was odd how everything moved forward to bring you to your destiny without you knowing where you were being led.

Maxxus took a deep breath, raising her several inches, and she knew he was awake. Turning her head and resting her chin on his chest, she discovered he was staring at her. Another uncontrollable shiver ran over her and he frowned. Wrapping her in his arms he asked, "Are you cold? Are you getting sick from lack of rest or did I harm you last night?"

"I was cold, but you've fixed that. Your arms are so warm that they have removed the chill. I promise I'm not sick and I got a lot of rest." She kissed his chest, making the frown disappear. A mischievous idea struck her, and she wiggled, just a little. The friction got the reaction she was hoping for. He hardened beneath her belly.

"Either you are cruel, or you are in need of more heat," Maxxus groaned. "Shall I warm you from the inside?"

In answer, Josie put both hands on his chest and pushed up. He removed his arms as she straddled him. His eyes darkened, the black consuming everything under his eyelids. She rose to her knees and let the tip of his member brush her center. He hissed, as if in agony.

She lowered her body, taking him in slowly until his hands reached up to cover her breasts and she suddenly plunged downward to impale herself as desire overcame patience. She rocked, sending him all the way to her womb. Maxxus lay still, letting Josie choose the speed and angle of movement. Her eyes closed, her head fell back, and her long hair spilled over his thighs and the oval orbs between his legs. Watching her face begin to glow and feeling the soft brush of her hair on his nether region added to his already high tension. One last stroke and he felt her inner muscles contract as hot, wet liquid spilled over his member. He swiftly flipped over, landing her beneath him and moved faster, pounding into her softness. She screamed as the convulsions continued, draining her. Unable to control it, fire shot from Maxxus's mouth, turning the back of the cave black and igniting the wood he had set there for cooking. None of it touched Josie. Even in this state, Maxxus protected her. His own climax followed, warming her as he had promised, from the inside out.

Rising, he picked up Josie and settled her near the now cozy campfire. With the fire in the back of the cave, even he could feel the temperature change that had occurred outside. His frown was back as he stepped to the cave entrance.

"What's wrong, Maxxus? Did you see or hear something outside?" Josie asked, now warm and thoroughly sated.

"It is not a sound or a sight," he proclaimed. "It is a feeling. You were chilled, but not from exhaustion as I had first thought. I am now cool as well. There is a bite to the wind."

"Weather changes, often without warning. Come and warm yourself by the fire. I see you brought food. We can cook it thanks to your dragon fire. It's quite useful when you don't have matches."

"You do not understand," Maxxus replied. "It is not time for the air to grow cold. This is the middle of the warmest season. Even when it is time for the chill, it lasts only for a few weeks, and this is as cold as it gets."

Wrapping herself in one of the old blankets, Josie came to the cave opening. The sky was gray, not blue, and the clouds seemed closer to the planet. The red sun was valiantly trying to break through. "This is bad, really bad," Josie admitted. "If it gets too cold, the crops won't be able to grow, and we'll use up the ones we've stored much faster. It's the volcanoes that help keep the temperature steady, isn't it?"

"Yes," Maxxus answered. "We have seasons, but not like Earth. It never freezes or snows, and in warm months it is not an extreme heat due to all the waterfalls. This is part of the devastation. It is changing things faster than before."

"Take me back to the city," Josie demanded. "I have to fix this. I'm going to need help. I'll need samples from everywhere that can be reached in a day to see what's changed. But, I can't go myself. I have yesterdays to process. Can you send a soldier with each of my crew members to the coordinates I specify and let them get the samples I require?"

"I will make it so," he stated. "However, we should eat first. Neither of us may have a moment to do so later, and we will need strength to control the people's fear. Another hour will not make a difference." Maxxus prayed he was not lying.

In the city, Maxxus could tell that everyone was trying to go about their day as usual, but they kept glancing at the sky with trepidation. Their attire had changed to meet the needs of warmth. The school children were not in the square. They were having their lessons in the school, an extremely unusual occurrence. Small fires had been built around the gardens in an effort to keep the plants fooled into believing it was growing season. The soldiers were not on the practice field when he arrived to give them orders. He found Hesher, the military commander, at the edge of the forest.

"Where are your men?" he inquired of the commander.

"Considering the sudden weather change, I thought it more important to have them cut wood than to practice for battle. We are not yet prepared for cold. It has come early this year," Hesher replied. "We have heat in the buildings, but we need wood in abundance for the crops to continue growing, wood in the caves to keep supplies from ruining, and we will need more for the tents if other villagers arrive."

"It is good to have others I can count on to see to future needs. Thank you, Commander, for your quick thinking," Maxxus complimented him.

"No man should bear the entire burden. It is why you have appointed commanders, lieutenants, teachers, gardeners, and soldiers. Everyone has a duty to fulfill. The king is never alone. Do not let yourself believe differently," Hesher stated.

"I am learning that, though it was tough to get it through this hard head of mine. The citizens did well today, despite my late arrival. I will be sure to praise them. I suppose you have already realized that the weather change was not a natural occurrence?"

"I suspected as much, and so did Tae. He is not out there cutting wood with his men. He and Eveline have returned to the waterfall, looking for reassurance. I doubt they will find it. Kelan is in the mine, poring over every detail of the solution. Has Josie made any progress? Good news would bring relief to us all."

"No, Hesher. She had worked herself to exhaustion, losing sleep and weight. I forced her to take last night off. Now, she is in even a bigger frenzy trying to find an answer. She will not stop this time unless she finds the solution or dies. She is stubborn and determined, but I cannot lose her, so I will intervene if necessary," Maxxus admitted.

"So, she is that important to you. Can I assume you have found a queen, a life mate?"

Maxxus had trouble with the personal turn in the conversation. He was not used to telling others what he felt inside. But, with the walls around his heart crumbled and his newfound oath to become close to his people, he managed to form a reply. "Yes, she is my mate. She has sworn to be mine forever. Talonia is now as much hers as it is mine. She will not let it die without a fight."

Hesher finally removed his gaze from the forest and faced his king. "Congratulations, Maxxus. You have chosen well. Your Josie reminds me in many ways of my Lydia. They are a force to be reckoned with, but worth the effort. She will serve Talonia well, especially since she has a stake in its fate. She has already made a difference in you it seems. "

Quickly changing the subject before he blushed, Maxxus asked, "Can you spare some men to aid in Josie's quest? She wants enough of them to accompany each of the crew members out of the city to obtain new samples due to the weather development. The information from the samples is vital to a solution."

"I will go into the forest and send out men as I find them. She is right in realizing no one should strike out alone. A few weeks ago, I would have declared Talonia to be perfectly safe, but nothing is as it was then." Hesher melted into the trees.

Maxxus made a duty call at the infirmary. Daer was involved with his patients. Several more refugees were showing symptoms of radiation poisoning, although the ones from previous weeks were gone. The only one remaining who Maxxus recognized was a small girl who had been the most affected. She had required the potassium iodide treatment.

Dragging Daer out into the hallway, Maxxus asked, "Why are there more patients? Where are they getting the radiation and why is it the children who are the sickest?"

Daer ran his fingers through his tousled hair and sighed. "I do not think they are receiving more radiation. The stored food has passed inspection, and the garden has too. I believe the radiation has been migrating through their bodies slowly and eventually causes the symptoms. Their size and weight account for the differences in timing. Of course, the children are smaller and have less fat to absorb it. I also imagine they got into the gardens more times than their parents noticed."

"Will they recover?"

"Many have already done so, though they seem slightly weaker in some ways that I cannot account for. Fewer are coming in, so I would like to think that the worst is over. The cold air may have other effects or bring in more refugees. I am preparing for an influx. Josie has given us medical supplies and testing equipment surpassing our own. It will help in most cases. I am used to injuries and births, but not illness. We will have to adjust."

"Our situation changes daily so adjustments are becoming the new normal. Can the citizens continue to handle the changes, or will they begin to demand more answers, ones that we do not have?" Maxxus asked.

"If this was anywhere other than Talonia, I believe we could expect trouble. However, weredragons have a unique tolerance for difficult situations it seems. We have withstood many things in a short time, and yet we are remaining steadfast and calm. Soon they will want more information. I know I do. But, they will also come forward with support because it has always been our way. They will not riot, though they might suffer," Daer explained.

"They should not have to suffer. If we had taken the Savra's threats more seriously and attacked their planet sooner, this would not be happening. I should have argued for war, but I left it to Acer," Maxxus complained.

"Nothing would have been done differently, and you know it. We do not cause harm where none is required, and at that time the Savra did not appear to be a serious threat. They had been taunting us for years. We had reason to doubt they would ever follow through with their threats and to be honest, we did prepare for it just in case. In the end, no one can foresee every consequence of their decisions. We all do the best we can with the knowledge we have at the time, even you."

"I am doing exactly that now. Josie is too, in fact, everyone is, and it makes me proud to be the king of Talonia. I just hope I am not the last one to have a kingdom to rule," Maxxus replied.