We ended up laying on our sides—"spooning," Simon called it. Just being so near someone else was comforting in itself, but with Simon's arms wrapped around me, I felt more protected than if I were in my dragon form.

It made no sense. Even as a shifter and stronger than a normal human, he was no match for the protection of my dragon hide. And there was his mark on my shoulder, binding me to him in a way I'd never been bound before, in all my years. That mark made me feel settled, deep inside. From the moment I had marked him, he had been mine, but now I was his. 

I should be terrified, but I wasn't. This felt right in a way that words could not describe. 

"What is next?" I asked him.

"You mean sex-wise, or life-wise?"

"I was thinking more life," I said wryly. "You seem a little too tired for much more sex."

"No such thing," Simon mumbled. He nuzzled my back. "I guess we feed you up a bit more and then get the heck out of dodge, if the artreans will let us."

Hmm. Yes. There was that. Simon's deal with the artreans had been worryingly open-ended. I sat up, his knot having deflated a while ago. "Okay. Let's find the Elder and find out what he wants."

Simon groaned. "You're too energetic after sex."

"I've been locked up for thousands of years. Movement is exciting."

"I want to make some innuendo about exciting movements, but I'm half asleep." Simon rolled over and pulled a pillow over his head. 

I bent to kiss his shoulder. "Come on. Let's get this over with. And then we can have more exciting movements or sleep—whatever you desire."

"Promises, promises," Simon grumbled. "But food first, either way."

We dressed, and I followed him to the kitchen where a lovely woman fed me until I was completely full. 

"I do like a man who enjoys his dinner," she said with a smile.

I took her hand reverently. "In ages past, I would have commissioned a statue in your honor, my lady."

She blushed and pushed my hands away. "He's a charmer, isn't he? You boys come back to Sinead's kitchen if you need anything, okay?"

Elder Talon found us as we were wandering the halls. "Ah, Simon. Dragon Ryeth." He bowed shortly. "I am glad to see how quickly you are recovering."

I could hear the question in his voice, though he was polite enough to keep it to himself this time.

"Simon told me he made a deal with you." I wasted no time. I wanted to know what I owed this man.

"Hmm. Yes. Walk with me?"

I fell into step next to Elder Talon while Simon followed closely.

"What do you require of me? Name your price."

"My deal was with Simon, not you. What makes you think I need something from you?" 

Why was he stalling? It bought him nothing. 

"If you had desired something of him, you would have told him. You want something from me."

Elder Talon joined his hands behind his back. "I do not desire to make an enemy of you, Dragon Ryeth. I only desire what our people have always desired."

"What is that?" Simon asked, his tension growing as he sensed mine.

"Knowledge," I answered.

Elder Talon turned to me with a smile, stopping at a door. "Precisely." He opened the door.

It was a library. It was a large, low-ceilinged room crowded with shelves that were filled from floor to ceiling with books. At the end of the shelves, I could see several people hunched over manuscripts at long tables. 

"Our primary purpose is the keeping and understanding of knowledge., both written and unwritten."

"And do you write the unwritten?" I asked cautiously.

"When it is prudent. You know as well as I, there are things that it is not safe to put in writing."

"Like what?" Simon asked.

"Powers that are obtained through knowledge." Elder Talon closed the library door and began walking again.

"Like the warriors you sent us?"

I knew from Simon's memories that he was speaking of the event that had brought the children into their pack.

"Precisely. Those powers, what this scientific world today would call impossible, have been passed from teacher to student for centuries, using what little ambient magic was left in this world to keep the knowledge alive. A task that has become less difficult as the ambient magic has grown these last few years."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Magic simply is. It doesn't grow or lessen."

"That is where you would be wro—"

I growled quietly as Elder Talon switched into a condescendingly didactic tone, and he changed tactics. 

"I have a theory about the origin of magic, and I am hoping that you will allow me to perform some examinations to test my theories."

Simon rejected the idea, but before he could say anything, I held up a hand to ask him to hold back his protest. 

"What is your theory?"

"I believe that the Ancients are the source of magic, and that when you disappeared, the source of magic disappeared with you. But as Ancients have returned, so has the source of magic. I believe this is also why we have a sudden rash of young people with innate power, not learned power. As magic becomes more prevalent in the environment, so do the people that can utilize it."

I honestly did not care about theories and philosophy. That had never been my interest. Diplomacy, war. Those had been my fortes. But I owed this man. "What would your tests entail?"

"Nothing strenuous or harmful, I assure you. I would simply need to keep you under observation for a short period of time—a month perhaps. You would have complete freedom to roam the compound as you wished. You could utilize the library if you desired."

"We don't have a month to spare. I must deal with my brother before I can consider anything else."

"Who is your brother?"

Simon spoke up. "His brother is the Black Dragon."

Elder Talon's face darkened. "I see." He stopped and turned to face me. "I agree that the Black Dragon must be dealt with. Would you return to us after that task is complete?"

I nodded. "I will." Simon's uneasiness grew, and I reached out with a calming mental touch. "Simon will accompany me."

Distance should be nothing between Simon and I, but I found myself reluctant to entertain the idea of physical separation anytime soon.

"Of course." Elder Talon nodded. "I will—" His eyes lost focus.

He's speaking to someone, Simon told me. Of course. I should know that look well enough.

"Simon, your brother says you are needed with the pack. Your father has arrived."