Chapter 22

     Markus looks up from his homework to watch Mim make dinner. Her movements are so graceful it almost looks like she is dancing around the kitchen. Her silver hair is lose and floats around her like a cape. As he watches she stands on the tips of her toes, reaching for a bowl on a high shelf.

     He raises and goes behind her, easily plucking the bowl from the shelf. He smiles down at her and hands her the bowl.

     “Thank you, honey cakes,” she says sweetly as she pecks him on the cheek.

     “Its the least I can do.” He goes back to his chair, but keeps his eyes on Mim instead of his work. “After all, you are cooking for me.”

     She throws him a smile over her shoulder. A while later she joins him at the table. “There. All we have to do is wait for it to be done simmering.”

     “That smells wonderful,” says Markus as he sniffs at the air.

     Mim's smile lasts only for a few seconds before she looks him directly in the eye. “Can I ask you something, Markus?”

     “Of course.”

     “I was wondering about the Unicorn-Dragon bond. I really don't know anything about how it works and what makes Royal pairs royal.” Mim folds her arms on the table and lays her head on them. Her silver eyes meet his and he sees the curiosity in them. “Could you explain it to me?”

     Markus sets his work in a stack off to the side before leaning back in his chair. After a moment of thought gathering he says, “Royal Pairs are royal because it is believed that they are the decedents of Unra and Draco's three sons and two daughters. Thankfully, inbreeding wasn't really a problem tanks to the way girls become Unicorns. The son of a pair, wither royal or not, is always a Dragon, but a Unicorn is pure of heart and soul, so the daughter of a pair isn't always a Unicorn. So a Unicorn can come from any family, except maybe the Amilas shape shifter tribes, Dersonus linage, and girls already Adepts.

     “There are also very rare occasions when a dragon is from a non-Light User family. My father was one of these and he was adopted by Alicea and Charles. My mother was a Royal Unicorn.

     “The pair bond is mainly about trust. Unicorns are naturally cautious women. They are kind and sweet, but they guard their hearts and souls viciously. When a Unicorn meets her Dragon, she is attracted to him, but still cautious. Dragons get overly-protective and paranoid. The bond cannot be completed until the Unicorn trusts her Dragon enough to let him into her heart.”

     Mim nods slowly and asks, “How long does that take? The trust-earning part?”

     “That depends on the Unicorn. It could take days or it could take years. It took Grandpa Charles nine and a half months to win Grandma Alicea trust.” Markus smiles and laughs. “They love telling the story of the day he did.”

     “We will have to go visit them so I can hear it,” she says with a smile “When will we know?”

     “We will feel it,” Markus answers easily. “At that moment, we will no longer be two separate souls. We will be one soul in two bodies.”

     “So gaining that trust and merging souls is what completes the bond?” Mim asks. Markus thinks that he sees her tense a little at the mention of soul merging. “That's it?”

     “No.”

     “Then what's next?” Mim asks, her curiosity back.

     Markus feels his face grow warm and he has to clear his throat of the lump forming there.

     She sees the blush and sits up. “Is something wrong, Markus?”

     He shakes his head and takes a deep breath. “No. After our souls are merged we will be, um, heavily motivated to, um, complete the bond.”

     “And how do we do that?” she asks. Mim has never seen Markus blush and fumble with his thoughts. She tries hard not to giggle at his awkwardness.

     The Dragon clears his throat again. “Pairs are one in soul and body. Although the soul bond comes first, once it is made the second follows soon after.”

     Mim couldn't help herself. She giggles. “So you're saying that after I come to completely trust you we will be at it like rabbits?”

     Markus's face is now red as a cherry. Instead of trusting his voice he nods.

     Mim hops from her chair to his lap and frames his face in her hands. “Its not something to be embarrassed about, Markus. I totally expected something like that to be involved and it really doesn't bug me.”

     She kisses him. After a few seconds Markus wraps his arms around her waist to hold her tighter. Her arms circle his neck and they stay like that until a timer goes off.

     “Dinners done,” she says as she slips out of his arms. She looks over her shoulder and winks at him. “Get the plates and silverware. I'm glad that blush is gone. It looks so silly on your face.”

     Markus laughs and they settle down for the evening.

 

 

 

 

 

     On the other side of town from Mimerain's home was the old harbor. It is built completely on the water. It was used for hundreds of years before the citizens realized the foundation of the docks and warehouses was crumbling and the whole human-made structure was sinking into the sea. The humans then abounded it and starting sharing the harbor made by Adepts.

     The old harbor was going to be destroyed, but Water Adepts said that to destroy it would seriously harm the wild life in the waters around the harbor.

     So the old harbor was left to slowly sink into the bay.

     The only problem was that is should have been underwater five hundred years ago.

     Soon after the humans left the harbor, a new group of people moved in. To the Light Users dismay, Dark Ones filled the old harbor. Humans who allied themselves with the evil people followed. It wasn't the capital of the Dark One nation, like the city was the capitals of the Adept and Light Users, but it was a meeting place for those sent to be ready for the attack on their enemy.

     The only thing that prevented such an attack was the presents of the Adepts. The Dark Lady, overlord of the Dark Ones, does not want to divide her people's strength in wars with two different peoples.

     So the Dark Ones in the old harbor waited and watched. Then they found out that Mimerain, the younger sister of the Adept Council Leader, was a Unicorn.

     Kic, the leader of the Dark Ones in the old harbor, was a tall, thin man who looks to be in his early twenties. His black hair was long and thick and hangs around his head, blocking most of his face from view. He wears a black leather mask over the left side of his and his forehead. His eyes are a deep purple, but were dull and empty of life. His pale skin made him seem dead. Everything he does he does quickly, efficiently, and without emotion.

     He read the letter in his thin hand again. For the first time in thousands of years, a spark of emotion flickers in his eyes.

     'Do what you have to, little brother,' the note says. 'I want her dead and I want her dead now. I give you free reign of our people in that area. I want Mimerain Greappson's head in a box and on my desk in a month's time. Make Father proud. Your overlord and sister, Ni.'

Author's Note

I thought I would mix things up and add a new view point!
I will try to make the view points easier to separate by changing fonts around. I will be doing minor editing in the next few days to do that. I thought you'd like to know.