Alex had a terminal Cancer diagnosis and thought she would die before she got to be the girl she always was inside. That all changes when she's in the wrong place at the right time and gets transported to another world and into the body of a girl. So what if she's not human, she's alive and a girl. Now if only she had her sister with her to navigate this new world and her new responsibilities. Wait, she's here too? The passage of their souls between worlds may have doomed the Earth to apocalypse, but Alex and Michelle won't be there to see it and they have enough problems on their hands.
 

 

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Author's Note: I've got a terrible cold and no energy to write a chapter of AD this week, so here's chapter 11 of the rewrite of Alex in Wonderland. Thanks to my readers and to BCTS for giving their support of transgender authors and fiction. ~Amethyst.
 

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Chapter 11: Tahrin

It was two suns after we had received our uninvited guest, and I was trying my best to concentrate during our morning Healing class. I was aroused, and it was bothering me. It wasn’t the arousal itself that was disturbing me; it was that it wasn’t Jezz making me feel that way, it was Trevas. I was glad that class was almost over, so I could get a break from him. ~What’s wrong?~ Michelle asked, ~You’ve been distracted and horny all morning. It’s not corrune pollen again, is it?~

I gave her a mental shake of my head. ~No, after the last time, that was the first thing that I thought of, and frankly, it terrified me. I don’t smell any, though, and it has a very distinctive scent. I thought that maybe my sense of smell was off, but it actually seems to be in overdrive. I can smell people’s individual scents much better than normal right now. It’s just… Trevas smells good… very good, and it’s turning me on.~

~I thought you only had eyes, and a nose, for Jezz,~ was her reply.

~I know. So did I, that’s why this is bothering me so much. Thank Goddess, class will be over soon.~ Class wasn’t over soon enough, though, and I was extremely relieved to leave Trevas behind as Jezz and I walked hand in hand to the library for our other morning lessons with Patar.

~Are you alright, my love?~ Jezz’s mind voice sounded concerned.

~Yeah, I think so, Sweetie, just something off with my nose, I think.~ I told her as I tried to shrug it off.

She gave my hand a gentle squeeze. ~I noticed you looking at Trevas in class. You kept smiling and then looking at him like you were confused.~

~That obvious, was I?~ Feeling bad about being caught doing something that I was bothered by myself, I kissed her softly to reassure her. ~No matter what weird looks I may give Trevas or any other male, you’re the only person I want.~ As if summoned by my thoughts, Tarn chose that moment to walk by. Then, as if it had been scripted, we both sniffed the air and turned to look at one another. He smelled really good, too. I attempted to shake it off, and we continued on our way. ~That was weird.~

~What was?~ my Cinole lover asked, sounding amused. ~The fact that you were looking at him the same way you were Trevas, or that he was looking at you the same way Trevas was earlier as well.~

I stopped and looked her in the eyes as I inquired in concern, ~Looking at me, how exactly?~

She smiled at me as she replied, ~Like a starving man at one of your mother’s formal dinners. Really hungry, but knowing very well that they had better be minding their manners if they want to eat. You really didn’t notice? It was written all over their faces, just like desire and confusion were on yours.~

~Okay, this is getting weird. I think I need to ask my mom about this. I’ll have to break our mental link to talk to her, though. Let’s just keep heading to the library, and hopefully, I can talk to her as we walk.~ I kissed her tenderly as I broke the mental link and reached out through the land for my mother. ~Mom? Do you have a moment?~

Almost immediately, I could feel her wrapping me in a warm mental hug. ~I always have time for my daughter, Alexis dear.~

I returned the mental embrace as I sent my thoughts toward her. ~Thanks, Mom. I’ve been feeling really weird all morning, but I’m not sure if it’s a Zenin thing or if I should see a more experienced Healer about it since Jezz doesn’t seem to know what’s going on either.~

~What’s wrong, dear?~ she asked, her voice tinged with concern. Not that her concern wasn’t valid or even unexpected, since she had been growing more protective of me recently, especially since the thing with Halan.

~I was having trouble focusing during my Healing lessons. I kept getting distracted by Trevas.~

~What was he doing that was distracting you?~ she queried.

~That’s the thing, he wasn’t doing anything!~ I was sounding frustrated, even to myself. ~He just smelled really nice, and Jezz said he kept looking at me too, but I was too distracted to notice. And the same thing just happened with Tarn in the hall.~

Suddenly, I felt her giggling in my mind. She must have felt my confusion because she quickly apologized. ~I am sorry, Alexis, it’s just that we have gotten so close over the past few sevensuns that I sometimes forget that you weren’t born Zenin, or at least your mind wasn’t.~

~So, it’s a Zenin thing then?~ I asked uncertainly.

~Yes,~ she replied, making an effort to be serious even though I could still sense a tinge of amusement from her. ~It’s the Tahrin. Like your moon cycle, you’ll be going through this once every four sevensuns. It means that you are at your most fertile, and it typically lasts about three suns. During the Tahrin, you will instinctively want to mate to conceive a child, so male Zenin will smell very good to you. You will also smell very good to male Zenin, and they will have the desire to mate with you. It can be bothersome, but you will get used to it, and it does help to conceive children.~

~Oh, just great. Why didn’t I notice this when I first got here? I know that was almost exactly four sevensuns ago. You’d think that I’d have noticed being easily distracted and super horny,~ I grumbled.

~Think about it,~ she answered patiently. ~Where were you exactly four sevensuns ago?~

We were almost at the library, and my sudden groan at the memory caused Jezz to look at me with an eyebrow raised in inquiry. As glad as I was to have Chrissy, surviving in that place had not been fun, feelings that I projected to my mother as I admitted, ~I was in the Frozen Wastes when I got here.~

~And how long were you there for?~ she pressed.

~I was in the cave and the valley for four days before Patar found me,~ I answered automatically. And then it hit me. ~Oh! I think I’ve got it! My body already felt strange and different to me, and I was focused on surviving. So, with no male Zenin around to smell good, I just didn’t notice it.~

~Exactly,~ she replied while giving me another mental hug. ~My advice is that if you don’t want to produce an heir yet, try to avoid too much time around male Zenin. The longer you’re with them, the more intense the desire will become in you both.~

~Thanks, Mom,~ I said, mentally hugging her back again. ~I should get ready for my lesson and let Jezz in on why I’m acting so strange. I love you, and I’ll see you at dinner.~

~I love you too, dear. I’m glad that Itari allowed you to become heir, it’s helped us to become so close these past sevensuns.~ With that, we broke the connection, and I breathed a deep sigh.

Yeah, we had become close over the past few weeks, but I had felt the brief pang of grief for Visanee as well. It was something that I sensed often from both of my new parents when I inadvertently did something to remind them that I was not deceased daughter, who had switched bodies with me. As close as we were starting to become, it was going to take time for them to grieve for their real daughter.

Itari’s approval and the Gifts that I had received on my birthsun had helped. After all, with the Gifts and the possibility of even physical changes, they were already prepared that their daughter might have changed that day from the girl they had raised. It was almost enough to help them adjust to this, until I did things like this, and I felt terrible for the reminder, even if it was unintended, because I was starting to care about my new parents. I kind of wished they had been the ones to raise me and Michelle the first time around.

~So, did your mother have an answer for you?~ Jezz asked curiously, shocking me out of my thoughts as we entered the library and her hand gripped mine tighter.

I groaned as we sat down. ~Yeah, she did. Michelle is going to love this.~

~Do tell,~ spoke my Drakan’s mental voice, tinged with sudden interest.

~It’s a Zenin thing,~ I reported with all the seriousness that I could. ~It’s my other time of the month.~ Both Jezz and our Drakans radiated confusion through the mental link, so I elaborated. ~Once every four sevensuns I not only get my moon cycle, but also something called the Tahrin. It happens when my body is at its most fertile. My body decides that it’s ready to procreate and it makes sure that I, and any male Zenin that are nearby, know it.~

Michelle chortled merrily in our minds at the revelation. ~You’re in heat?! Oh, that’s rich! At least you know when the best time is for you to become a baby factory. So, are you planning on taking the plunge? You and Jezz would make good mommies,~ she teased.

I quickly shot back, ~We would, but I think we have our hands full with you and Grayle at the moment. More babies will have to wait.~ Then I blew her a mental raspberry as Jezz and I got comfortable and we waited for Patar to show up.

I was eating a picnic lunch with Jezz, Michelle, and Grayle behind the castle when Patar’s voice slipped into my mind. ~Your Highness, Gella and Iriden have returned from tailing the imperial spy. They should be over the palace shortly.~

~Thank you, Patar,~ I replied. ~Could you all come to join us out here? It will be more comfortable I think.~

~As you wish, Your Highness,~ he responded before leaving me to my thoughts once more.

I leaned down and kissed Jezz, who was reclining beside me. “We’re about to get company, Sweetie.”

Moments later, Runne landed at the water’s edge, accompanied by a massive Radiant Drakan. I had never seen a Drakan that large since coming here. ~Sis, if Iriden is any indication, then you’re going to grow up to be a big girl,~ I teased Michelle.

Michelle snorted as we all got up to go meet the pair. ~It will just make me that much better at protecting you.~

We approached and I gave the unfamiliar Radiant pair a smile as Gella and Patar dismounted. Patar quickly grinned at me as he gave me the slight bow that seemed to be a habit with him when greeting me. “I hope that you enjoyed your lunch, Your Highness. May I present Iriden the Radiant, and his Chosen, Gella.”

Gella was a Human woman, probably in her early thirties, with long black hair held back in a braid and piercing blue eyes. She was a bit short and looked like she did well to keep herself in shape, but I wondered how she managed in combat with her large chest. I was having enough problems with my breasts being on the large side of average, but hers were huge. She was quick to give me a bow of her own, and a smile, as she was introduced and I noticed that Iriden was doing the same. It seemed like they were a good pair.

“It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Your Highness. I could not have been happier when I heard that you had been paired with a Radiant,” Gella said as she turned her smile toward Michelle.

I thought that I might never get used to people bowing to me, but I returned her smile and replied, “Please rise, this is an informal meeting. I don’t think anyone could have been happier than me when Michelle hatched, though. It’s nice to finally meet another Radiant pair, but I guess there are only three of us, so there’s only one other besides you to meet.” Then I gestured to Michelle, Jezz, and Grayle. “This is Michelle of course, her sister, Grayle, and my companion, Jezz, Grayle’s Chosen. How fared your spying on the spies?”

Gella stood up straight, and I forced myself to focus on her eyes rather than her chest as she began to speak again. “They never noticed us, Your Highness. The man we were following met with a strange craft that picked him up and carried him back over the mountains. They seemed rather relieved to hear him report you to be an ‘imbecile’, as he called you. The craft they took him away on seems to be the first of its kind, and they are hoping for enough time to create many more of them, but larger, and for carrying troops. From what we overheard, the craft took a lot of work to build, and a good deal of kida to enchant it to fly.”

I frowned at that and muttered, “I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”

The other Radiant’s Chosen nodded her head in grim accord. “Aye, Your Highness, a lot of those craft carrying troops could easily attack from anywhere in Azure, even the capital.”

I shook my head as I looked at her. “I was already half expecting these crafts or something like them, and I think countermeasures can be found. What I don’t like is how they’re so concerned about me in particular. I’m only the heir; if war came, it would be my mother and father who would lead us, and they are both powerful Thaumaturges. Maybe the empire knows something that we don’t, or they have plans other than just these airships.”

Patar’s brow furrowed in serious thought for a moment before he nodded, wearing a concerned expression on his bearlike face. “I will double the guards on the walls and the gate, and I will post guards outside both yours and the Queen’s suites.”

I didn’t think there was much else we could do besides that, so I reluctantly returned his nod with one of my own. “That sounds good, Patar. Gella, do you think that you could draw what the craft that they were using looks like?”

The Chosen in question looked at Iriden and then back at me, before answering, “I think we can do much better than that, Your Highness.”

Then Iriden laid his head on the ground and seemed to focus on a spot in front of him on the lake’s surface. The air began to look hazy, and a shape started to form. A moment later, there was a slightly translucent boat-like object, roughly twenty feet in length, resting on the water’s surface. It appeared to be mostly wood and of poor construction, and three men sat in it, one of whom I recognized as my good buddy, Don.

I reached out tentatively to touch the image, but my hand passed through it. “Wow, cool hologram.” Pretty much everyone except Michelle gave me strange looks at that, so I quickly corrected myself. “I mean, that’s a nice illusion. I hope that Michelle can learn to do that; it could come in handy. Are they always slightly see-through?”

Gella shook her head as she explained, “No, they can look as solid as you or me, but it takes more concentration for the Drakan, especially with something as large as this.”

I nodded absently as I thought about the possibilities. “This could definitely be useful. I take it from the size of the occupants that this is the full size?”

“Yes, Your Highness. As I said, they seemed to be testing this one before moving on to building much larger ones for their army,” she reiterated.

“I see,” I said as I examined the boat, but I couldn’t seem to find anything scientific that might account for its flight. “So, it will likely take them some time to construct the larger ships, and some time and effort to enchant each one as well.”

She nodded and signaled to Iriden, and the boat vanished. “That is a reasonable assumption, Your Highness, though it may be worth it to have me and Iriden, or Kalem and Parol, try to fly over and see if they have begun construction already, and possibly get some additional information if we can.”

I sighed as I considered that. “It would be a good idea, but I’m not sure that I’m willing to risk you yet. Michelle and I won’t be able to fly for a while, which leaves only two Radiants that we can use for border patrols and spying missions. Perhaps, though, we could send in a Shadow pair for a night reconnaissance?”

Patar nodded, looking thoughtful as he replied, “That would be a good alternative. We have four Shadows that are flying, and they should be able to remain undetected if they go in at night. If anything goes wrong, they can escape quickly enough that people probably won’t realize they were there in the first place.”

“Okay then,” I replied, “let’s run the idea by Mom and Dad tonight and see what they think."

After that was decided, we talked for a bit longer, and Iriden had Michelle display her invisibility skills. He seemed impressed with her development so far, and by the fact that she had noticed the spy’s invisibility trick. He did offer her some advice on creating illusions, though, since she hadn’t begun to work with them yet. Then, once we had all finished talking, Gella and Iriden headed home to get some rest before going back out on border patrol, and Patar pulled out a map of the continent of Gaje and began our afternoon lesson.

There were some survival tips involved in the lesson, but mostly we learned about the Lharusian Empire. From what he told us, the land surrounding the Gate to Earth used to belong to the Zenin and was once called Tarsa. When Humans started arriving through the world gate, around three thousand years ago, those druids were just travelers and explorers, and they interacted peacefully with the local Zenin. But around a thousand years ago, more and more Humans started coming through the Gate, intent on settling in the Greylands and fleeing persecution from their own kind. The Zenin welcomed them and helped them to start a village, but the Humans kept taking more and more land and eventually began to expand as their population grew.

Then Lharus began giving those who craved power Gifts, and the Gift War had begun. Great Thaumaturge battles were fought, and Enchanted items were used as weapons of war. Humans began to see the other races of the Greylands as a threat, and we Zenin were forced to flee our ancestral home as the Humans took over and started killing non-humans on sight. We made our way north over the Great Sands and into Azure, as the Humans claimed what was once ours and began their expansion throughout most of the continent.

As I thought about that, a nagging thought prodded me to reach into the earth and ask Itari. ~How can Lharus plan to use the Earth Gate if it’s no longer complete? I went to some of the Gate sites on Earth before I started college, and they all seem to be either incomplete or damaged. I think the Gate that James O’Donnell used was probably the one at Avebury, as it was the most complete, but shortly after he left Earth, the locals started destroying many of the standing stones there for religious and practical reasons.~

It was a moment before She responded, and I thought that She might be considering whether telling me was interfering in the life of a mortal or not. ~Earth will likely be in chaos when the Gods and magic return, and Danu will wish to restore order, but since She will not directly interfere, outside help may be needed. She may decide to restore knowledge of the Gates, and how to rebuild or repair them, to Her chosen followers for possible allies and resources. It is also possible that not all Gates are unusable.~

~And, of course, Lharus’ followers will be happy to help, just so they can get their foot in the door. They’ll try to make allies among the Humans on Earth for their war against us and make the first step toward trying to take over both worlds,~ I spat venomously in my mind as something twigged in my memory. The journal said that the Gate that James O’Donnell used was in a cavern and that he had sealed the entrance to that cavern. What if there was an undamaged World Gate somewhere underground, just waiting to be used when magic returned there? ~We’ll need to destroy the empire’s Gate.~

~You already knew that and intended to anyway, Alexis, and I can tell you no more without interfering,~ She replied.

~Isn’t giving people knowledge of the Gates and other such things interfering?~ I asked.

~Some people are very close to the divine and certain Gods or Goddesses, and their link to Us instinctually tells them what they need to know,~ She admitted. ~Or one of those has placed the knowledge somewhere for future followers of that Deity. You, for instance, bear a closeness to both Myself and Selune, so you would be able to figure out a lot of the knowledge that you have received from Us on your own, or through your studies, so that kind of knowledge We could share with you. We will not, however, tell you things that you would not be able to manage on your own. Do not think that your precognitive Gift is Selune, or any other God, sending you visions. It is a Gift and We cannot control how it is used by you. These dreams are influenced by your subconscious and your connection to the divine.~

~Okay, so putting my dreams aside, You are saying that it’s okay to interfere if it’s a close follower of Yours with innate knowledge or talent?~ I thought that was a bit shady. Apparently, even the Gods’ rules have loopholes.

~It is a grey area,~ She agreed with my unspoken thought.

~Thanks, Itari. I’ll talk with You later.~ I sent back, now as confused as ever.

I heard her respond, ~I will look forward to it, Alexis,~ as I closed my connection to the earth magic and started paying attention to my lessons once again.

Combat practice took far too long that afternoon. Not only were Jonth and I both distracted by my Tahrin, but the fact that we were both perspiring a lot seemed to make it even worse than it had been with Trevas earlier in the morning. I was using all my willpower just to keep on attacking the straw practice dummy in front of me.

I caught myself looking at him again; his young yet handsome face, his feline grace, and the flexing of his muscles as he would toss a throwing knife. He smelled so nice, and this was getting harder and harder to control. Dammit, why wasn’t he wearing a shirt?! "Well, that’s less to take off," the instinctive part of me suggested. I snarled as I slashed again at the dummy and tried to keep myself in control.

~Is something wrong, Your Highness?~ Lannah asked telepathically.

~Everything is just peachy,~ I retorted, trying not to snap at her. This wasn’t her fault after all. ~What makes you think that something is wrong?~

~Well, you and Jonth are both very distracted today, and it’s not like you. Also, you just sliced that poor practice dummy’s head clean off.~ I looked back at the dummy in front of me and discovered that she was right. How had I not noticed that? ~Even if I didn’t have all that to go by, you’re not controlling your empathy as well as you usually do. We’re all feeling your emotions, and they are unusually chaotic. You’re switching between anger, arousal, discomfort, arousal, doubt, arousal, fear, arousal, and joy in less time than it takes to blink.~

~You said arousal four times. I’m really that bad?~ I asked.

~Only to everyone in the practice yard,~ she replied.

~Well, damn,~ I mentally muttered as I looked at the decapitated dummy. ~It’s a Zenin thing. My body wants to get knocked up, and it’s conspiring to make me and Jonth want to jump each other’s bones.~ Lannah’s mind became confused at that confession and realized that I really had to stop using Earth phrases all the time. Especially in mind speech, since it causes the receiver to just get a jumble of confused ideas. People could think I’m crazy. Or an imbecile. So, I quickly corrected myself. ~My body thinks it wants to make a baby, and it’s making me and Jonth both smell really good to one another, so we’ll do it. My instincts are saying hell yes, but I’m trying not to give in to them.~

~That would explain why Jonth hasn’t hit his target once today,~ she observed with a mental giggle. ~He is pretty cute, though. I certainly wouldn’t mind a toss in bed with him.~

~I’m not arguing that fact, but I think that Jezz might get the idea that I was being unfaithful if I showed up pregnant,~ I retorted. Then I realized what she said. ~Goddess! You’re sweet on Jonth, aren’t you?~

I could feel a bit of embarrassment from her as she replied, ~Maybe a little. We’ve been talking while taking care of Snow and Xuth. He seems very sweet, and he is cute too. I don’t understand this uncertainty that you have about having more than one partner. It’s done in Azure all the time, and I don’t mind sharing him with you. Some people wed in groups of three or four. A lot of female couples take on a male partner for a while when they want to have children, if they wish to remain just a pair.~

~Well, my mom and dad are only a pair, so I guess I’m just used to that.~ It was the truth, so I didn’t feel bad telling her that.

She gave a mental shrug at that and didn’t pry, but she did offer advice. ~Past Queens have had more than one Consort. They just choose one to be their official one so that people know who’s in charge in the absence of the Queen or heir. Don’t let the idea of being attracted to someone else bother you so much, especially if it is just your instincts taking over. Ask Jezz if she has a problem with it. You’ll need to think about it someday, regardless, if you want to produce an heir.~

I knew she was right, and I sighed as I responded, ~I’ll talk to her. Thanks, Lannah, you’re not just a good guard, you’re becoming a good friend too. And if I might offer some advice of my own, if Jonth is feeling anything like I am right now, then it might be a very good time for you to have that toss in bed you’d like to have with him once we’re done here.~

I could practically feel her grinning at me. ~I’ll get right on that, Your Highness.~

Mom and Dad liked the idea of sending one of our Shadow pairs into the empire, and it was decided that Nisa and Toran would be the pair to go since they had the most experience of any of our Shadows. They would leave the next afternoon so that they could make the empire by nightfall. They also approved Patar’s request for additional security and started to quietly send out notices to all the towns and villages that we would be training anyone willing to be soldiers for a possible invasion.

Other preparations were in the works as well. My parents had Patar send word out to Stone Drakan pairs that their tunneling abilities would soon be required to construct a mountain base. A good portion of the evening after dinner was spent poring over maps to search for a good site for such a base.

I was nervous throughout all this planning. We were actually preparing for war, and the thought bothered me. I also had a nagging feeling of dread hovering about the back of my mind. Why would the empire care about me when it was my mother who would lead us?

They were planning something, and I resolved to have a weapon close at hand while I was sleeping for a time. Finally, we broke off our planning session, and I returned to my suite, where Chrissy, Pounce, Jezz, and I all participated in a group snuggle. After practice, I had been tempted to ravish Jezz, but the serious nature of our post-dinner planning had killed any desire that I had.

So, we satisfied ourselves with kissing, cuddling, and stroking the fur of our animal companions. Finally, I managed to bring up the topic we needed to talk about, which was making me fairly nervous. ~Jezz, sweetie, I’m nowhere near ready to have children yet, but Lannah convinced me that this is something we should probably talk about.~

~This Tahrin is really bothering you, isn’t it?~ she asked in concern as she stroked my cheek lovingly. ~What’s so wrong with having children? You know that you’ll need to produce an heir someday.~

I sighed as I looked into her eyes. She really didn’t see what my problem was. ~It’s not having children that bothers me. I love you, and where I come from, it’s not normal for people to have relationships with more than one person. Even relationships with two people of the same sex are often frowned upon. Lannah said that people have committed relationships with more than two people in Azure all the time, but I don’t want you to ever think I don’t love you, just because I have to have a baby with someone else someday.~

~That’s what’s bothering you?!~ She started to giggle, and it got so bad that she was wiping tears from her eyes. ~I’m sorry, my love, but it’s funny. Love is a gift that we give to those who are special to us, and it’s silly to think that a person can only love or be attracted to just one person. I know you’ll be attracted to others, just as I will be. Speaking of Lannah, I find her almost as attractive as I find you.~

I groaned at that. ~Well, that explains why Lannah said I should talk to you, and why she said that she wouldn’t mind sharing Jonth with me.~

She giggled again as she kissed me. ~I think that she might be attracted to us, too, my love. What I’m saying is that I know you love me, and I love you, but if you wanted to bring a third or even a fourth person into our relationship, I have no problems with that, so long as we both like them. It wouldn’t change the fact that we love one another. You really need to get over your Earth-bred inhibitions. In case you have not noticed it, the Greylands is nothing like your home world, especially Azure.~

~This is a very strange place, but I think I like it,~ I said as I kissed her back, ~but I would like any place so long as you and our Drakans were there with me.~ She smiled at that and lay her head on my breast, and we fell asleep like that in one another’s arms.

The next two days were even harder to get through than the first day of my Tahrin, as it seemed to get stronger each day that I didn’t try to conceive. Practice time was the worst, and neither Jonth nor I could seem to focus on what we were doing. The others seemed very amused by this, particularly Jezz and Lannah.

Finally, at the end of practice on the third day, we finished up, and everyone stopped what they were doing to hand Jezz two copper coins. Even Patar handed some coins to her. In fact, the only ones who didn’t were Jonth and me. I frowned and crossed my arms as I watched the exchange. “Okay, spill it. What’s going on?”

Lannah grumbled, “Jezz won, and I was sure that you wouldn’t be able to last until the end of practice.”

“Jezz won what?” Jonth asked. I tried not to look at him, since smelling him was bad enough.

“She won the bet,” Rozia said with a casual shrug. “I only gave you two half a candlemark before you found some excuse to go off on your own somewhere. I’m so disappointed.”

I blinked several times at that. “You had a betting pool going on how long we could focus on our practice?”

Patar waved that off. “No, Your Highness, that would have been a fool's bet. Neither of you was focusing at all.”

Rozia nodded in agreement before adding, “We were betting on how long it would take you both to make excuses and find a quiet place to… get to know one another better. Jezz was the only one who thought that you’d both make it all the way until the end of practice today.”

“An’ t’ the victor go the spoils,” Jezz said with a grin.

I knew that I was probably blushing bright red under my fur by this point. “I can’t believe that you were all betting on how long it would take us to have sex.”

~To be fair,~ Michelle spoke in my mind, ~I would have totally been in on that action if I had known about it or had the coin to bet.~

~Et tu, Michelle?~ I shot back with a groan. Then aloud I added, “Why in hell would you even bet on something like that?”

“Becaussse we care, of courssse,” Irric put in. “You’re our friendsss and you were both obviousssly needing to do sssomething about the sssexual frussstration. It almossst makesss me glad I’m not a Zenin right now.”

I shook my head. “I appreciate your concern, but really, our sex lives are none of your business, and I am not ready to be producing any heirs yet. Patar, I can’t believe you were in on this.”

Patar shrugged, and I still think that looks weird on a guy with four arms. “Your mother wasn’t the heir for very long before you were conceived. The way you’ve been looking at one another the past few suns, I figured that it was going to happen sooner or later. I should have listened to Runne, though. He said you would last almost to the end of practice.”

I groaned as I facepalmed. “Even Runne was in on this?”

~They’re teasing you, Your Highness,~ Lannah’s voice spoke gently in my mind. ~Sure, we made the bet in fun, but if we didn’t want you knowing about it, we would have paid Jezz privately. We did so in front of you as a way to congratulate both you and Jonth for not giving in to your baser instincts. Only Irric really knows what it’s like for a Zenin male, and none of us know how hard it must have been for you, but this is our way of saying that we’re proud of you. You’re a very strong woman, and if you show the strength of will in the future that you’ve shown for the past few suns, you’ll be a great Queen for us someday.~

~Thanks, Lannah, you’re all great. I guess that I really have to get over some of my hang-ups. Are you going to get to know Jonth better again?~ I teased back, feeling better now that I knew that it hadn’t been meant to be offensive.

~Oh, to be sure I am,~ she replied cheerfully. ~You and Jezz are always welcome to join us if you like.~

~Maybe another time, I think I still need time to adjust to the idea of more than one partner. Once I do, you’ll be the first to know,~ I sent back. ~Enjoy yourselves, and I’ll see you both tomorrow.~

~We will, Your Highness.~ This was accompanied by a sort of mental wink before she added, ~I’ll see you tomorrow.~

I nodded as I spoke aloud. “Okay, everyone, Patar has set us free, so go back to your Drakans and we’ll see you tomorrow.” Then to Lannah, I added, ~Oh, and one more thing. Lannah, call me Alex.~

After practice, I talked with Alizia and my mother. Alizia told us that the Gate would take five tenths to complete, since she would have to have her Thaumaturges travel to obtain some of the materials necessary, and creating the stones in the proper shapes would take a large degree of fine control. She was hoping it would be prepared in plenty of time for us to find allies for the upcoming war with the empire. I thought that would be good timing since Michelle would be roughly seven months, or six tenths, old by that time and would be able to accompany me through the Gate on our search for allies.

After dinner, we had another planning session, and it was decided that the empire would most likely fly their ships in through Lannik Pass. The pass was treacherous on foot, but it was the only place with a gap in the mountains wide enough for a large number of their ships to fly. The Brey Mountains were simply too high to easily fly over since the air would be too thin to breathe properly at that altitude.

We decided that we should build our base there to keep watch on the pass, and to have troops ready in case they did indeed choose that path. It was also decided that we would have Drakans patrolling the coast and the edge of the Great Sands as well, just to be cautious. Finally, Nisa and Toran had reported in, and they had found nothing yet to indicate any construction of ships or any military movement on the part of the empire.

When I finally got to bed that night, I was exhausted and quite content to cuddle with Jezz as Chrissy happily hummed on the pillow beside me. We talked with Michelle and Grayle for a time, and both of them teased me a bit about the bet. Jezz merely grinned and said that she knew I wouldn’t let my instincts get the best of me. Maybe it was something that Jezz or Lannah had said, combined with my sexual frustration over the past three suns, but I had some very erotic dreams that night, and Jezz wasn’t the only person playing a part in them.