Chapter 46: Pounce
I now have an editor, so you all shouldn't need to put up with my typos and poor/dyslexic editing skills anymore.
:)
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*She's okay Ethan.* Alana thought to her husband, who was currently standing in the captain's cabin watching Taloni take a morning nap. She continued using telepathy so as not to wake the sleeping teen. *Tee said that she cleared the infection and she already has a lot of her energy back.*
*I know.* He thought back to her, but he kept looking.
*I'll check the portal stones.* She thought to him, smiling and letting him watch his third wife sleep. It was only the previous day that she'd been injured, but it felt like a couple of months ago with everything that had happened. She opened the drawer in which they kept the portal stones.
*You okay?* She heard her husband ask.
*Uh-huh.* She stared into the open drawer at a long coil of leather that most certainly hadn't been there when she had last opened the drawer.
It couldn't be...
Could it?
She reached into the drawer and picked the leather up. She had only asked Elder Goman to check what a piece of dragon leather this size would cost, hoping they could afford it so they could make a travel bow for her. Now there was a strip of leather of the exact size she'd asked for. It was very thick too, exactly what was needed and much thicker than she thought they'd be able to afford. She closed her eyes and appraised it for its enchanting potential, not daring to believe that Elder Goman could've--
She gasped.
He had.
*Hey princess, what you got there?* Ethan asked.
*Elder Goman sent us some dragon leather. It's exactly according to the dimensions I gave.* She replied, scarcely daring to believe it with how expensive dragon hide was. She looked up at her husband. *Do you know how much this is worth?*
*A lot?*
The wood elf nodded in confirmation, still not quite believing it.
*There's a note.* Her husband said, reaching into the drawer, drawing it out, and then reading to her. *I had a leathersmith who owed me a favor, so please accept this to ensure our dragon friend doesn't lose what's most precious to him. I will send some elven steel travel arrowheads and travel nocks when you know how much mass the arrows will need to fly properly with your travel bow's poundage. Expect some dragon skin shafts in the next few days; you'll have to make do with regular leather for now.* Ethan looked up. *It's signed Elder Goman.*
Alana ran her hand over the leather, appraising it with a critical eye. It was very thick leather, clearly from the thickest -- and therefore most expensive -- part of the hide. She hadn't expected for the leather to be this thick. That was wonderful because the thicker it was, the stronger her bow could be. She had been planning on much thinner dragon leather, hoping to merely match the draw weight on her normal bow.
This would exceed it easily.
Possibly
far
exceed it since the strength of a travel bow grew exponentially with the thickness of the dragon leather, and she'd rarely seen thicker leather from any animal. She stared at the strip of leather, hardly daring to believe that she was holding it in her hands. Finding the dragon leather for Ethan's armor had been a stroke of luck -- or perhaps divine providence? -- and one that she hadn't ever expected to be repeated. Now it had been repeated. Well, sort of.
Wow.
*Will you be able to enchant it today?* Her husband asked.
She shook her head. *No, it took nearly a week to get the enchantment right last time, though I can be much faster this time since I've done it before. I have my wooden bow for when we board the airship though.*
*I'm still not sure how I feel about boarding those airships following us.* Her husband said with a frown on his face. *Mostly because of you ladies; I don't want anything happening to you.*
*I don't either, but we don't really have a choice, do we?*
He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.
*Ethan, I know you want to protect us, but it's entirely possible that one of us could get seriously hurt.*
Alana felt a burst of anger over their bond and a low growl escaped his throat.
*Your dragon side acting up?* She asked.
*A little.* His lips were drawn into a thin line.
*Maybe you should get Selene to 'hold your wing' before the battle tonight.* She suggested.
*I'll be fine.*
*Ethan, I'll trust you if you're sure, but consider what happened with Beth in Arcanum. Isn't it better to be safe than sorry?*
He looked at for a long moment. *It makes it really hard to argue when you first say you'll follow my lead, then make a compelling case that I should do something.*
She grinned impishly at him. *I'll follow your lead, but consider that except for Tee who's still asleep, we're alone in a room with a lockable door, and my dress is removable...*
It was his turn to grin, then he hesitated. *Tee is still sleeping and I don't want to wake her.*
*Good point.* The wood elf replied. *Later then.*
*Definitely.*
* * *
"That was quick."
Ethan looked at the Brazilian woman who had just spoken as he and Alana exited the captain's cabin. He put on a mock-arrogant tone, struck a mock-heroic pose, and spoke with a mostly straight face. "I'm just that good."
The Brazilian woman snort-laughed.
"He is." Alana said without a hint of embarrassment.
Kendra closed her eyes and made a small sound that was somewhere between a grunt and a sigh.
The Brazilian woman looked at her. "Seriously?"
The dragon huntress nodded. "I didn't know it was possible to feel that good until--" She stopped and went a most amusing shade of pink, which contrasted magnificently with her slightly darker skin tone. If he was honest with himself, he was rather proud of how well his newest wife enjoyed sharing his bed.
"Anyway." Selene interjected, then looked at him. "You want to spar?"
They did for a while, after which Taloni came out of the captain's cabin mid-morning looking bleary-eyed but otherwise good.
He walked over to her. "How are you feeling?"
"Mu... M..." The Fey teen yawed. "Much better Master. I'm ready to help tonight."
