why me?

[small_magics]

Isibel spends her last day on the island flying, and then she rejoins her expedition, and packs, and sleeps, and in the dawnlight she gets back on the boat to sail back to the Elven Lands.

She is kept quite occupied with small magics to keep the ship operating smoothly, and also with notebooking - writing quite small, as she brought more than enough notebooks for three weeks but then unexpectedly used many of them to draw and write with the demon and has only half of one left for several days at sea.

They land on the shore of the Elven Lands on schedule, and disembark.

Comments

[small_magics]

"She used to be a Unicorn Knight," Isibel says, not sure what else would do it.

[pythbox]

"Oh!" he says. "Yeah, now I remember. She was Mom's cousin's partner for a while."

[small_magics]

"I can meet you here again after I've spoken with her," Isibel says.

[pythbox]

"Okay!" says Liselen.

[small_magics]

Isibel goes looking for Magania, quiet and withdrawn.

[pythbox]

"I See you, Isibel," says Magania. "Anything you may wish to tell of what passed between you and Kareta's son would make good hearing."

[small_magics]

"I am supposed to Bond with a dragon," Isibel says softly, in no condition to weave layers of indirection, "and save the world. It's possible I'll survive this physically, but I hold little hope for the state of my soul. I do not even know if I will hold together well enough under such scrutiny to save the world in the first place."

[pythbox]

"...I have no wisdom to offer you," says Magania.

[small_magics]

Isibel nods. "I thought perhaps I could accompany you to speak to the dragons. And their Bondmates. They may have wisdom to offer me from their own experiences."

[pythbox]

"Of course," says Magania.

[small_magics]

"Thank you."

And Isibel goes back to where Liselen is waiting, taking careful, even steps.

[pythbox]

"Hi again!" he says. "I mean, um, I See you!"

[small_magics]

"I See you," murmurs Isibel. "Magania is willing that I accompany her to speak to the other dragons."

[pythbox]

"I guess that's good," says Liselen. "I guess I'll just... follow you. At a distance."

[small_magics]

Isibel nods. "I do not know when she plans to leave. I will wait with her."

[pythbox]

"Yep," says Liselen. "Um... good luck."

[small_magics]

"Thank you."

Isibel returns to within eyeshot of Magania, and she waits, and she tries to think of thoughts she needs to have before there's no privacy to be had, but she can't think of anything.

[pythbox]

And then they travel to Karahelanderialigor, home of the dragons.

[small_magics]

Isibel tags along while Magania introduces the situation, as it will be easier to explain exactly what she has to do once the dragons are alerted to the existence of her future Bondmate.

[pythbox]

Magania explains that there is a dragon on the island, Bonded to what seems to be a benign Endarkened.

While the debate about what to do with the dragon's Bondmate is ongoing, a consensus quickly emerges that the dragons should send an expedition. Magania defers to Isibel for any knowledge she may have of the island dragon's willingness to engage in producing eggs.

[small_magics]

"His Bondmate once remarked that he would be quite amenable," murmurs Isibel.

[pythbox]

"Good," rumbles Ancaladar. "That simplifies things."

"And we're going to need all the simplicity we can get," snorts Saravasse.

[small_magics]

"There is," Isibel says, "another matter, on which I would be most grateful to hear counsel from you, or from your Bondmates, if there is any to be had."

[pythbox]

"Speak," says Saravasse.

[small_magics]

"A unicorn, Liselen, told me when our expedition returned from the island that the Wild Magic says that the world is again in danger of Dark incursion and that I must avert it, and that this will involve my Bonding with a dragon." She swallows. "The island dragon and I can Bond. I - avoided his company as soon as I realized, having decided years ago that I could not, not for love or power, tolerate having my mind read. If there is any way, any at all, to mitigate this problem - I would hear it."