Jace watched the sun rise over the ocean. 6 days remained in the 3 weeks he bought for those girls. Finally, he felt like he could see the light at the end of the tunnel on this project. He was standing at the end of the pier with Verna, Khana and Sam. He had made Khana something embarrassing looking, that the girl seemed to love it only made him wonder a bit about her head. That the other girls thought it was cute really made him question his sense of aesthetics. He hadn’t intended to make it cute when he started. At the start of this project he was focusing solely on staffs. However, as his studies progressed, and his experiments increased, he struck onto a solution to the problem, if what was needed was to increase the resonance, then he’d use multiple devices to manage it.

It was actually not his original idea. It was an idea given to him by a certain aquatic friend he made recently. He had grown used to the huge dark shadow after his 3rd time heading out on the boat. So he figured it was safe enough to bring Sam and Verna out on the boat. On the whole Verna was far more excited than Sam. Sam seemed to be terrified of the ocean. Well that wasn’t true. She was terrified of drowning. Those chains weren’t exactly made for ocean survival; she’d probably sink like a rock if she fell into any water too deep to stand up in. In the end he enchanted the metal to float on the water. Then he helped her get over the fear by taking her into the water and teaching her how to swim.

He seriously considered just cutting the chains off her, but Verna stopped him. Telling him every single person who forcibly freed a human slave was hit with the curse. He almost risked it anyway, however it was Sam’s begging with tears in her eyes that convinced him not to. Ignoring her worry for him, apparently the punishment for escaped slaves was brutal. So after cooling his head he ended up giving in to reality and leaving the chains on.

They were half a mile out from shore when he noticed that dark shadow was nowhere to be seen. That made him a bit nervous. He only made this trip because he was getting used to that thing shadowing the boat. He didn’t know if it was protecting him or simply curious, either way it became “normal”, the shadow not being here was no longer “normal”. Just as he was contemplating turning back, the shadow returned, only this time it didn’t stay far away, it swam straight under the boat.

It was Verna who recognized what it was. She cried out in alarm it was a dragon, just as the dragon’s head broke the surface of the ocean and closed in on the boat.

Jace had been hoping to see a dragon at some point so he probably was a little too excited when the head closed in, and stared at the sapphire blue scales yellow eyes, and whiskered face. He was actually rather surprised that the dragon seemed to look more like Chinese new year’s paper dragon puppet then a western dinosaur styled dragon. Still, while the head was not quite what he expected, he couldn’t help exclaiming “So beautiful” as it truly was majestic, with those sapphire like scales glittering in the sunlight while the monstrously large dragon’s head closed in on the Yacht.

Verna, unlike Jace was prostrating before the dragon while Sam was cowering and prostrating next to Jace. The Dragon examined the three then snorted, and shape shifted right in front of Jace’s eyes. It was a blue haired long legged beautiful woman wrapped in a misty dress. Literally misty, it looks like mist forced into the shape of a dress for the dragon.

“Beautiful? What a strange human you are.” She then turned and spoke in Draconic to Verna “Arise priestess, does this human mistreat you? You seem to be his slave perhaps? It is unclear with what I’ve seen.”

Jace said faintly in draconic “Priestess?”

This made the beautiful sapphire haired woman look in surprise at Jace. “You also speak draconic?”

“Yes, as does Sam here. In fact, she taught me.”

“Interesting. Well then daughter, can you answer my questions?”

“He does not mistreat me, and I am his slave. I said the oaths.”

“A bad slave then. If you plan to hold to oaths priestess, then at least do a good job. Especially when you pick them yourself. But you are not why I’ve come. It is this man.” She turned from Verna and walked over to Jace and held out two of the small stones he had been working on that he tossed into the ocean. “Take them. This is an interesting toy you are making. But I think the part you do not grasp is to use more than one. Try figuring it out before your deadline. And watch your back little man. There is someone on the island who I suspect is here to kill you. Ask your ‘slave’ about what I mean. By the way, I am called Alayah. In all my years, I have never had a human call me beautiful. The reaction I usually get is like that.” She motioned to Sam cowering prostrate on the deck.

“I am not really praising you ‘Jace,’there are many dragons, myself included who have slaughtered humans who did not pay proper respect to us. But today I will let it pass. You have hard enough times coming shortly. You do not need me to add to it as well.”

“Wait, Alayah. What do you mean?”

“I have said enough. Speak with your priestess. The problem is not unknown to her. Oh, by the way. I like this boat human. If you have difficulty finding a name for it, come to me. I will give it a blessed name.” Then she dove in to the water. He used the term “her” loosely for Alayah. Verna later said that Alayah styled himself king of the sea.

When he asked her about that one, Verna replied “He probably liked being called beautiful and just thought to preen a bit as a female in front of you.”

With Alayah’s clue, Jace made immediate progress toward resolving his biggest issue. As for what it was Verna had to say, apparently an expert of some sort, likely a Kindred had arrived on the island sometime in the past week. With this hidden threat and Alayah’s clue, Jace made a lot of progress under a deal of pressure after that.

As for the unfortunate Khana he made a large wizards hat which looked a lot cooler in his head when he was making it then it did on the diminutive 12yo girl. What surprised him most was Sam and Verna crooning that Khana was ‘adorable’. He thought she looked silly, but he was wise enough not to say it. He also made a staff which was a bit taller than her, inserted into the staff was a 3rd focus, a black stone, and ring. The ring, staff and black stone all made an array of sorts, amplifying each other’s effects. He figured this was probably overkill, but he wanted at least one successful test before he went into mass production, with the most likely to succeed student before going on to more difficult cases. In reality he was willing to bet Khana could get away with just one of the focuses.

He held his breath as she attempted to find the pulse, he saw her control her breathing, and noted that she started to breath in time with the pulse. It happened pretty quickly, then she threw out a small fireball just for good measure. Seeing that ball of fire fly out over the water he felt like a huge weight was lifted from his shoulders. It looked like this plan was going to work.

“Khana. How was it?”

“Not as distracting as you breathing on my neck. Jeesh, I thought I was going to die from embarrassment.”

“Right, right, fragile maidens heart and all that. Moving on, can you try without some of those focuses. First try without the staff.”

She pouted then stuck out her tongue at him when she thought he wouldn’t see it. She handed him the staff then tried again, it took her a moment then another ball of fire flew out.

“Now without the ring”

She removed the ring and tried again, with the same results.

“How faint did the feeling of the pulse get with just the hat?”

“It felt about half of the rest. I think the hat being on your head makes the sensation clearer. I could try without the hat and a ring, it would probably be a better test.”

He nodded, and took the hat from her and handed back the ring. It didn’t take her long to make yet another fireball.

“Then this is the way it looks. You can keep all 4 if you want them.”

She shook her head and kept the ring, then took the hat. He was flabbergasted. Then just let it drop.

“It looks like we have a solution to the problem then…” Jace trailed off as he noticed two people making their way down to the beach. He suspected he knew who the pair was and suddenly had a desire to hop into the dugout, and paddle out to the still nameless yacht. The problem was he suspected it would only be a temporary escape.

Several days ago this pair bothered him all morning with a nonsensical proposal. They had returned every day since, with the same demand. At first he thought they were kidding. Now he figured they just caught the same stupidity that everyone else seemed to have around these parts.

He waited for Karius and Kay'rin to approach. Once they got into earshot he called out to them. “We were planning on heading out onto the ocean. I hope you’d like a trip on the water, and don’t plan to renew that rejected proposal.”

“But there is no logical reason to turn it down.” Kay'rin's cool voice cut him off.

“I can think of several reasons. Karius talk some sense into her.” When Kay'rin spoke that nonsensical proposal the other day he knew Karius wasn’t expecting it, the look on his face said it all. So he knew he had something of an ally in the man.

“I’m here to support Grand Wizard Kay'rin in this matter Jace. Perhaps you could stop rejecting it outright and explain clearly why you say no. Convince us you mean it.”

He wondered a little if that was a hint. So he spoke clearly.

“One, I’m not marrying Kay'rin and impregnating her.

Two, I think it’s stupid because I have a girl, who is pregnant, I’m not in the mood for a second.

Three, nor will I become the new leader of the human wizards. I don’t care that they won’t take a woman as leader, frankly, I don’t see what any human wizard can even do to force Kay'rin to do anything.

Four, I will not proceed to take on all the women in this place as concubines to spawn a new race of magically skilled humans. From what I’ve heard the magical talents of the babied born here from the unions of wizards and witches is just about as mediocre as if two regular humans mated. Me knocking up a bunch of women for the rest of my life sounds terribly boring. I already sympathize with women forced to mate their whole lives until they die in childbirth or old age, I don’t plan to share their fate. Well as much of their fate as I could share.

Fifth, marrying a girl without love isn’t really something I want to try.

Six, If I were forced to marry a girl, Kay'rin would be way down the list, as I’d rather marry Sam if it came down to that. Though from what I understand it’s not legally possible to marry a slave. Heck, I’d rather marry Verna, and she drives me crazy. Could you live as a 3rd wife? I thought not.

Seven, what type of scum did you think I was to come to me with that proposal in the first place?

Eight, just talking about it this long is making me angry just thinking about it. Clearly not something I’ll ever concede to.

Is that clear enough for you?”

“Perfectly.” Cool and smooth as ice, Kay'rin nodded her head. “Then my apologies. I’ll not bother you again about this matter. Keep that resolve. I’m sure the old men that run this place will make the same offer to you, and they might not take a no for an answer.”

Jace sighed. “I really have more interesting things to do today then talk about some stupid tribal politics with someone who was testing me the past few days. Way to waste both of our times.” Jace hoped that really was the end of this stupidity. Though her last words certainly set him on edge as he suspected he’d hear about this silly proposal again shortly.

As if he didn’t have enough things to trouble him.