The first day of the climb was easy. The mountain slopes were relatively gentle, and there were plenty of goat paths and trails to follow. They were low enough that hardy fir trees dotted the landscape, and there was enough brush to build a fire. That first night they made camp under a rock overhang on a jagged hill. Gersius made a fire and bundled enough wood to carry with him to make a second.

They spoke a little about the plans for Avashire and Lengwin. Most of the conversation was on how they were going to cross the mountains. He lamented that they had to flee the temple in such haste. He would have better prepared for the journey and requested warmer clothes. Now he hoped they could remain low enough on the mountain where the cold would not be an issue.

The second day saw more difficult passage. The hills became steep and the walkways narrow. The only path they could take led them higher and higher. The brush all but vanished, and not even the goats seemed to venture this far up. They were still well below the cloud level, but the snow line was growing ever closer.

The second day ended with a camp along a stony rock face. They were fortunate that the night air didn't seem to be any colder and they made a small fire to keep the chill at bay.

The third day was windy as they made their way along the towering mountains.

Gersius led the way across the stony slope between mountain peaks. They climbed for hours, working their way across broken ground. They passed one last hardy tree that barely clung to life this high up. Ahead of them was the first snows, and their breaths became visible as the air grew cold. Thus far, they had climbed in silence, but as the temperature dropped, Thayle spoke up.

“You do realize this armor isn't going to keep us warm?” she said.

“I am well aware of that. Fortunately, it is working much better than I expected,” Gersius said. “Once we start to feel the cold, I will bless our armor with warmth for added protection.”

“What about Lilly?” Thayle asked.

“I don't get cold,” Lilly said, walking beside Thayle.

“You don't feel the cold at all?” Thayle said as they trudged along.

“I feel the cold, but I don't feel any discomfort from it,” she replied.

“So some of your dragon traits carry over into this form?” Thayle asked.

“Some of them do. I can see in the dark, and breath a blast of cold. There might be other things that I haven't discovered yet.”

“You can see in the dark?” Thayle asked.

“I can see in the dark as if it was daytime,” Lilly said.

“You didn't tell me that,” Gersius interjected as he walked along.

“You never asked,” Lilly replied.

“I ask all sorts of things about you and dragons. You could always volunteer things, tell Thayle how you can sleep for years.”

“You can?” Thayle said, turning to Lilly.

“We can if we want to. I can stay awake for months as well. I don't need to sleep as much as I do. I just enjoy doing it,” Lilly said.

“She doesn't have to eat much either,” Gersius said. “She can eat a big meal and then not eat for longer than she can sleep for.”

“I wish I could do that,” Thayle said. “What do dragons eat, anyway?”

Gersius and Lilly answered in unison. “People.”

Thayle froze in her tracks as they walked on and Gersius started laughing.

“That’s not funny!” Thayle yelled and ran to catch up.

Lilly told her all about dragons repeating much of what she had already told Gersius. Thayle was particularly interested in the relationship Lilly had with her mother.

“So, you still visit your mother?” Thayle asked.

“Well, I did when I had my wings. Without them, it would take so long to get there.”

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up a bad memory,” Thayle said.

“It's fine, Thayle. I am very happy now that Gersius and I are together. I wish my mother could meet him, though.”

“I thought you said that was a bad idea?” Gersius asked.

“I did, but now that you're my husb-” Lilly struggled to try to remember the word.

“Husband,” Thayle finished for her.

“Husband,” she repeated. “Now that you're my husband, I would like her to know,” Lilly said.

“So your not afraid to tell your mother you are in love with a man?” Gersius questioned.

“I think my mother would understand,” Lilly said. “She seemed to understand humans. Maybe she talked to some of you like I have.”

“Maybe,” Thayle said.

“I would like to thank your mother,” Gersius said.

“Thank her for what?” Lilly asked.

“For raising such a beautiful daughter,” he replied.

“Oooh,” Thayle squealed at the compliment.

Gersius looked ahead and frowned.

“We may have a problem,” he said, looking to the sky.

Dark clouds gathered around the peaks ahead as the wind started to pick up.

“A storm!” Thayle said.

“Is that bad?” Lilly asked, her hair starting to drift in the breeze.

“We need shelter fast,” Thayle urged.

“We are on an exposed hillside. There is no shelter.” Gersius replied, throwing his hands up.

“We have to find something!” Thayle insisted.

He quickly scanned the surroundings and decided to try for a narrow canyon made of snow and ice that was well up the slope. It would be tough climbing, but if they were quick, they could shelter there to avoid the storm.

“Head for that canyon in the snow on the right. Maybe we can find a ledge or overhang,” he said.

Quickly they made their way over the bare stone ground and into the first patches of snow. They stumbled through it as they worked their way into the higher peaks heading for the canyon.

“The storm will be here before we reach the canyon,” Thayle said as the wind picked up.

“The walls will give us some shelter. We just have to hurry,” he replied.

The snow became deeper as they climbed, and they began to struggle. The canyon loomed just a hundred feet ahead, but the snow started to blow on the wind. In minutes it was a blinding haze that blew in great blasts across the mountainside.

Gersius moved back and wrapped an arm around both Thayle and Lilly. He guided them across the snow, steering them to the canyon. He could hardly see through the blowing haze as he pressed on.

The wind began to howl, making it difficult to communicate and snow blinded the eyes. Gersius carried the two women to safety as he finally hauled them into the canyon.

“It isn't much better here,” Thayle called out as the wind and snow howled down the narrow canyon.

“I feel fine,” Lilly said, standing in the blowing breeze.

“Were not dragons,” Gersius reminded her. “Come here, Thayle. I will bless your armor.”

“Actually, Gersius. I feel fine too,” Thayle said.

Gersius took a moment to consider the blowing wind and cold and realized he too felt perfectly fine.

“How can this be?” he said, touching his ears and nose. “I am not even cold.”

Thayle concentrated and looked to their auras. There was a change in Lilly’s light. It still behaved as a lovers did, but it also had long tendrils that reached out and blended into his aura. Gersius had the light of a lover, but also returned large bursts of light back to Lilly. Thayle gasped when she saw the same lights from both of them reaching to her. She too was being fed by them both. She looked at Gersius with a curious expression. She understood Lilly to some extent, but him?

“It has to be Lilly,” Thayle shouted to be heard over the wind. “She is protecting us somehow.”

“Let us push deeper into the canyon. See if we can find a less noisy spot,” he yelled.

They trudged on stumbling through deep snow down a canyon barely thirty feet wide. Walls of ice towered up on both sides, making the whole canyon feel like a frozen grave.

“The wind is better here,” Gersius said, as they rounded a bend in the canyon that helped mitigate the gale. He turned to consider Lilly when they were all safe behind the bend.

“How are you doing this?” he asked.

“I didn't know I could do this,” Lilly said.

“Well, praise Ulustrah for your protection. We would be in danger without you,” Thayle said.

Gersius walked over to a wall of ice and took his glove off. He placed his hand on the ice and ran his palm over it.

“I can feel the cold, but it doesn't bother me at all. I may as well be touching a stone on a summers day.”

Thayle came up the wall beside him and pressed her hand to it.

“It’s so strange, you can feel it, but somehow it feels right.”

“Well, so much for worrying about freezing to death. We could sleep in the snow, and we would be fine,” Gersius said.

“So you both owe your lives to me?” Lilly said a bashful smirk on her face. “What will I demand in repayment?” she added, tapping her chin as if lost in thought.

“You seem to be doing well with saving lives,” Gersius stated.

“Don't worry. I haven't forgotten you owe me three lives,” Lilly said as she casually strolled around the snow-drenched canyon.

“Two, I saved your life once, remember?” he reminded.

“That one doesn't count,” Lilly said with a smile. “As I recall, I asked you to kill me.”

“No!” Thayle gasped.

“I do not even want to think about that day,” Gersius said as he walked over to her.

She put her hands into his and leaned forward into a kiss. “I am glad you didn't do it. I am pleased to be your wife.”

“Will you two quit making me jealous,” Thayle said.

“You can get jealous?” Gersius asked, turning to look at her.

“I can see your auras. I physically see how strong your love is for each other.”

Lilly laughed and ran a hand across Gersius's cheek then turned and walked over to Thayle.

“You are the one who brought us together, and I love you for it,” she said, stumbling a bit in the snow before she reached Thayle.

Thayle saw her aura pulse white with the truth.

Lilly took Thayle's hand and firmly pulled her over and stood next to Gersius, who was now studying the canyon.

Thayle felt excitement at the woman's desire to be holding her hand, and she saw Lilly's aura light up a little more when she took it.

“This should run through to the other side. It might be an easier passage across,” Gersius said.

Thayle glanced down at Lilly’s hand and carefully squeezed it a little more firmly only to have Lilly squeeze even harder as if she wanted to make sure Thayle couldn't let go. She saw the aura pulse with life.

Lilly glanced over at her with eyes sparkling in the light and smiled. Thayle froze as her pulse raced and thankfully Lilly turned back to look at Gersius.

With great effort, Thayle struggled to check her racing heart.

“We should get moving,” Thayle suggested, and Gersius agreed. He took the lead and led them further in.

Lilly followed, pulling Thayle along and keeping her close.

The canyon slowly grew wider and gently turned to the north as they walked. The walls of ice and snow gradually became less steep as the tunnel widened out. The snow here was tightly packed and dense as stone. They found they could walk across it without sinking, and their passage became much easier.

The canyon took them around the mountain and out of the worst of the storm. Gentle snow drifted on the breeze here, but behind them, the dark clouds loomed. They could not tell if the clouds were heading this way.

“So this is the kind of environment you live in, Lilly?” Thayle asked.

“Well, I had a cave in the mountains, but I lived in a valley below the snow.”

“She could have used a priestess of Ulustrah. It was all stone and scrub grass with no trees or flowers in the whole valley,” Gersius said.

“It sounds like a secluded place,” Thayle said.

“It was very peaceful actually. All you could hear was a gentle rumbling from the waterfall that fell from the ice near her cave.”

“That sounds beautiful,” Thayle added.

“It needed some trees,” he replied.

“Hey, I like my valley the way it is,” Lilly replied.

“But you do like the forest now?” Gersius asked.

“I didn't know they were so pretty underneath the green clouds,” Lilly remarked. “I am too big in my dragon form to walk under them.”

“We could plant a few trees. I could bless them to make them grow quickly,” Thayle said.

“And some flowers?” Lilly asked.

“Yes, I want to have flowers,” Gersius added. “I can not live someplace that doesn’t have flowers.”

“I could help you two have all the flowers you wanted,” Thayle remarked.

Lilly laughed and tugged at Thayles hand.

“We can't live in my valley,” she said.

“Why not?” Gersius asked.

“How will you get into my cave?” Lilly asked.

“I will build a house on the valley floor. There is plenty of stone, and with your help as a dragon we can haul in lumber from the forests outside the valley,” he said.

“You could build us a house?” Lilly asked, her voice going softer.

“It takes some time, but I could build a lovely home.”

“Then we could all live together in my valley!” Lilly said excitedly.

“We?” Thayle questioned.

“Yes, you, Gersius, and me,” Lilly said.

“It sounds like you have been adopted, priestess,” Gersius laughed.

“Lilly, a home is for you and the one you love,” Thayle said.

“But I love you too,” she said, squeezing Thayle's hand again.

Thayle felt the truth of her words in her grip, and Lilly's aura reflected it.

“I will build you a room with a basin in it so you can have your water shrine,” Gersius said with a smile.

“Don't you start encouraging this,” Thayle barked.

Gersius laughed, “I have been struggling to teach her things like this for days. I wish you much luck in making her understand.”

As the ground began to slope downward, they walked out of the canyon onto a steep hillside. In places, the snow broke, revealing the stone of the mountain beneath.

“We are climbing back under the snow line,” Gersius said.

“I still can't believe how comfortable I feel,” Thayle remarked.

As they walked, Lilly studied the mountainside off in the distance as something caught her eye.

“What is that?” Lilly asked, pointing to one of the mountain walls.

It was too far away to see clearly, but there was a large dark rectangle on a mountainside. Beside it were stone pillars with a twisting band and crowned by balls of some kind. The land before the dark opening looked unusually flat and nearly clear of debris from the mountain.

“It is some kind of structure,” Gersius said.

“Up here in the cold of the mountains?” Thayle asked.

“I do not know how they built it, but it is clearly there,” Gersius replied.

“I want to go see it,” Lilly said, walking off, and pulling Thayle with her.

Gersius laughed as he rushed to catch up to her. Lilly smiled and took his hand as well and pulled them both along. They traveled for many minutes across a ledge and then a down a stony slope.

As they got closer, they could see more detail. There were three giant steps into a great towering doorway. It was easily fifty feet tall and thirty feet wide. The pillars on the side were carved with crossing lines, and the twisting band was actually a tail. Each pillar had a scaled tail carved in stone that curled around it until it reached a huddled mass at the top. The mass was a scaled and clawed monster with wings folded back and a long neck that reached over the doorway. The heads hovered in the air ten feet apart from one another and were locked in a permanent stony stare.

“Those are statues of dragons,” Thayle said as they got closer.

“How was anything like that even made,” Gersius said. “The heads would be too heavy for the neck. The stone should have broken.”

“Look at the lines on the pillars!” Thayle said as they got close enough to see the crossing pattern.

“It is the same as on Lilly's shoulders,” Gersius said.

The steps were twice as tall as a normal step and six feet deep. Gersius helped the ladies climb up them until they stood at the landing before the great open doorway.

Inside they could see a wide hallway large enough for fifty men to walk side by side. The ceiling ran up even higher than the door and was decorated in graceful arches. The floor was made of the stone of the mountain. It was heavily worn and full of scratches as if it had once seen heavy use. The walls were cut with thin nooks every ten feet. Between them were carved images and murals on the walls. The hallway met another archway some one hundred feet back and beyond; they could see another room.

“Why is it so bright? There are no light sources,” Thayle asked.

Gersius blinked a few times as he tried to understand it. He saw no obvious sources of light magical or otherwise. He glanced over his shoulder to the mountainside. Though the sky was cloudy, the mountain was still bright. He turned back to the tunnel and could see almost no difference. Finally, he put his hand over his eyes and realized he could still see his hand. There was only one option he could think of.

“It has to be Lilly again,” he said.

“What do you mean?” Thayle asked.

“I can see in the dark as if it was daytime,” he said. “Even if I cover my eyes, I can see my hand as if there was a bright light on it. Somehow we can see as she does, but how?”

“You can see how I see?” Lilly asked.

Thayle, too, started to look in and out of the hall.

“It's only a little darker than outside, but just barely. It's hard to notice,” Thayle said.

“How can this be?” Gersius asked again.

“Somehow she is sharing her gifts,” Thayle said. “I see her aura doing something more than sharing the light of her love. She is sending streams of power to you, and your aura is absorbing them as if it was feeding on it. I have never seen anyone share light like this before.”

“Maybe my powers work for the ones who love me,” Lilly said.

“But then why can Thayle use them?” Gersius asked.

Gersius and Lilly looked at each other and then looked at Thayle.

Thayle felt her face going red.

They both asked the same question almost in unison.

“Do you love Lilly?” Gersius asked her.

“Do you love me, Thayle?” Lilly said in a gentle voice and a smile while squeezing her hand.

“I..” Thayle stared to say suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.

“Does the light go from Lilly's aura to yours?” Gersius asked, cutting her off.

“It,.. it does,” Thayle said, not sure what to do.

“And you only see that happen when two people are in love?” Lilly asked.

Thayle went silent, unable to respond and just looked from face to face as she blushed deeply.

Gersius cracked a funny smile and looked down at Thayle.

“Well, this is certainly an interesting development,” he said.

“I think it's fine,” Lilly said. “I love Thayle.”

“I know you do, I can feel it across the binding link,” he said as he turned to look at Thayle. “But I didn't know the priestess felt just as strongly.”

“You are putting words in my mouth!” Thayle said, trying to pull away from Lilly, but Lilly only gripped her hand more firmly.

“Am I?” Gersius asked, still smiling.

“Thayle, does Gersius share light with me?” Lilly asked.

“Yes, he does,” Thayle said as Lilly began to play with her hand.

“Do you share light with me?”

“That isn't a fair question to ask me,” Thayle said, her voice going thin.

“I thought it was fair,” Gersius said.

“We are standing on the top of a mountain, in the doorway to some long-forgotten building, and you want to know if I'm sharing light with you?”

Gersius shook his head as he started laughing.

“What is so funny?” Thayle asked.

“You would not be trying to avoid the answer if the truth was no,” he said, as he leaned over to look in her eyes. “I learned that from you, remember?”

Thayle blushed deep red and worked her mouth silently, desperate to think of a way to avoid the topic.

“So you do love me,” Lilly said.

“Lilly, this isn't the time or place for this conversation,” Thayle said at last.

“Just tell me you love me,” Lilly insisted.

Thayle froze solid as Lilly leaned in and looked her right in the eyes.

“I'm waiting,” she said inches from Thayles face.

Gersius started to laugh again, “The priestess who teaches people about love can't admit to loving.”

“What is wrong with you two?” Thayle said. “I am the one who is supposed to be blunt and bold.”

Lilly finally let Thayle's hand go but instead both her hands came to Thayles face and wrapped around her cheeks, holding her tight between them.

“I saw Tavis and Ayawa do this once,” she said to Thayle. “You said they were showing each other affection. Does this help you answer my question?”

They all turned as a deep rumbling growl echoed down the hall from someplace inside.

Lilly dropped her hands and tensed as Gersius drew his sword and scanned the space beyond.

“Thank Ulustrah,” Thayle whispered with a sigh of relief.

“We are not done talking about this,” Gersius said, not taking his eyes off the hall.

“I think we should go in,” Lilly said.

“We have no idea what might be in there,” Thayle said. “It could be giants!”

“Giants?” Lilly repeated. “My mother said she killed some giants before. She said they are tough eating.”

“Well, the sun is starting to fall, and the storm might come this way. It would be a good shelter for the night assuming it is safe,” Gersius said.

“Then we go in,” Lilly said, grabbing Thayle's hand again and pulling her along.

Lilly walked boldly through the dark opening and into the hall beyond. From here they could see the murals on the walls depicted scenes of dragons doing various things. Some held objects in their hands like swords or spears. Others were locked in what looked like a battle between them.

One mural had a long row of what looked like deep clawed marks arranged in neat order.

“What is that supposed to be?” Thayle asked.

“It is Lilly's language. It is dragon writing,” Gersius said.

“Can you read it?” Thayle asked as she glanced to Lilly.

“Yes, it would translate to something like ‘The sun and moon went to war and shed the blood of their kind. The blue became black, the red became gold.’

“What does that mean?” Thayle asked.

“I have no idea,” Lilly responded, giving Thayle another small squeeze.

Thayle felt the pressure and tried to pull her hand away.

“Stop trying to free your hand priestess. I'm not letting you go until you answer me.”

Gersius only chuckled again and walked on.

On another mural was a picture of a crescent moon. Rays of light from the moon fell on a great dragon who stood upright with its wings folded out wide. Over its head, it held a great sword that curved like the crescent of the moon itself. It had the wings of a dragon for a guard, and the blade was etched with more dragon runes.

“What does that say?” Thayle asked.

Lilly studied it for a moment. “It says I am Balisha's wrath.”

“Balisha?” Thayle said. “Balisha is just a myth, a story.”

“I have seen this sword before,” Gersius said. “It is the one the statue in Calathen is holding”

“The statue you told me had the dragon writing on it?” Lilly asked.

“Yes, the same one,” Gersius said.

“This whole space is dedicated to dragon history,” Thayle said, turning around as far as Lilly's grip would allow her to.

“That reminds me,” Gersius said, suddenly turning to his left.

“Reminds you what?” Lilly asked.

“I wanted you to look at something. I meant to show it to you days ago.”

He pulled the scabbard out with the short sword in it. The faceted blue stone caught both women's eyes as he held it up.

“It’s a small sword with a pretty gem,” Lilly said

“No, Lilly. I need you to look at this,” he said, drawing the blade from the sheath. Both women looked on with interest at the dragon lettering that ran down the blade.

Thayle studied it a moment. “Is that more dragon writing?”

“It is. I wanted Lilly to read it,” Gersius said.

“It is dragon,” Lilly said, looking closely at the blade.

She ran her finger along the lettering “here it says vindr slidish.”

“What does that mean in our language?” Gersius asked.

“The closest translation would be wind razor or wind blade,” Lilly said.

“What else does it say?” Gersius asked.

“It is just a single word,” Lilly said.

“What word?”

“In your language, it would be like begin or start,” Lilly said.

“What is it in your language?” Thayle asked.

“Dassk,” she said.

The blade of the weapon suddenly began to glow in a bluish light and made a faint whistling sound.

“It's enchanted!” Thayle said as the blue fire crept down the blade's edge. “Where did you get it?”

“It was downstairs in your armory,” Gersius replied.

“Why would a sword be enchanted in the dragon language?” Thayle asked.

“I do not know,” Gersius said, holding up the blade.

The surface crawled with a blue fire and gave off a gentle light. As the blade moved, the whistling noise grew stronger and faded away when he held still.

Lilly reached out her free hand to touch the now blue glowing blade. The light seemed to flee the touch of her fingers.

“It's very beautiful,” she said.

“How do you stop it?” asked Thayle.

“I do not know,” was all Gersius could say. He turned the blade over a few times, but the markings were the same on both sides. “I have an idea,” he said and carefully slid the blade back into its sheath. When he drew it out again, the fire was gone.

“Well, that was an easy solution,” Thayle remarked.

“So its name is wind razor?” Gersius said as he inspected it.

“Well no, its name is vindr slidish,” Lilly corrected.

“Wind razor it is,” Gersius said, putting it back.

Lilly gave him a stern glare as her hands came to her hips.

Gersius smiled and pointed to the archway into the room beyond.

“Shall we go inside?” he asked.

Lilly nodded and gave Thayle a firm squeeze.

“Come, my love. I wouldn't want you to wander off,” she said, as she pulled Thayle along.

The interior room was an enormous space. The ceiling soared up at least seventy feet and was decorated with depictions of the night sky.

The floor was made of stone tiles made from the gray rock of the mountain. The walls stretched away to either side another fifty feet. Small round pillars lined the walls every twenty feet. They were alternating in color from blue to black, to red, to gold, and then back to blue. On each blue and black pillar was a depiction of the moon made in silver attached at the base. On the red and gold pillars was a golden sun attached at the top.

The back wall was a large arched alcove made of white stone. Six steps like the ones outside radiated around it, separating it from the rest of the room. The wall behind it was a giant depiction of the sun with the right portion of it covered by a silver crescent moon. The image towered up from the floor to the ceiling. Right before the giant symbol was a white stone altar. It was a plain box about four feet high and wide. Its sides were polished smooth and featureless. On top of it was a white bundle folded over neatly.

On either side of the sun, emblem in the corners was a large corridor that stretched off into the mountain. The tunnels were far enough away that they were shrouded in darkness even to dragon sight.

It was what was in the far left corner that made Thayle gasp.

“Is that, a dragon?” she said, pointing at the pile of large bones.

Lilly dragged her along and moved closer.

“No, it was a dragon,” she said, standing before the barren skull.

“What is this place?” Thayle asked as she looked at the room.

“This is a temple of some kind,” Gersius said.

“It’s carved out of the mountain,” Thayle said. “The temple in Eastgate would never have dared make a room this big. How are they supporting the ceiling?”

“I do not know,” Gersius said as he looked around. “But it is clearly a temple.”

“A temple to what though?” Lilly asked, turning to walk toward the steps at the far end.

“Some god of the sun or moon it would appear,” Gersius said.

“The only god of the sun is Appateros,” Thayle said, “I can’t imagine him being worshiped by dragons.”

“What about the moon?” Lilly asked.

“The only god of the moon, well goddess was Balisha,” Thayle said.

“Like on the sword in the hallway?” Gersius pointed out. “Could this be a temple to Balisha?”

Thayle could only shrug.

They reached the broad stone steps, and Lilly stopped them.

“What is it?” Gersius asked.

“The steps have writing on them,” Lilly said.

“It's in dragon. What does it say?” Thayle asked.

“Only those who share Balisha’s love may walk to her alter,” she replied.

“It has to be a temple to Balisha then,” Gersius said.

“Is it safe to go any further?” Thayle asked. “Some temples are powerfully warded. This could be a dire warning.”

“It is indeed a very dire warning!” came a deep rumbling voice that echoed as if two were speaking.

Thayle jumped, as Lilly finally let her hand go.

Gersius drew his sword again and searched the room.

“Get back,” Lilly said, staring straight into the right corridor.

Blue, glowing eyes appeared in the depths of the tunnel as the large head of a dragon began to snake its way into the room slowly.