It was late in the day before the dragon was sighted flying in from the sea. His wing beat was uneven and he looked tired and defeated. When he collapsed in the sand just where he had taken off, he looked as though he would perish on the spot. Sybeele was there in an instant, knowing full well what had taken place, but not the reason for his present condition. One wing had a hole torn through it, and in places, scales were smashed or missing.

She had tears in her eyes. “Dammit Jon-Tom. What the hell happened out there? And why haven't you fixed the damage? Your power…" He coughed a little. “My healing has been overused as of late. Keeping me from burning up taxed it more than I realized, and night after night of pleasant, if strenuous exercise has pushed it over the edge I think. I'm on my way to reverting to a normal creature, not one powered by excessive magic. Even a unicorn has a limited lifespan. Without the magic it's used to my body is bound to fail." He wheezed a little and laid his head on the sand.

His wife was openly crying. “Don't you go dying on me! If you can't fix yourself, then I will!" His head came straight up, and in a tone of voice she had never heard before, he growled. “Like hell you will! Helping people who need it is only a good thing when they want the help. I DO NOT! Either I'll recover, or I won't. I am well past my natural years. My head is full of more things than the average human should ever have to experience. And the worse thing is; they haven't even happened yet! I'd need a damn good reason to accept help right now. Otherwise, I'll let nature take its course." He fell back, eyes closed.

Huntchy was there, as were a few others. The horse raised an eyebrow at Jon-Tom's words, but he said nothing. It wasn't his place to interfere. Sybelle was of course presently in human form. He knew full well that she carried impressive power, as was shown by her nonchalance in making her kidnapped friends appear out of thin air. No spells, no powders, and no instrument; just a mere thought and they were there. She could do the same for him. But if she had morals, then she was in a quandary. If she helped when he refused help, she would alienate him. If she accepted his refusal and he died, she would lose him to the stars. It was a lose-lose situation.

She leaned down and whispered in his ear. His eyes came open; wide open. He growled again. “That's a rotten thing to say! I never took you for a liar!" It was her turn to shout.

“I'm no liar! I just told you the truth. It's not my fault if you don't believe me. I told you I loved you. You have no idea what I have gone through to be here with you. And like hell if I'll stand by and see you die! I need you around for this. Power or not, I can't do this alone!"

He propped himself up on one scaly elbow. “Then you had better start explaining. I have no problem with keeping secrets. But in this case, you aren't telling me something that you should. I'll no longer go forward blindly. A future is what you make of it, but it always starts in the here and now. So spill it, or shut your trap. I do love you, but I'm too worn to care anymore about keeping information from each other. Either we do this openly, or we don't do it at all."

Sybeele looked green. “I can't tell you. Eve said if I did, it would ruin the whole thing. I want to tell you, really I do. But she made me promise." Jon-Tom puffed a few smoke rings her way. “What did she make you promise?"

“She said I had to promise never to tell you about the deal we made. She said I had to keep that promise, or she'd negate the deal." Jon-Tom nodded, thinking. “Ok. Fine. I'd never want you to break a promise, especially one as important as this one apparently is. So tell Huntchy." Her eyes narrowed. “I can't tell him!"

The dragon settled back down into the sand, blood leaking from the wound in his wings. “Suit yourself. But if what you just said is true, your promise extends to not telling me directly. It says nothing about not telling someone else. Tell him, and he can tell me, and I'll know, and you'll still have kept your promise."

She contemplated that idea for a moment. “OK, so that might circumvent the deal without causing any harm." She walked up to the horse and whispered in his ear for a few minutes. The way his eyes widened told Jon-Tom that the secret must indeed be incredible. When his legs started shaking, he knew it was very nearly unbelievable.

Sybeele finished her tale and stood to face her husband. “I'm going back home. Can you make it back to Huntchy's place as you are, or would you like me to heal you now? I'll abide by whatever decision you make." He knew he wasn't as bad as he looked, and for some reason the pain he was experiencing felt refreshing. It was weird, but he went with it. “I'll make it back on my own thank you. Once I've heard what he has to tell me, then we'll go from there." He leaned forward and with a quick flash, he licked her cheek with his sooty tongue. She smiled and kissed his chin. He could feel a small surge of power, and knew that she had cheated. But then, she was young and in love. He couldn't blame her actions. He would have done the same.

She turned and walked away, leaving petite footprints in the sand. The horse followed; the look on his face less than reassuring. Jon-Tom fell in step behind him, leaving a small group alone, wondering what had just transpired. All they knew was that their new mayor and his wife were an odd couple, but that they seemed to be the best thing to have happened to the town in a long time. Whatever their problem was, they hoped for a quick resolution.

Back in town, she went to their home to await his response, while the two males went on. As he walked, Jon-Tom could feel the healing in his body. The hole in his wing closed, the scales reformed, and by the time they reached the horse's house, he was as good a dragon as before he headed out to sea. He even felt he had power to spare again. Huntchy noticed, but said nothing. It was a gift, his silence. Jon-Tom hated trying to explain things, even to someone as intelligent as he.

The dragon sat down, and spread his wings to absorb the sunlight. It felt good. The horse dropped down on his butt, looking a bit awkward. He took in a deep breath. “She's pregnant." The dragon snorted. “So she said. It shows how much my power has diminished. I would have noticed right off the bat if it was in good working order. But that is hardly something you keep from your spouse. There's no excuse for it!"

The horse coughed. “Perhaps there is. There is an explanation too for her constant changes. The two are simultaneously connected. But I am at a loss as to the best way to relay the information she gave me. The details were stark and straight forward. I am unsure that this is the best method to give them to you."

The dragon shrugged, as much as a dragon can shrug. “Look my friend, I've been around this world, and have passed through its years like a hot knife through butter. I know things no one should know. I highly doubt you could tell me anything that would shock me. However, details behind her erratic behavior would be welcome. I have so far failed to come up with a suitable answer for her actions or her constant changes. If there is a connection, I would like to know what it is."

The horse drew in another breath. “She is pregnant. I believe her when she says that. It is not something to lie about, for the truth comes out in the end. She is carrying your child, my friend." He then fell silent.

Jon-Tom stretched his wings a little wider. “OK. That's it? It's hardly news. I have children in numbers greater than any living creature should have, and in more species than a centipede could count using all its toes! One more will not disrupt my day, nor two, or three, or four. How does her pregnancy have to do with her changes? Except for this form, I have been human the short time I've been here. It's not like our child can be anything other than human."

The horse gulped. “I said she was carrying your child. She is not carrying her child."

The dragon froze. His face twitched as he thought. He knew that there were times when his brain failed to work as he wanted it to. His child…not her child. It made no sense. He had to have sex with someone before they could become pregnant. Well, not true! He could have used his power to create life, but where was the fun in that? She took that power away on his first day (which seemed long ago already), meaning that such a thing was impossible. He was at a complete loss.

“I give up Huntchy. I assume she told you the details. How is she carrying a baby that isn't ours together?" The horse moved around to the dragon's side. He wasn't stupid. He was also thankful his friend was sitting outside, facing away from the house. He squeaked out one word. “Eve."

It didn't register with him. Of course Eve had something to do with this. She was always interfering with people's lives. Heck, she herself was carrying his baby…

The flame that shot from his mouth nearly put the artificial one, back at the tavern, to shame. Trees caught fire, and even poor Huntchy, now flatten against the cobbles, felt the hair on his mane curl and smolder. The roar was as loud as a jet engine, though he had no idea what one of those might be. All he knew was that if he survived this, he was going to live his life to its fullest. The roar, the heat and the smoke rattled the whole town, who knew something bad was in the works. They wisely stayed away from the vicinity of the problem, hoping their mayor would come to the rescue yet again. But this was something that might be beyond even his fixing, seeing as he was presently the cause.