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The first part of the competition was simply the fight to shift shape in the crowd. Rikard was off in a second, having simply shifted first into warrior form to lift him above the crowd, then into full dragon form and away.
    She watched him disappear into the strange new skyline and turned to her mom. “Well, I guess I stepped in it this time.”
    “You did indeed.”
    “Why are you standing so close to Matthias?” Graylin had a feeling she knew the answer.
    “Because we are formally bonding as mates. With you as proof of our fertility, they want to see if I can bear another female.”
    “Do you mind?”
    Arabel remained quiet for a moment. “It was not a part of my life that I had considered open for change. With hiding your existence from the council, I just wanted to let you have all the choices.” She smiled and winked at Graylin . “And the sex is better than I remember it.”
    “So, is mating in dragon form fun? I have never gotten to try it.”
    “It can be, just remember that there are consequences.”
    “ Arabel , would you please introduce me to my daughter?” The dark husky voice preceded Matthias. His dark handsome looks and golden bronze skin were traits that no doubt contributed to her own coloring. He was also probably very popular with the magical women who filled Realm.
    “Matthias, Chairman of the Dragon Council, meet your daughter, Graylin Treel . She is an egg-hatch, and has three exceptional friends who are embroiled with the various councils as we speak.
    “ Graylin , meet your father. He has risen high in the ranks of the council and is delighted to be a father after all this time.”
    “Pleased to meet you.” They both shook hands, then dropped them with a complete loss for words.
    “Matthias, just so you know. Rikard is my choice. He always has been.” The heavy thump of wing beats caught her attention and she looked toward the sound. Rikard was racing another dragon of similar size and it was a neck and neck competition. In the end, it came down to grip.
    Rikard’s opponent lost his grip on the glowing rock that he held and had to retrieve it. This let Rikard land on the parapet and hand the stone to Matthias.
    Bemused, her father simply watched Rikard change back to clothed human form. The rock that he held was only an inch long.
    The rock that had over balanced the other dragon was several feet long.
    As the other dragons came in and dropped their offerings, a similar size was found. All large rocks weighing hundreds of pounds.
    “I declare the winner Rikard ! His offering was the best.”
    “But why? His rock was not the largest!” A wave of disgruntled voices agreed with the lone complaint.
    “No, but it was taken from the home of the goblin king. That increases its value over that taken from the mines.” Some of the other dragons looked a little perturbed at that. “Let me remind you that I never told you where to obtain the stones. The value of my daughter is in question. Keep that in mind as you begin the next two challenges.”
    Two more? Matthias was serious about this apparently. Normally she would have been happy that Rikard had chosen the best stone to bring back, but with two more challenges, she didn’t know how he would fare.
    “The next challenge will take place inside. Please follow me.” Matthias held Arabel’s hand and gestured for Graylin to take his arm. She did, and into the council chamber they went. He escorted her to a small ante-chamber off the main council hall and she paced up and down, alone. Waiting for whatever the next challenge was.
     
    * * * *
     
    Arabel almost fainted when Matthias announced the next event. “The next challenge is to learn a spell and use it on Graylin . Each scroll is for a single use only, and the spell will be erased from your memory the instant that you cast it.”
    She looked over at him, appalled. “Are you sure that it is safe?”
    “The room she is in has a dampening field. No injury can come to her while