[color:"aoff80"]
I was starting to get worried about all the time we were spending here, "LaShandra, how often does the Aganeth visit here?" She glanced over at me and shook her head, "Normally every other day, but with you here there is no telling." She showed her fangs, "He generally likes to play with the new ones, seeking what he will never find - the essense for his crystal."
She glanced at me and smiled, "You were smart not to give me your true names, my queen." There she went with the 'my queen' stuff again, "Uh LaShandra, my name is DQueene, not 'my queen', jvb's the only one who calls me that." She just smiled serenely and continued, "Aganeth is a summoner, if he ever learns your true name, you would be his beast to call. My 'true' name is not LaShandra, my true name resides here," she touched her hand to her heart. "I would never say it aloud in these dark halls, where Aganeth reigns supreme."
The other creatures in the laboratory who had quietly listened to us talk, started making their presense known with little trills and growls and occassional moans. I glanced up, "LaShandra, what are the other creatures here? Which cages are they in?"
She pointed to one of the other cages I had noticed was occupied when I was imprisoned in my cage, "There resides the beautiful Phoenix - Firedawn. She was brought to Aganeth over 20 years ago." She turned to the other cage I had noticed an occupant in, "That is the mighty Griffin - Ascolan. He was captured by some rogue wizards seeking favour from Aganeth's master, Rabaer. They traded him for special recognition and powers." I think I stopped breathing when she said the name Rabaer so easily.
"LaShandra, do you know all the 7 Wizards' names?" She looked at me as if astonished, "Of course I do." She looked at me closely, "You don't? But of course you do ...you belong to one of them. All dragons do." She laughed merrily, a magical note that seemed to promise all types of joys both innocent and sensual all wrapped up in one sound. She was so astonished at her own laughter that she completely failed to notice my shock over her statement. I belonged to one of them? I was a dragon? I started laughing, "No, no ... LaShandra, I'm not a dragon. That's absurd." She turned her great dark eyes and looked at me again, "But of course you are," she shrugged, "normal blood wouldn't have brought me back from death the way yours did. You are dragon, of that there is no doubt."
She pointed to a pen hanging in the far corner of the room, and continued speaking as if she had said something of no great import, "That is Fergus, the Manticore. Beware of Fergus, he has been here the longest and is therefore the most insane of us all." [/color]
