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“It’s kind of like how Cloud used to be sent down to earth from the Celestial Realm to aid in human affairs. But then, why do we need to be part of each quest? The Jade Emperor seems to have many dragons at his disposal. Who knew so many existed? Where has he been hiding them all?”
Ere waved his hand, signaling that the last two questions were rhetorical, which Sorin clearly understood. His Mate could practically read his mind, even when they didn’t have their telepathic connection in human form.
“I suppose the more the merrier when you’re trying to find…thingsthat are hard to find. I can’t even call them objects because songs and wishes aren’t physical. The question is, why does the Jade Emperor want these things? What is he collecting them for? Or, is each quest an end in itself? A fix in the fabric of time and space that restores the Universal Balance?”
Sorin indicated that he was listening by humming in the back of his throat at intervals when Ere paused for breath.
Hmm.
Mmhmm.
Mmm.
It was all Ere needed to continue his extrapolations.
“My gut tells me that the quests are related,” he went on.
“But I can’t reason out how. The Jewel of Dreams, which turns out to be a dragon’s tear. The Song of Destiny, which I still don’t know what it is since what we brought back apparently didn’t count. And now the Wish of Wonders…”
He slurped up some stew, grimacing at the gamey, unfamiliar spiced taste before continuing.
“What is the common thread? Besides the two of us heading out on every quest, presumably to pay off my debt for being resurrected from the dead, I can’t see the connection.”
“Love,” Sorin rumbled, meeting Ere’s eyes with his own fiery, golden depths.
At first Ere thought he was uttering an endearment, already melting under Sorin’s warm gaze. But when Sorin didn’t speak further, he blinked in realization.
“Oh, you mean the love matches between Rui and Wolfe, Divina and Andros?”
Sorin gave a small nod.
Ere thought out loud, “It’s true, I suppose. If Rui had not fallen in love with Wolfe, perhaps she wouldn’t have shed a dragon’s tear. We would never have been able to access the treasure. And even though I don’t know what exactly the Song of Destiny turned out to be, perhaps it’s related to the joining of Divina and Andros…”
Ere blinked rapidly and stared at Sorin with wide eyes.
“Does this mean we’re being sent out into the great unknown across the fabric of time as glorifiedmatch-makers?That’s…that’s…”
Sorin chuckled in silent huffs as he sputtered, beyond words.
His Mate put his much larger hand upon Ere’s on the table and squeezed gently.
“Does it matter?” he asked quietly. “We are together. You are enjoying yourself.”
Ere squinted but didn’t contradict Sorin.
It was true. Hewasenjoying himself, almost drowning in a bog full of zombies notwithstanding. As long as he was with Sorin, life was good.
“You don’t really think that’s why we’re here, do you?” he stated more than asked.
“No,” Sorin confirmed after a thoughtful pause.
Ere went back to deducing.
“The timeline we’ve been following isn’t linear either. First the Dark Ages. Then, ancient Greece. And now, sometime before the Viking Age. I wonder if anything we’ve done in the past has any implications on the present and future. I thought Shifu distinctly said that the past cannot be altered. It’s why no one is supposed to remain in the world we visit, and no one from that world is supposed to come with us.”
“The rules do not hold,” Sorin said.
Ere snorted.
