“What will you do then?” Cinnia asked her husband.

“If I cannot scatter the Yafir among all four of our provinces, what else can I do but raise another mass of land up from the sea for them?” Dillon replied.

“A most ambitious undertaking,” Cronan noted drily. “But will it not defeat your original purpose to bring Belmairan and Yafir together as one people?”

“Perhaps in the beginning,” Dillon agreed, “but the most important first step in my plan is to bring them out of hiding. Some will assimilate into Belmairan society immediately. And Belmairans will get to know them through trade between the provinces. There will be more intermarriages between the young people, but these marriages will be negotiated between the families. We will have no more stolen brides.”

“First you must solve the problem of stabilizing their ages so all the Yafir may continue on with reasonable life expectancies,” Kaliq said.

“It will not be easy,” Dillon said. “I am not certain a mass spell will suffice, and I would do no harm. I believe it may have to be done one by one.”

“That is time-consuming,” Cronan’s ancient voice said.

“You have far greater knowledge than I in this matter,” Dillon replied.

“Why do you think that?” Cronan responded.

“You are sympathetic to the Yafir,” Dillon said. “Why else would you remain here in Belmair all these centuries? I suspect you have guarded them for all this time. They are magic folk, but of the lower orders, Cronan. They had not the knowledge or power to create the world below the sea in which they live. I think you did that for them.”

“You are right, Kaliq. He is very intuitive and clever,” the old Shadow Prince said. “Aye, I have been protecting them, but like many races they have become their own worst enemy, and unless something is done they will become Belmair’s, as well. Another king in the mold of the previous rulers here would have surely spelled Belmair’s doom.”

“Then help me to help the Yafir,” Dillon replied. “If I raise a new land mass from the sea, can we three together enchant it so that the Yafir may live in safety? I will devise a spell that can be used individually to ply time to our will so some may be dispersed to the other provinces, except Beltran. I have no time to argue with Dreng at this moment. I will deal with him later.”

“And what of Ahura Mazda?” Cronan asked.

“I will deal with him later, as well,” Dillon said grimly. “First the land must be brought up from the sea. Then it must be made habitable. When that is done then we will approach those among the Yafir who would come up from the sea.”

“It is a good plan,” Cronan said.

“May I speak to Arlais about it?” Cinnia asked her husband. “That way she can prepare her sons, and their adherents. I think knowing they need not face the immediate hostility of we Belmairans may make their decision an easy one.”

“Aye,” Kaliq agreed. “It is clever.”

“Do I not always achieve my purposes, my lord?” Dillon asked his father.

Cronan chuckled. “He has your ego, I see, old friend. I should like to meet his mother one day. She must be strong to have withstood you, Kaliq, and yet birthed you such a fine son. There is no in-between with these faerie women. They can be either as hard as iron, or soft as butter.”

“Lara is a little of both,” Kaliq told the ancient. “But the softness is the small bit of mortal blood that flows within her.”

The next morning they met in Dillon’s library, and spread a great map of Belmair upon a large table. The largest province, Belmair itself, appeared to sit in the very center of the great sea, surrounded by the three smaller provinces of Belia, Beldane and Beltran each set equidistant from each other, and Belmair province itself. To have fit a new province between the others would have destroyed the balance. It was decided to put it in the southern part of the sea away from the others. This way it could be said the Yafir had discovered the place, and had been living there for centuries. No one need ever know about their world beneath the sea if they chose not to speak of it.

The following morning the two Shadow Princes settled themselves upon Nidhug’s back, and she flew to the spot where together they would create this new province, which would be called Belbuoy. The dragon hovered over the area as Dillon called forth land from the deep. He stood upon Nidhug’s back near the graceful curve of her neck.

Heed me waters of the sea. Spread yourselves, give way to me. At the calling of my hand, slowly, slowly raise new land. Gentle hills and meadows fair; beaches wide, and harbors there. Soil that’s rich and air that’s sweet; a place for magic folk to meet. Give way, oh waters of the sea. I ask it of you humbly.

Dillon raised his hand over the waters, and they began to part. As they did land rose up from beneath the waves lapping at the newly formed shoreline. While he drew the steaming land up both Kaliq and Cronan worked to form hills, and smooth fields and bring golden sands to cover the beaches that surrounded the new land.

I thank you waters of the sea for your generosity, Dillon said when it was done.

The trio then set about to make it all fertile. Trees of all kinds sprang up. The meadows were filled with grasses and other growth. And then came animals and birds.

Three large fresh water rivers appeared, along with many brooks and streams. When they had finished Nidhug hovered above it all, marveling at their work.

“It’s beautiful,” she said.

“Take us home,” Dillon said in a weak voice. “We are exhausted.”

The dragon flew with them back to the royal castle. The two Shadow Princes, and the young king came down from her back and she was shocked to see how tired and drawn they were. “Are you all right?” she asked them, concerned. “Shall I call someone?”

“Nay,” Dillon told her. “We are just worn from our hard work this day.”

“We must rest,” Kaliq said. He put an arm about Cronan, who could scarcely stand. “Come, old friend. It has been quite a while since we did such work together, and we were both much younger then.”

The three men slowly entered the stairwell that would take them back into the castle. The dragon watched them go, and then she rose up and flew across the gardens to her own castle. She found Cirillo awaiting her in her Great Hall. He hurried forward, and taking her paws in his beautiful hands, kissed them tenderly.

“They have done it?” he asked.

“It was the most amazing thing to watch,” Nidhug told him as they sat together at the high board, waiting for the servants to bring their meal. “Dillon actually got the seas to part, and give forth new land. They fashioned hills and valleys, conjured up creatures of the air and land, green growth. I have never seen such incredible and strong magic, Cirillo. What little talents I possess pale in comparison. Having seen what I saw today I am almost ashamed to call myself a member of the magic world.”

“Do not be, my love,” he told her. “You, and your antecedents have kept Belmair safe throughout the aeons. That is great magic. The magic my nephew has is simply different. With his natural talents, and the blood of both faerie and Shadow running in his veins, he should be a strong sorcerer.”

“Old Cronan was quite overcome,” Nidhug said, her tone concerned.

“It will take more than helping to create a new province in Belmair to send him off into the next life,” Cirillo noted. “While you were gone I popped home to tell mother what was happening. She told me Cronan’s history. Even among the Shadow Princes he was considered eccentric, she says. She thinks he may be the last of the original Shadow lords, but is not certain. She believes Kaliq would know the answer to that.”

“I imagine when the king and his companions are recovered he will want to meet to discuss the next steps we must take,” Nidhug observed.

Cirillo nodded. “I expect Cinnia will have to go to the Dream Plain again,” he said. “It will be easier for her this time, I imagine. She will not be afraid.”

Cinnia was already preparing herself for another visit to the Dream Plain. Dillon had returned tired, but enthusiastic over their day’s work. He had taken a reflecting bowl and filled it with water. Then with a soft word and a wave of his hand he had shown her the new province of Belbuoy.

“You have made it more like this land than like the others,” Cinnia noted. “I shall tell Arlais, and she can tell her sons. It will be a good place for the Yafir, and allow our own Belmairans to grow used to them again especially if some of them settle among us to begin with rather than living on Belbuoy. There is so little physical difference between us, Dillon. The males still seem to possess the silvery hair and aquamarine-blue eyes no matter their bloodlines, but few among the women have such coloring.”

“Have you seen enough?” he asked, and when she nodded that she had, he emptied the reflecting bowl of its water, and returned it to its place upon a shelf. “Do not go to the Dream Plain tonight,” he told her. “I would be near when you do, and I need to rest now to restore my own strength. Come and lie with me, Cinnia. Tomorrow we will speak with Kaliq and Cronan. The plans we make must be foolproof if we are to succeed.”

Cinnia took her husband by the hand, and together they lay upon their bed. She wrapped her arms about him, cradling him tenderly, and they slept the night through. When the new day dawned Dillon was refreshed, and his strength had returned. He ate a hearty breakfast, and then in the company of his wife they met with the others.

The great map of Belmair was spread again upon the library table, and with a flick of a finger the new province of Belbuoy appeared upon the parchment. It was then agreed that Cinnia would meet again upon the Dream Plain with Arlais this coming night. Nothing else could be accomplished until then.

“What of dwellings for the Yafir?” Cinnia asked.

“We could do what Lara did when she removed the clan families from the Outlands into the New Outlands,” Kaliq suggested.

“I think it too dangerous to move people and dwellings through the sea that same way,” Dillon said.

“Move the entire bubble,” Cronan told them. “It will protect them, and all within it. Then once it is upon Belbuoy I will remove the bubble.”

“But what if all within the bubble do not wish to come?” Cinnia said.

“That is a problem that must be decided among the Yafir,” Cronan replied.

Dillon nodded. “If we wish to break Ahura Mazda’s hold upon the Yafir they must be given a choice, something they have not had in centuries.”

“Then I will go to the Dream Plain tonight,” Cinnia told them.

“Take this for Arlais and her sons,” Kaliq said, and reaching into his robes he drew forth a small crystal globe. “Tell Arlais that the crystal will show Belbuoy to any who request to see it.” He handed the globe to Cinnia.

“But how…?” she began.

“Hold it in your hand as you fall into sleep, Cinnia,” Kaliq instructed her. “Because it is magic it will come with you as you journey, and Arlais will be able to carry it back with her when she awakens. That way she can show it to her sons.”

Cinnia took the globe, and slipped it into the pocket of her own robes.

“Now we must wait,” Dillon said, “and see what will transpire after tonight.”

“Then I shall sleep until I am needed again,” Cronan said.

“And I will return to Shunnar,” Kaliq announced.

“And I will return to my mother’s realm then,” Cirillo said.

“When it is time to act, call me.” He turned to the dragon. “Come, my dear,” he said to her. “We must talk before I leave you.”

“Of course, my lord,” Nidhug said, and she fluttered her heavy eyelashes at him as together they left the hall, and began to stroll slowly across the garden.

“There is more between us than just pleasures and passion,” the faerie prince said to the dragon as they walked.

“There can be nothing more,” Nidhug told him. “You are faerie. I am dragon.”

“Knowing the calling of your own heart, do you truly believe that?” Cirillo asked her quietly. “I know that I love you, my lady dragon.”

“You are young, Cirillo. You have not even lived a half century yet. I have lived for several centuries now,” she told him.

“Age means nothing to those of us in the magic realm, Nidhug. It is nought but a number. I love you. If you can tell me that you do not love me then when this matter between Belmair and the Yafir is concluded I will go and never return,” Cirillo replied.

“No!” the dragon cried, the word slipping from between her lips unbidden. Then she said, “You are cruel, Cirillo.”