"Enough." Selesst's voice was calm, even, unruffled by the exertion he'd been putting all three of them through.
Tajakith winced and dropped the human form he'd been wearing, a new respect for Flikk and Vikktor in his heart. That they could deal with such a drastic shift with so little trouble, Flikk's clumsiness aside, was astonishing. Behind him, Chandye sighed and backed off.
"You wanted these lessons," Selesst reminded him gently. "You wanted me to push you."
Tajakith groaned and hid his head under his paws, trying to catch his breath from the last beating Selesst and Chandye had dished out to him. "I know! Fury, I know! Flikk warned me of your cruelty, but I didn't believe him."
Selesst knelt at his side and laid a hand on his back, a calming touch that helped him get his breathing under control again. "If you rather we stop..?"
"No." Tajakith said forcefully. "No. I have to learn. I want to help them, and I can't until I learn."
Selesst nodded and rose. "Once more, then."
It was pure torture to push himself to his feet once more, to stand on burning limbs, to force himself back into human form. He was trying to learn all sides of fighting, and that meant human as well as dragon, but 'easy' wasn't in any vocabulary Selesst knew. At least this time, when Selesst tossed him the wooden sword, he caught it without thinking and settled into his stance.
Which was good, because Selesst came at him without giving him a chance to think. The wooden blades swept through the air, meeting with a heavy, jarring clack, as Selesst drove him back with strike after strike. Tajakith felt his chest constrict, lungs panting for air only moments after the bout had begun, and where was Chandye.
Tajakith leapt to the left at the last moment, feeling the air whistle past his head from Chandye's paw swipe, and quickly sidled about until Chandye was at Selesst's back. He gave ground because Selesst forced him to, unable to match the man toe-to-toe. His arm felt leaden; his feet couldn't match the light, dancing steps that Selesst took; he couldn't think. Chandye was off again, with a leap and a flap of his wings, to settle just outside of his range of vision.
Finally, it was all just too much. Something snapped inside, and suddenly it was like watching a play through glass. Chandye would make a turn to the right, trying to block his retreat; Selesst would come from his left, trying to drive him into Chandye's grasp. This time, he gave ground because he chose to, no longer fighting Selesst for every inch. He felt Selesst and Chandye's surprise, as their timing suddenly crumbled, a space opening in their attack through which Tajakith slipped.
He came up behind Selesst, saw the man spin, and lunged, using his wings to drive himself forward...
Wait. Wings?
Selesst's eyes widened, and he discarded his sword hastily and reached forward with both hands.
Tajakith felt Selesst's hand wrap about his wrist and tug him forward, the other coming around his waist to keep him following the path Selesst chose. His balance destroyed, he fell forward into Selesst, sending both of them toppling to the floor.
"Chandye, get some water," Selesst said.
Tajakith groaned. He felt like he'd stayed up for days, why did Selesst have to bother him when all he wanted to do was sleep?
"Here, Tajakith."
He forced tired eyes open, then blinked in confusion. Why was he sleeping in Selesst's lap, on the floor of the salle?
Their practice swords were still abandoned on the floor. Chandye was kneeling in front of him, a large basin of water held carefully in his forelegs; it looked delicious.
Tajakith dipped his beak in the basin, letting the cool water slide down his parched throat. Selesst's hand on his back reminded him to drink slowly.
"What... happened?" Tajakith finally forced out as he pulled his head up from the basin long before he wanted to.
Selesst glanced at Chandye, then back down at him, and said, "You changed into a different form. Human, but with wings."
::And claws. And you were much, much faster.:: Chandye added.
Tajakith tried to rise, failed, and slumped back onto Selesst's legs. He grinned feebly at the two, trying to reassure them he was fine. Tired, but fine. He figured a joke would do the trick. "See? This is what happens when you push people too far. They go all 'rawr' on you."
It must have worked. Chandye's wings relaxed, and a tiny smile tugged at the corners of Selesst's mouth.
"And then collapse," Selesst said.
"Yeah, well, we can't all be perfect." Tajakith stuck his tongue out. "I was feeling like collapsing anyway, this just gave me the perfect excuse."
That definitely did it. Selesst rolled his eyes then gave a sideways glare at Chandye, who was laughing softly. Crisis averted, Tajakith snuggled deeper into his Selesst-pillow and let his eyes slide closed again.
"I expect you to be here tomorrow," Selesst said, interrupting his attempts at sleep again. "We'll see if we can repeat that result."
That caught his attention! Tajakith yelped and glared up at Selesst. "Again? Nononono, and once more, no. I feel like a Myrsilk's been playing catch with me, with me as the ball!"
A slow, devious smirk spread through Selesst's expression. "You want to help Flikk and Vikktor? I think you could be Flikk's equal in that form."
"I... could?" Tajakith asked, as he blinked in surprise.
"You could. I'm pretty sure of it."
"You know just how to sweet-talk a man, don't you," Tajakith said with a sigh. "Fine. Tomorrow. But I'm going to sleep now."
Selesst's soft laugh followed him down into sleep.
The sound of a door crashing against the wall jerked Tajakith out of his practice, the little spark of magic he had gathered vanishing between one heartbeat and the next. That small spark had been the most he'd been able to summon since Selesst had begun pushing him harder in practice, but it was proof that he was growing stronger. It was gone now, though, and he wasn't likely to summon it back until he'd rested and ate. With a scowl and a muttered a curse, Tajakith shook his head and rose to his feet to go investigate
He found Vikktor slouched at the small table in his anthro form, head between his hands. Not too unusual - the war was going poorly enough that Vikktor was often pissed at something. What was unusual was the lack of Flikk hovering self-consciously to one side, trying to reassure Vikktor that things would turn out.
"Yo, Golden-boy, what's wrong?" Tajakith asked as he reared up to rest his front paws on the table. If Flikk wasn't around, then they'd had one of their rare tiffs, and it fell to him to cool Vikktor off. Blue-boy so owed him.
"Flikk." Vikktor growled.
Tajakith sighed and looked to the ceiling. The light-crystals are a bit dim. Perhaps I should ask Onassi to renew the spells? Heavens know neither Flikk nor Vikktor are around enough to notice, or care.
He longed for the simplicity of life on the Abstract Destiny, at times, but he wouldn't leave. They needed him too much. He loved them too much.
Blue-boy still owed him for this.
"That damn, self-centered, prissy brat!"
Tajakith jumped as Vikktor slammed a fist into the table. "Vikktor, come on, what'd Flikk do this time? Run off with Taxuhael?"
"I wish!" Vikktor groused. "Anything but playing bait for those damn... things Koshi Keidai has been throwing at us lately."
Suddenly, the absence of Flikk made horrible, horrible sense.
"He's in the infirmary again." Tajakith said, feeling his heart flutter. "Did he at least teach the starveling critter who was boss?"
"Thrashed it from here to next century," Vikktor confirmed with a hint of smug pride in his voice. "That's one slinker that's not going to be bothering anyone ever again."
Tajakith dropped back to all fours, not entirely trusting the table to hold his weight for long after all the abuse Vikktor was constantly putting it through. "How's Flikk, then?"
"He's... he's well," Vikktor sighed, and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Kelthin told me he wants to cast a full rejuvenation spell on Flikk. Flikk refused."
"What, he doesn't want to be young again?"
Vikktor chuckled, then shook his head. "It'll take him out of the action for a week or more. Heavens forbid that happens."
"What if I..." Tajakith shifted nervously, then steeled himself. "What if I could take his place on the front? Would he take that rest then?"
"What do you mean?" Vikktor looked at him with narrowed, assessing eyes.
Tajakith raised his chin to meet Vikktor's gaze with a challenging one of his own. "Selesst thinks I'll be Flikk's equal when I'm an adult. I've been practicing... it's hard, but there's a form I can take, if I try. We... we found it by accident."
"And you never told us?"
"We weren't sure if I could master it enough to be useful," Tajakith said.
Vikktor's golden eyes narrowed, and Tajakith could see the man thinking it over. Eventually, however, Vikktor merely shook his head, his expression defeated.
"You're still a kid," Vikktor pointed out. "You need time and practice to master this other form--"
"Then send me back to the Abstract Destiny!" Tajakith shouted, interrupting Vikktor. "Send me somewhere, anywhere! Time runs differently in different places, you know this!"
Vikktor's stunned look made Tajakith wince and mutter an apology. He'd never shouted at either of his Captains before - never really shouted at anyone, not in anger. It was just so frustrating to be a child in training while his mentors went out almost every day and fought!
"No, forget about it, kid," Vikktor apologized awkwardly, as he rested a hand on Tajakith's head. "I keep forgetting we can do that, here. But... are you sure you'd want to?"
Tajakith nodded, "I could go with Selesst, so he could keep teaching me, and Chandye could bring us back in a day or two."
"While a year or more has passed for you," Vikktor said. "It seems so... unreal."
"But it would work."
"Yeah, it'd work."
"So... can I?"
Vikktor chewed absently on his lower lip and stared off into the distance. Finally, he sighed and shrugged. "If you can get Selesst to agree."
Tajakith grinned and jumped a bit in place. All that stood between him and finally being able to really help was the agreement of someone who'd already agreed!
"Tajakith, are you sure you want to do this?" Flikk asked for what had to be the hundredth time.
Tajakith glanced over his shoulder at Selesst, who stood patiently at Chandye's shoulder, then back at Flikk and Vikktor. The sight of Flikk's right arm in a sling firmed his resolve, banishing his last lingering doubts. "I'm sure."
Flikk sighed and shook his head. "This seems so surreal."
"He'll be fine," Selesst finally spoke up. "We're going back to my world, back to my country. There are few safer places in the multiverse."
Flikk gestured angrily with his good arm, restrained fury in his expression and in his voice, "Don't start. Don't you start with that damn pity line. I know exactly why he's going. I don't like it, but I'll live with it."
Selesst nodded once in acceptance, then swung up into Chandye's saddle. "Then I suggest you take a rest. Let others do the fighting for a time. We'll be back in about a week, from your point of view."
Tajakith watched the fury drain from Flikk's expression and become replaced with resignation. That tugged at his heart, and he stepped forward to give the man a brief hug. He searched in vain for some snappy comment to make, something to lighten the mood even slightly, but his brain refused to put anything together and his tongue felt like it was glued to the roof of his mouth. When he came back, he'd be an adult. There'd be part of his life that he couldn't jest about with Vikktor, or question Flikk about. A part of his life without those two anywhere nearby.
It was Vikktor who saved him, the man's heavy hand clapping his shoulder hard enough to send him stumbling into Flikk and make Flikk hiss in slight pain.
"Don't worry 'bout a thing, kid. I'll keep Blue-boy here busy, eh?" Vikktor said with a grin.
"You better," Tajakith finally responded, after pulling away from Flikk. "If I come back to find Flikk being a royal terror, I'm holding you responsible."
"I am not a royal terror!" Flikk groused, as he reset his sling properly. "I just get restless when I'm not allowed to do anything."
Tajakith grinned, "Then let Vikktor wear you out!"
Both he and Vikktor fell into gales of laughter as Flikk's blue cheeks turned purple from blushing, and the man stammered out the usual denials and refusals. It was refreshingly normal.
Tajakith took that moment to leave, slipping over to Selesst and letting the man pull him up into the saddle. The next moment, Chandye was aloft, and Tajakith was looking down on the slowly dwindling forms of Flikk and Vikktor, and then... nothingness.
He braced himself, not against the dark or the chill, but against the stab of loneliness he could already feel starting. Compared to that, the nothingness felt almost... pleasant.
It was going to be a long year or two.