Ashbringer

Chapter 2 - Red Mist

At the edge of the city, the Princess and the bat looked down at the soft rolling dunes of sand below. Another few months and the city would be miles from the desert, somewhere out over the sea, likely. It wasn't a coincidence that the treaty had been made recently, while they hovered over the stationary lower circle on the desert's coastal edge.

Rebecca gave a tip of her snout before hopping over the side. It wasn't that they weren't allowed to leave the city anytime they wished, it was that it was considered dirty and raw down below, which was why dragons rarely left the upper city.

With Khiro right behind her, Rebecca landed lightly on the turret, a long, thin tower that jutted out from the bottom of the city, which acted as a stabilizer.

She patted the spot next to her with a smile. "Vered will have to head that way." She pointed off into the distance. "There's no way we can miss him leaving when he does."

Khiro landed beside her and sat down, folding his wings in and twitching his ears.

"Oof, I just thought of something. We don't actually know if he's going to leave the city today." Rebecca said.

"I have a hunch. And if we're wrong, well...I guess we can tell him a half-truth. We do smell like each other."

"Ah, smart." She said, punching him in the shoulder.

He fell over. "Ow." Rebecca pounced on him, twittering playfully. He laughed and tried to shove her off, but she was much heavier than he was, and stronger. But her ears suddenly went up as her head whipped around behind them. "There he goes!" She whispered.

Khiro heard the familiar whistle of a dragon in a steep dive as Vered shot over the city's edge. The air behind him seemed to ripple as he fell in a graceful arch towards the ground, leaving behind a trail of energy. "Hey, Khiro? Do you think it's magic how he flies like that? He's the only one of us who can fly so fast."

"Seems like it. But I don't know magic all that well."

"Shit, we better get moving." She said, quickly leaping off the edge. He stumbled back to his feet and jumped off after her, taking to the air. Rebecca smiled as he caught up to her. "If you need a break, you can always latch onto me." She was a much stronger flier than the bat, and he would almost definitely need help getting back up.

Vered was already descending towards the lower portion of the city, currently engulfed in a dust storm. They could just barely make out the outer ring. Khiro had to squint and shield his eyes against the fine dust kicked up into the air. Rebecca swooped over him, curling her wings around him to form a bubble that deflected some of the grains.

They landed in an empty city street, a little ways behind Vered. Keeping him in sight but staying out of his view. The city was dark, everything closed up until after the storm passed. With hoods pulled over their lowered heads and cloaks bound tightly around themselves, they began to tail him. But Vered suddenly dove for something and vanished.

"He found a shielded dome," Rebecca said quickly. "I bet there's a market in there." She held her hand out to stop him. "I'll check it out." There was a flash, and a shadowy creature emerged from her and darted off the way Vered had gone.

"Will he see that?" Khiro asked skeptically.

"Please," Rebecca grinned. "I'm stealthier than that. Come on, it's a big place, lots of people. He won't see us." They began walking forward again. He followed her, practically jittering with excitement.

As they walked in through the shield, the storm vanished, replaced by an artificial clear sky, the scent of fresh foods and sweaty bodies filling their senses. Market stalls lined the safe zone. The street was crowded.