Tricked Into Flight

Chapter 13

*Rakota's POV*

I returned to the lake shore and lay down, leaving plenty of room for Serepha and Victorya, who were currently out hunting. The deep silence had me turning my head to check on the humans again.

Randel continued staring at the fire, unusually quiet, which was probably why Andar had closed his eyes for a nap. The silence wouldn't last long with that rider, and as soon as he started talking, Andar would have to keep tabs on the conversation and make sure he didn't say something he shouldn't.

Katerina scratched her head as she stared up at the pile of branches that towered above her. She walked around it, then grabbed one branch and pulled, quickly skipping to the side as the pile tumbled over, now within easy reach of her small form.

The glimpse of her earlier temper had vanished. It probably took someone like Randel threatening something she counted as essential to get a strong reaction out of her, but it was proof she had some fire in her and wasn't completely subservient.

Qwest followed my gaze and gave me a sidelong look. "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure." My eyes never left the humans, although I was mostly focused on Katerina, who was stacking various branches and pieces of wood in an interesting interlocking pattern without using any rope or binding materials. I wasn't sure what she was building but assumed it would form some sort of shelter when she was done.

"Well, isn't that why you started giving nobles rides? To see if you could handle being around them for more than a few hours at a time?"

"I almost killed the last two nobles for their comments," I said darkly. "And I'll never agree to fly a princess anywhere again. That brat screamed the entire flight. Something that slender shouldn't be able to have such a shrill voice. I swear the windows were ready to shatter."

He chuckled. "Now you know why I gave up the flights and opted to be stationed at an outpost. Has this one screamed yet?"

"Not yet."

"She seems pretty quiet," he commented, shifting his body language to show idle interest and encourage me to share my thoughts.

"She is. Nor does she seem argumentative."

He nodded thoughtfully. "She might grow bolder over time as she gets accustomed to being around dragons."

"I suspect so, although she doesn't seem to have any interest in power or riches. All my attempts to bribe her earlier failed. She actually considers gold and treasure to be a liability."

"That's good. At least you won't have to worry about her constantly trying to steal stuff. Ferdna actually had to put a spell on his storage areas to keep his rider out."

"I still don't think that rider used to be a real knight."

"Nor do I."

That was the problem when it came to humans. Those who approached us wanted something. Usually it was a spell, often it was gold, and some had delusions of gaining power and prestige by becoming a rider.

This female was different. She didn't seem to be after the things that all the nobles, traders, and mages seemed to desire. Nor did I recall ever encountering a rider quite like this.

It was... intriguing.

After glancing at the empty sky, Qwest quietly said, "Serepha was definitely showing interest in her."

"I noticed that, although she's already told me she's not interested in having a rider." With a sigh, I quietly admitted, "Part of the reason I started interacting with humans was because of her."

"I was wondering about that. You two have always been close."

"She wants children. She knows my opinion of humans and won't consider courtship without a guarantee."

"Which means you need a rider if the eggs are to hatch," he replied, his voice soft in understanding. A rider's bond created a special magic; without it, dragon eggs wouldn't hatch, and it only worked on their bonded dragon's offspring.

My claws dug into the sand. "Simply flying a human or two around each week is enough to tax my patience, and I refuse to be stuck with a rider who turns into a headache."

"Never rush in picking a rider," he cautioned me. "Not everyone can handle being around a human that much. I couldn't, and I always thought of myself as being fairly easy-going. Besides, if these mages keep hiding as well as they have been, you'll have plenty of time to think about it."

A growl rumbled through my chest as my claws sank even deeper into the sand. "I wish I knew where those cretins were hiding. I have a score to settle with them."

He shrugged. "Like I said, you have time to think."

"Not as long as I'd like. It's probably only a matter of days until the magedebt starts undermining my magic, and with her tendency to wander, she won't be easy to find if I take her to that city."

He gave me a strange look. "Is there that much magedebt left? Even after carrying her out of danger?"

"Yes," I replied sourly. "If we don't find these mages within four or five days, I'll probably be forced to leave the hunt and deal with the magedebt."

"That's weird. She must have really put herself in a lot of danger when freeing you. The mages taking that arrow probably didn't help. But I can't see us taking more than a day or so to find the mages. They couldn't have gotten far."

"We'll find them," I replied grimly, more than ready to make them regret casting those spells on me.

"It looks like Serepha and Victorya are returning. If you ever need someone impartial to talk to, I'm around."

"Thanks. I might take you up on that offer later."

We waited as the orange and red dots in the sky grew larger and descended to the lakeshore. Serepha gracefully backwinged to the sand beside me and settled her wings with a few delicate flicks. I admired how the firelight flickered along her scarlet scales, glinting as vibrantly as fresh blood.

"How was your hunt?" I asked Serepha.

"Good. The wildlife isn't used to watching the sky, so it was easy. No sign of the mages, and we checked a few villages on the way back."

Victorya added, "We flew over more ground today than their horses could have, so I'm beginning to think they're hiding underground with heavy shields in place."

Qwest frowned at that thought. "Are there any caves around here?"

Andar opened his eyes and raised his head as all six of us looked at one another, hoping someone might have seen something, but dragons didn't normally concern themselves with caves too small for us to fit in, and there was nothing that large around here.

An idea occurred to me, and I turned my head to face the human who was arranging leafy branches to make a bed inside her partially-built shelter. Raising my voice, I said, "Katerina, did you see or hear of any caves close to that valley?"

She tilted her head, then replied, "I don't recall hearing of any, although it isn't something I asked the villagers about. Would a mine count? There was a copper mine about a two-hour walk from the last village I passed through."

Victorya lifted her head. "How deep did it go?"

"I'm not sure, but I saw at least three entrances."

"Thank you." To us, she said, "The shafts probably go deep enough to avoid our spells, and the metal still in the ground might be amplifying their spells if they know how to tune it."

"Digging them out won't be easy," Qwest said. "I doubt Diondin will arrive in time, but we can hope. He usually has some good ideas."

"Once we find those shadow mages, their days will be numbered," I muttered.

The others nodded resolutely.