Tricked Into Flight

Chapter 45

*Katerina's POV*

I sat on a rock across the fire from Randel. If I hadn't been so preoccupied, I would have been surprised the pile of firewood wasn't burning yet, but too many thoughts were fighting for my attention.

Part of me was still mad at Rakota for picking me as a rider without asking. The magic might have prevented him from asking, but he could have given some clues or at least realized I didn't feel like traveling nonstop. I made a face as I realized that was exactly what I had been doing.

I sighed and took a drink of water, although the sparkle of the blue gems reminded me of the water purification spell he'd given me. I glanced at the beautiful bow by my feet; the polished wood shone and flickered in the firelight. I was still unable to believe he had been able to turn the old bow into this. After a bit of practice, I'd even been able to hit the target five times in a row.

It was hard to remain mad at someone when your most valuable possessions had been gifts from them. I tried to think of something – anything – to criticize or complain about, but Rakota had always ensured I had fire, food, and shelter throughout the entire trip, never once asking for anything in return.

But I was still mad at him for unveiling my secret. My magic continued to flow into the bond regardless of what I did with my shields. There was no way to stop it or even slow it down. The shields were meant to hide our magic, nothing more.

The other Wellsprings were in potential danger now that I had been discovered. Even if the dragons wouldn't tell human mages, the dragons knew and would be watching. Perhaps they would be too busy fighting the naga to look for them, but the naga themselves were another potential threat.

I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead in an attempt to dispel my headache. Regardless of how I looked at things, I had several problems I couldn't personally fix or change. Now I had to decide what I was going to do about them.

The rider detail was, surprisingly, the least of my worries, so I pushed it to the backburner to deal with later. That left the discovery of my Wellspring ability and the possible invasion of the naga as my two biggest issues, neither of which I could directly do anything about. If nothing else, I could warn others.

I pursed my lips, wondering if I could convince Rakota to let me visit a city. I could write a letter to one of my non-Wellspring cousins, who could relay the information to those who were part of the bloodline. Then they'd know my secret was out as well as that the naga could be lurking in the rivers and lakes.

After my earlier concerns of being discovered, it'd be hard to persuade Rakota to let me go into a place with so many mages. My eyes flickered to Randel. I could always bribe him to deliver a letter, then arrange for it to go through a few more hands before reaching its destination. It was a good backup plan.

I glanced over my shoulder to check if Rakota was still watching me, and he was. Since I'd been caught looking, I picked a different topic to keep him from thinking that I was doing something I wasn't supposed to, like warning other Wellsprings about the dragons.

"Why did you previously insist on flying me so far away when you could have left me in any of the villages?"

The red dragon regarded me patiently. "Magic rules. When you helped me, it created a debt. You risked your life, which created far too much to leave unpaid. It would have eventually affected my casting ability. The trip would have been repayment, although the bond canceled the debt. Now that I think about it, the sheer amount of magedebt was likely because you were a Wellspring who risked discovery by shadow mages."

So much for my code of honor theory, although I hadn't been too far off.

"That was why you offered gold or a spell after we landed, wasn't it?"