Mosaic Windows

Chapter 36: Trust is Such a Funny Word

"Are we sure we can trust her?" Janus asked. It was still early in the morning when they woke up, and they hadn't heard the dragon witch moving around yet. Virgil told them his conversation with her the previous night.

"Obviously not," Virgil answered. "But I'm going home. I won't let the monster hunters be in my home any longer than they already have. At the very least... I need to make sure the others are okay."

"But... this is the dragon witch that cursed you," the kid said.

Virgil looked at him, seeing the fear in his eyes. "Look... you don't have to come with me. Neither of you do. Just take a horse and leave, this isn't your battle."

Janus put a hand on his shoulder. "This is my fault, so it is my battle. Don't think you're getting rid of me that easily. Besides, I don't want to take away Remus's opportunity to punch me for causing this mess."

"You'd really let him punch you?"

"Hey, he gave me this scar on my cheek. Why not let him try? I just hope he doesn't break my nose."

Virgil rolled his eyes, though he had an amused smile. "What about you, kid? Do you have a safe place to go? I'd feel bad just leaving you all alone but... Our town isn't the safest place for monster hunter traitors right now."

"No... I don't know where I would go. Besides... even if I didn't chain you up myself, I still helped on that mission in some way. I want to make up for it, and you're definitely going to need help."

With a sigh, Virgil agreed, "Alright, you can come along. But only because I don't know where else you'll go. However, if we're in a dangerous situation, you take care of yourself first and get to safety. Leave us behind if you have to, alright?"

"Understood. Oh... and uh, my name is Kayden by the way. It's a bit weird hearing you call me kid all the time."

"Well you are a kid," Janus reminded him.

Footsteps came from the kitchen and the three of them turned to see the dragon witch walk into the living room. She greeted them with a smile and said, "Good morning you three. How about I make you some breakfast before we hit the road."

~~~

The dragon witch transformed into a dragon much bigger than Virgil remembered her being. And flying on her back was much scarier than he had anticipated. He held onto her horn, turning back to see Janus and Kayden holding onto her wings, or where they connected to her back. Saint was being held by Janus, wrapped in his free arm, panting with excitement with an expression the polar opposite of his owner. The wind pushed against them, threatening to tear them away and send them hurtling towards the ground. It was cold this high as well, his fingers were going numb, and he couldn't pull himself closer to get a better grip due to the pressure.

It felt like an hour went by, and Virgil was wondering how much longer it would be before they landed. He was about to ask for a break when he felt her lower to the ground. She broke through the trees, set down the horses she was carrying in her talons, and finally landed on the ground.

The three of them carefully got off of the dragon witch, sliding down her wing. Once they were off, she changed back into her human form. Well, almost human, now she looked like Virgil, with wings, horns, and tail.

Janus and Kayden went to go check on the horses, who seemed shaken and were trying to avoid the dragon witch, but otherwise okay. Virgil kept his eyes trained on the dragon witch, not letting her out of his sight.

"The castle was in sight, I can use my magic to keep us hidden but invisibility isn't my specialty. It'll be more like camouflage, just stay in the shadows and we'll be fine," she told them. "It will not cover sound though, so be quiet."