Fight or Flight

Chapter 26

Simon

Two weeks later...

I hung my cloak on a peg by the door and waved towards the tavernkeep. "Just some coffee, please."

Lakeshire's tavernkeep nodded at me and slipped into the kitchen. I finished arranging my cloak, then sat down at a table in the corner. The tavern was empty at this time of day, so I had my pick of spots to sit in. I made sure to pick a comfortable one, since I had a feeling I would be here most of the day.

The post rider had come and collected the mail from Lakeshire six days ago. Give it two days for the rider to reach Yellowseed, then four days for Connor to reach Lakeshire, and I could probably expect him either today or tomorrow. I was ahead of schedule in regards to the crystals I needed to mine this month, so I could afford to miss a few days if it meant I didn't miss the meeting with Connor. I had asked him to come all the way out here, so the least I could do was be here when he showed up. And I had a theory I wanted to test out, too.

Still. It would have been nice to have that communication spell Enola had hinted at, that let her send messages to Cess. Having a better idea of when Connor would be arriving would have been really nice.

The tavernkeep came back with a mug of coffee, and I slipped him a few copper coins from my pack. He started to go back to his table by the kitchen, but paused when I held up a hand. "Do you know if Henry will be coming by today?"

A frown came over the man's expression, and he shook his head. "Doubtful; Henry usually keeps to himself. Do you need something from him?"

"It's nothing too important, but I would like to talk with him today if he has some time. Do you think somebody could let him know I'm in town? I'll probably be here most of the day."

The tavernkeep shrugged. "Sure. I'll swing by after lunch and let him know."

"Thanks." I reached back into my pack to bring out some paper and another inkwell. I didn't have any letters to write, but I had been meaning to write down the story Cess had told me about the turkey. If nothing else it might be an amusing insight into how dragon parents treated their children, and it would kill an hour or two of boredom...

~

I jerked awake from a nap when I heard the door open. I glanced towards it and started to go back to sleep, still a little groggy, but opened my eyes back up when it finally sunk in that I had seen Connor at the door, and not a random villager as I had first thought. I yawned and sat up straighter in my chair, then waved him over.

He frowned and walked towards me, glancing around the room before pulling a chair out to sit in. "Aren't you worried about causing some suspicion?"

I looked back around the completely empty room. "Not particularly. But we can go through a cover story if it makes you feel better. 'Why hello there, perfect stranger I have never met before. What brings you to this tiny village nobody ever goes to. Is it on your way to somewhere else, being on the way to absolutely nowhere at all like it is?'"

Connor just scowled. "Fine, I get your point. This is such an out of the way place that people would talk no matter what. But I assume you didn't call me out here to mock us for being paranoid. What have you learned?"

I reached beneath my shirt and pulled on the string necklace that held the mouse charm. Both eyes were as dull as always, confirming I hadn't been placed under any spells, and I made sure to hold it up for Connor to see before letting it fall over my chest. "Katerina was telling us the truth. I've confirmed everything through Enola. The magedebt was a very real thing, and dragons are compelled to pay it back. A rider bond will give the dragon access to any magic the rider has – it's always possible Katerina was under some other kind of spell, but the explanation she gave is possible, too. Her becoming a rider would have allowed the dragon to use her magic, and explains how the dragons made that cliff."