Of Spellbooks and Thieves | SAMPLE

4 ~ Hunter in Ruber

Smoke folded in his wings and began his descent, jolting Tobias awake. He couldn't remember falling asleep, but the change in the sky told him it had been at least a few hours since they took off. Night had begun fading out as the sun rose, and a thick layer of dark clouds had gathered over the pale blue sky. The frigid air hung thickly around him, biting through his tunic. But he was too busy gripping the sides of the saddle and squeezing his eyes shut to bother much with the cold.

Below, talons scraped across dirt; Smoke's body straightened as he landed, flapping his wings a few times to settle himself before folding them in at his side. Tobias pried his eyes open as Kase swung his legs over the side and leapt down. He tripped and landed on his side in a spatter of mud with a yelp. Smoke chortled, flipping his tail in amusement.

Kase shot him a glare. "Oh shut up, you... three-legged chair!"

Three-legged chair... Tobias rolled his eyes. The insult made no sense, as Smoke had all four of his legs intact. He slipped down from Smoke's back, landing evenly on his feet. His legs did feel stiff, but he felt a flicker of pride at the fact that he didn't fall over—unlike Kase, who was an experienced rider. He made a mental note to brag to Talia next time he saw her.

Kase mumbled something to himself as he rose from the ground, brushing dirt and grass from his pants. A smear of mud covered the back of his cloak, and Tobias barely bit back his laugh as Kase twisted and strained to get a better look at it. Smoke stretched his neck forward and stuck his tongue out. With a yelp, Kase jumped back.

"Do not lick me! That never washes out, and I'll smell like your mouth for weeks." Kase froze, his frown deepening. "Yes, that would be worse than the mud!"

A small smile stretched across Tobias's lips, and he rubbed the remains of sleep from his eyes. Though Kase was loud, always wrapped up in some kind of conversation with his dragon, Tobias was glad he wasn't traveling alone. If he were, he probably would be overloaded with anger and frustration, with no clue where to go and no idea how to even begin. He might have even still been wandering the streets of Floridus, searching for a thief who wasn't even there.

"Anyways," Kase said with a final, pointed look at Smoke. "Ruber is just over there. Smoke, you can go find yourself something to eat. Rest up but try to stay close by so I can call on you more easily this time. Don't leave me stranded again."

Smoke stretched and arched his back, shaking out his body like a wet dog before spreading his wings and taking off again. The gust of wind sent Tobias stumbling backward, nearly landing in the same mud as Kase had.

"Come on," Kase said once Tobias had righted himself. "Oliver will take us straight to the Beast Master, and then we'll get that thief."

Tobias nodded and followed Kase down the road to the little town in the distance. Unlike Floridus—a popular town for trade since it was so close to the southern ocean—Ruber didn't have a paved, cobblestone street that led into the town. Instead, it was constructed of hard, packed dirt. It was uneven in places, and Tobias nearly tripped over a small rock in the path.

As the buildings grew closer, Kase's steps quickened. His pace was fast enough that Tobias kept falling behind and had to take larger steps to keep up.

Kase muttered to himself and fiddled with the silver pin, combing his fingers through his hair as he walked. However, he didn't seem nervous; Tobias couldn't spot the trembling in his hands that most people gained when frightened. Rather, he looked almost excited. Each time Tobias got a brief glance of his face, his dark brown eyes were alight and there was a barely contained smile on his lips.

Puzzled, Tobias fidgeted with the strap of his satchel. Kase had mentioned having other reasons for needing to see Oliver. Knots of anxiety formed in Tobias's stomach. He had no idea what Kase was truly after. He could only hope this detour wouldn't end poorly for himself.