Ink Forged

~A Thief in Liron~

They arrived on the outskirts of Liron just as the sun was setting on the second day. Maevus bit down on her reluctance before nudging Koret to swing wide. The weary dragon heaved a sigh, tilting his wings to catch the wind. Korie groaned and rested her head between Maevus' shoulder blades.

Maevus leaned over the side of the dragon, peering at the city below them. It was nestled between two rolling hills, its buildings penned in by a wall of grey stone. The roofs were steeply pitched and covered with red tile.

Koret let a growl rumble through his chest and Maevus patted his neck. "Okay, buddy. That hill over there looks far enough away."

She was sore and tired from two days of hard, cold flying, but scaring the locals by landing in the middle of the city didn't seem like the best idea. Koret drifted down toward the grassy crown of a low hill, back-flapping for a soft landing.

As soon as the dragon's claws touched earth, Korie pitched over the side and landed on her feet with a dull thud. She took a few stumbling steps and collapsed to her hands and knees, emptying her stomach over the grass. Maevus grimaced at the sound and slid off Koret's back, walking gingerly to spare the raw insides of her thighs.

Koret grumbled and turned to look at her. Maevus rested her forehead against the dragon's, closing her eyes as she sent gratitude flowing toward him down their bond. The dragon blew warm breath in her face as she let the magic drain away. He touched his snout to her cheek before he left for his own world.

Weariness washed over her, the strain of using her magic flowing away, leaving her muscles loose and rubbery. She sank to her knees, eyelids sagging. Koret had used a lot of energy shooting across the skies, draining more magic than she could replace with their lackluster meals and scant sleep.

"I didn't know anyone could get dragon-sick," Maevus said around a yawn at the sound of a soft step in the grass behind her.

Korie snorted. "No one but you has ever ridden them."

Maevus grinned a tired acknowledgment. When Korie extended a hand, Maevus accepted it, letting the clanswoman haul her to her feet. Both wincing, they turned toward the city, which looked much bigger from this vantage point.

"Come on," Korie said with a sigh. "The sooner we get started, the sooner we can go home."

"You mean the sooner we get down there, the sooner we can find a hot meal and a bed," Maevus corrected as she began to carefully descend the hill.

"You hope." Korie swore as she stumbled over a loose stone. "Some people don't like to serve our kind."

Maevus frowned, unsure if she meant Encants or clans people. She supposed it didn't matter—it was terrible either way. They descended the rest of the hill in silence, trudging toward the still-open gates. They made it through not a moment too soon. The guards closed the gate right on their heels, watching them with suspicious eyes.

But they didn't ask any questions after seeing Korie's work order, though none of them looked particularly thrilled. Sourly she wondered how many Encants were already living right under their noses.

Then she realized probably none since the queen's new law.

Maevus scowled and tugged the hood of her cloak up over her hair, hand clenched around the pendant as they walked down the main road. The emotions of the people around them flowed through the warm stone, but none seemed hostile. Not yet, anyway.

It shocked her when Korie grabbed her by the elbow and hauled her down a narrow alley that reeked of trash and cat urine. At Maevus' startled look, Korie muttered, "Better here than risking some innkeeper or maid walking in on us."