Krayson gave serious consideration to pursuing dragon slaying as a career.
There were benefits. A dragon's body was a veritable treasure trove of powerful alchemical reagents. The bones could be forged like metal. Thunders alone knew what feats of spellcraft Krayson could achieve with one's lifeblood. If he was particularly lucky, the dragon could have their hoard tucked within a holding spell, and their death would release enough wealth to make a Nadian blush. All in all, the idea was becoming more tempting the longer he thought about it.
He stamped down the anger at finding Saveen missing. She'd frustrated him and his plans, but a violent response was taking his resentment too far. Krayson needed to think the situation through rationally.
He found himself on a poorly-lit, narrow walkway spanning between Arcrest and a lesser spire. It was passing midnight, and very few other pedestrians shared the walkway. Krayson couldn't make out the other side for the mist, and he'd gone far enough along its length that the side he began from was hidden as well. This path led away from Fellowton and towards Westrun, where the Sanguine Tower and the next step of his contract waited.
Saveen was gone. That by itself would have been cause for celebration. However, there was the small matter of the diabolic spell connecting them. Krayson didn't much like the idea that Saveen could draw from him whenever she chose. Inexperienced as she was, Saveen would probably get herself caught by the city guard or royal assassins inside of a day. When they stuck her with spears and arrows, she was liable to drain Krayson of every ounce of ether and health he had. Where would that leave him if he was in the middle of facing Garret, Elise, Vintus, one of the Merovech's disgruntled apprentices, or another of the six dozen people that seemed to want him dead?
She was alive, at least. The bond told him that much. As for where she was, the magic wasn't quite as helpful.
He had no malice for the girl. Troubling to admit, but he actually found her wide-eyed innocence a bit endearing. All that aside, Krayson would rather spit in the king's face than let himself be sucked dry because a silly twit of a dragon felt the need to be rebellious. There were already enough ways for him to be killed before he completed his contract. He didn't need another.
"Just once," he growled under his breath, "I would appreciate it if someone listened to me!"
The last part was shouted into the mist. A goodwife walking by startled and glared at him sidelong as she continued on her way.
Krayson clenched and unclenched his fists as he looked out over the railing of the walkway. He took a deep breath and let it out. His heart was beating a frantic pace. Panic was setting in. Everything about this situation was overwhelming. His time in the tower hadn't prepared him for a contract like this one.
No. Better to just let Saveen go her own way, and Krayson would go his. So long as he managed to break the bond between them, it would work out. Unlocking a spell placed by another arcanist was technically impossible, but there were loopholes. The bond being an elder magic complicated matters, but Krayson remained confident that he could remove it given time. He likely wouldn't even need Saveen at hand to do it.
I don't need her, Krayson thought. No, it's better this way. It'll be hard enough to find this Enfri girl on my own. A dragon tagging along would only make it that much harder.
Deliberately, Krayson formed a somatic with his left hand. The spell failed to complete. That rarely happened. His fingers shook, spoiling the somatic. He took another deep breath, clenched his fist until he heard his knuckles crack, then tried again.
Out of his holding spell, the clothes he had purchased from Algol appeared in his hand. Krayson held the bundle of blouses and skirts out over the railing.
Just let go, he told himself. She's not your problem. She never was. Dragons are the enemy of Althandor, and like it or not, you're more Althandi than Teulite.
They were Krayson's thoughts, but he heard them in his father's voice. Joshuan Jak'm, Tiger Lord of the Jak'm, had always been a puzzling sort of parent. Never cruel, but always harsh. Stern and demanding, but also understanding. Thunder, but Krayson respected him. Even as he hated him.
Knowing your parent's reasons didn't make the outcome easier to bear. It was worse knowing that if he'd been in his father's place, Krayson would have done the same. It had been the logical, pragmatic course of action.
A memory returned.
Everyone around him seemed so large, and he was so small. The fangblades carried them far from home. His father and the warriors had ridden until the grass changed from red to an alien, green color. Father took Krayson by the waist and set him down on the verdant plain.
Krayson looked up at his father. Confusion. Fear. His narrow, foreigner's eyes leaked tears and pleaded for this not to be. He knew nothing else. Only the Horde, that which was home, family, and tribe in one. It was all he'd ever wanted for himself.
The others pulled the reins of their fangblades and rode back the way they came. Father remained, his brow furrowed and his eyes bloodshot. He lowered his gaze to the child on the ground.
"For the Jak'm," he said, then rode away.
Krayson grit his teeth, and his vision blurred. This wasn't the same thing. It wasn't!
The ghosts dwelling in Krayson's heart writhed and named him a liar.
Saveen made her choice. A foolish choice, but it was hers to make. If she wanted to go her own way, it wasn't Krayson's place to stop her. Everyone, human or dragon, had that basic right.
Maybe that was just his Althandi half talking, but at least his mother's homeland accepted what he was and what he could do, even if it couldn't accept the names he carried.
"Just let go," Krayson whispered, but he found that his fingers gripped tighter upon the bundle of clothes. His jaw trembled, and a strangled sound came from his throat. Before, he had wondered why Saveen's helplessness sparked recognition in him.
He had seen the child he'd once been in her scarlet eyes. Cast out, afraid, alone, and despised. Faceless. A powerless creature without worth.
Krayson gnashed his teeth and placed the bundle back into the holding spell. He'd given the last of his silver for the thundering clothes, and neither the Order or the Horde raised him to be wasteful. If he got rid of them, he should at least hand them to the next girl he came across. He turned his head west, towards the Sanguine Tower, then east, back to Fellowton.
"All seven thunders crash upon that dragon's head," he muttered. "Winds take me, let them crash on mine, too." He chose his direction and set out.
Saveen was on her own.
oOo
Cardin raised his eyebrows as he watched Saveen eat. She couldn't tell what he was thinking. Between shoveling mouthfuls into her face, she shot glances his way to look for clues into what the mortal was on about.
He'd taken her up long stairways and onto steam lifts. Before she could catch her bearings, he brought her through a brightly lit doorway into what may have been the strangest manner of place she'd ever seen. It was a single, large room, a landing and walkway on the story above, with many tables and benches scattered about. Mortals sat at the tables, nursing mugs of pungent liquids. Meanwhile, there were human females scurrying around and carrying trays of more food and drink.
Cardin then took her to a back room where he had his own table. He asked one of the girls to bring a plate of food while Malkolm went off to "take care of business", as he put it. That had been half an hour ago, and she was demolishing her third plate with no end in sight.
This food was something else. She'd never had much cause to eat vegetables before, but they weren't near as bad as she always thought they'd be. They were covered in a kind of red sauce that made her tongue burn in a pleasant way. The wiggly things were strange, though. They certainly didn't taste like worms, whatever they were.
"You know," Cardin said after clearing his throat, "most people don't use their hands when they eat fried noodles. Try this." He held forth a pronged bit of metal.
Saveen narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you threatening me?"
Cardin looked at the weapon in his hand then at her face, nonplussed. "It's just a fork, love. Here."
He stabbed the... fork... into her plate of food, gave it a twirl, then came away with a mass of the wigglies wrapped around the prongs. Saveen made an appreciative sound and accepted the fork when Cardin offered it to her again. She imitated what he had done. Ah yes, this made things much easier. Humans were more clever than they looked.
"This place," Saveen said through her mouthful, "is it your home?"
"More or less," Cardin said with a chuckle. "I have a flat two levels up I don't see much. Most of the time, I sleep in my office."
Saveen swallowed before speaking again. "What do you do here?"
Cardin's mouth opened but nothing came out. He looked to the side, his manner sheepish. "I guess you could say I'm the owner. My name's on the sign out front, at least."
Saveen remembered seeing that. The paint the sign was written with had been glowing. She'd never seen anything like it. Cardin's Saloon, it said, but Saveen hadn't known what a saloon was. If this place was any indication, she liked saloons.
"I bring in the ale and make sure no one gets handsey with my girls," he continued. "At the end of the day, I hand out the silver to everyone then help Durl and Hap cart out the drunks that can't leave on their own feet."
Saveen frowned. "Why wouldn't they be able to leave on their own?"
Cardin laughed abruptly. He flicked the brim of the hat she wore with his finger. "You having a jibe at me, love? Trying to take the mick out?"
"What's a mick?" She ate another mouthful of noodles.
"It's a... Winds, but I can't rightly say. It's just a thing, you know?"
"I don't."
He cocked his head and got a lopsided grin. "Where'd you say you were from?"
Saveen shrugged as she picked up her plate and scraped the last remnants into her mouth.
"Suit yourself, love. I won't get all nosey about things what aren't important. Most of my boys here are Nadians. Malkolm takes after his ma and looks Althandi, but he's of the stones as any of us."
"And you?" Saveen asked. "You're..."
Cardin held up his palms. "Shush that, would you, love?" He looked around the empty room, then lowered his voice. "Can't get my head around you knowing that on sight, but I'm barely Aleesh. From my grandpa or whatever, way back when."
Saveen eyed him up and down, suspicious. "Any others?"
Cardin sucked on his teeth, giving her his own appraisal. "You know, I've been getting asked about that a lot lately. Poor Durl's still with the surgeons after..." He cut short. "How about I'll tell you all about it after you tell me about you?"
No, thank you. I've seen how mortals treat my kind.
"The girls?" Saveen asked, hoping that would make it clear she wasn't interested in sharing stories. "Where are they from?"
Cardin shrugged with just his hands. He looked disappointed. "Anywhere, really. Locals, most. My chef Nbala's from up north, and the new girl-- can't pronounce her name right-- used to be an honest-to-the-winds island hopper from Shoto." His face grew serious. "Look, I don't want you getting the wrong idea about me. My place is look don't touch. None of that business you got caught up in goes on up here. We don't hold with that evilness. My girls sway their hips and show some skin, but they're just here to sell liquor and lend an ear to the customers' sob stories. I don't peddle in rendezvouses." He grimaced. "Nbala would twist my ears off if I tried skimming off her business. Her cousin runs the brothel down the way."
Saveen nodded along. She'd listened in on Garret telling Trell about such places. "Courtesans. That's what you mean."
"Aye, but the legitimate kind, mind you. Respectable professionals. Not those child killers what started the rebellion with the Kraysons."
"Krayson," Saveen mouthed. "Child killers?"
"I guess I can't expect someone what can't put on a coat right or use a fork to know much about history."
Saveen wondered if she should be insulted, and the wondering drove off questions about her would-be Sapphire Knight. Cardin didn't drop the lopsided grin as he spoke and didn't smell bad, so Saveen chose to believe he was being good-natured with his jibes. Malkolm, on the other hand, had stunk like something sour and rotten. She didn't believe Cardin's associate had anything good in his nature. Saveen was glad he wasn't still around.
She did note, however, the way Cardin gripped the collar of his shirt between his thumbs and forefingers whenever he said words like "legitimate" or "respectable". She couldn't say why, but she thought that little quirk of his was more charming than a mortal had any right to be.
The door to the private dining room banged open, abrupt enough to make Saveen leap from her chair. She calmed down when she saw what manner of creature barged in. Ogres had lived close to her old home, and she used to love flying down to their camps to play with the young ones.
The towering, bald-headed fey had mottled gray and lavender skin and a sloping brow. The tusks jutting from his lower lip were small and looked to have been filed down on purpose. He was smaller than the ogres Saveen remembered, and his ribs were visible beneath his open vest. Even so, he had the girth of any two humans she could name.
"Winds, Hap!" Cardin exclaimed. "What you on about?"
"Didn't mean to disturb you, sir. Won't happen again, but there's some kinda trouble going on up front." Hap's voice was deep like a cavern, and Saveen was surprised at his mode of speech. Who ever heard of an ogre using contractions?
Cardin was still rising to his feet when Saveen ran up to Hap.
"Want to arm wrestle?" she asked.
Drat, of course, the Wager.
The only thing she had was the fork in her hand. She hoped Cardin wouldn't mind her putting that up for the competition. She held it up for Hap's inspection. "Prize for victor."
Hap's big, brown eyes lit up like the luminescent paint outside. His toothy grin split his face, and he started speaking like an ogre should. "This blue knows of the Game! She is wise like a green one."
Saveen beamed.
Hap's broad nostrils flared, and his grin melted into an expression of shocked reverence. "No, the blue is mighty."
"Mighty strange, if you ask me," Cardin said dryly. "What's this about trouble, boyo?"
Hap tore his eyes from Saveen with a sharp shake of his head. "Right, sir. Apologies. High crust came in a few minutes ago. This dandy's got Inoue on his knee and isn't letting her go."
"Winds, Hap!" Cardin said, grabbing a stout cudgel off the wall. "Why isn't he sprawled in the alley with a busted lip?"
Hap scratched the back of his head. "Inoue doesn't seem all that put out. She talks like she knows him."
Cardin snorted, and put the cudgel back on its hook. "Alright then, but still, new girl ought to learn she can't be bringing her honey spoons by. The riffraff will get all kinds of funny ideas over what's on the menu." He turned to Saveen. "Sorry, love, but I need to handle this. Nbala'll come by with another plate, so sit tight. We'll see to getting you south before much longer."
Cardin tapped Hap on the shoulder, and the two left the room, closing the door behind them. Saveen stared after them, mildly disappointed she didn't get a chance to trade Wager with Hap. What bothered her more was being shut inside yet another room without being asked if she wanted to be.
Well, she'd had enough of closed doors, and she also wanted to know what a "honey spoon" was. Saveen doffed Cardin's hat and coat then set them on a chair. Taking a moment to bring to mind one of her favorite forms, her human body misted away and became a tiny, blue mouse.
Saveen pressed her little body flat and wriggled underneath the door. Her nose was much more sensitive as a mouse, and she took full advantage by sticking it into the air and taking a few whiffs. She caught Cardin's scent and followed it towards the front of the saloon. She hadn't gone far when she heard his voice.
"Nice evening, friend," he said. "Pardon the interruption, but I make a habit of welcoming new faces to my place, particularly fine gentlemen such as yourself. New girl, what say you bring a bottle off the top shelf and two glasses for me and our guest?"
Saveen scurried up to the end of the hallway and peered in as she heard the visitor's reply.
"That would be exceedingly generous of you. Off you go, pet. Best do as your impeccably well-dressed employer says. Run along like a good girl."
A mouse's heart already beat at a rapid pace. As soon as Garret's voice reached her ears, Saveen thought it would rip itself out of her body. She crept close enough to see the man sitting across from Cardin. Garret's blazer and bowler hat were spotlessly clean once more, his disarming smile as shining and white as a shark's.
Flames and brimstone, he's here, Saveen thought in dismay. How did he find me?
She wanted to flee, but Garret sat between her and the only way out of the saloon that she knew of. She remembered the stairway Malkolm had taken as soon as they arrived. There might have been an exit that way. Even while she formulated an escape plan, she believed it was hopeless.
If an Onyx Knight was here, a black dragon couldn't be far. Saveen's eyes darted to every shadow. Her adoptive father could emerge from any one of them at his whim. Darkness was Trell's domain.
Garret sat leaning against the back of his chair with his legs crossed. His manner was jovially unconcerned. When the serving girl returned with the bottle and glasses, he favored her with a devilish wink.
The new girl gazed at him adoringly, as if his meager attention was the most precious thing in all the world. She lingered after Cardin dismissed her, and she didn't withdraw until Garret waved her off. Even then, she shot despondent looks over her shoulder. Hap did his best to get her to talk about how she knew this mysterious noble.
"My thanks for the drink, dear sir," Garret said, raising his glass in salute. He took a sip and hummed appreciatively. "Oh, that is refreshing. Rookish?"
"Hondoan," Cardin replied as he poured for himself, "and it's on the house, my lord."
"Most agreeable of you, dear sir." Garret took another sip. "Hondo, lovely kingdom. Only recently come into the Five Kingdoms fold, yes? If I recall correctly, it was twelve years ago, the Month of Smoke in eighty-eight. Myself, I was around your age and making my debut."
Cardin was giving Garret the same searching look he'd given Saveen a moment before. She wanted to warn him. This man wasn't just another customer. He was dangerous. Deadly. He had already placed one person here under his spell. Saveen didn't want Cardin to be the next.
"You a man of the stage, my lord?" Cardin asked.
"Quite so!" Garret exclaimed. "Actor, singer, dramatist."
Saveen noticed Cardin's eyes spark with recognition, and his scent turned sharp. Garret watched him with a knowing smirk.
"I don't believe I've need to give you my name, do I, dear sir?"
"Master Deveaux," Cardin whispered.
Garret hopped to his feet, his arms outstretched behind him as if accepting adulations. Cardin and several others around the saloon startled at the sudden motion.
"And there lies my reason for celebration!" He leaned across the table, his face close to Cardin's. "Master Deveaux shall remain my name, but only for the stage and other certain pursuits I believe you have some cognizance of. Beyond that, I now hold the title of my house as its head. Garret the Merovech, at your service, my dear sir." He grinned, and it was no longer disarming. It was predatory. "Why is it I possess a notion you knew of my lord father's passing?"
Cardin raised his palms. He was trying not to let his apprehension show, but Garret had found his scent. "Rumors, my lord. Whispers. I've heard word that something happened at the palace, members of the Highest Court were sworn to silence but people talk. Thing is, I'd been hearing it was the crown prince, not the grand marshal."
Garret's face darkened. His smirk became a scowl. "Now, you listen to me, boy. Don't play games. I don't much care what you know about that, to be honest. I only care that you're a gossip peddler, but you're not the only one in this city. Others in your trade have been quick to name you as the weasel selling my whereabouts to anyone that comes asking. I'm not of a mind to be diplomatic over it, you understand."
Hap took a step towards their table. Cardin hurriedly waved Hap off. The young saloon owner pressed his back against his chair, trying to get any space he could between him and Garret. His olive complexion looked pallid, and beads of sweat were on his brow.
"Admirers, my lord," Cardin said with a nervous chuckle. "The best of the opera always have a swarm of young men and women asking after them. Some loosen their purse strings when they ask. Can't much blame a ruffer for helping out."
"Your daanman friend said something else," Garret snarled. "Durl, was it? When I inquired to him, he had the most interesting story of a blue-eyed sorceress putting a lightning bolt through his chest before shutting herself in your office."
Garret slammed a piece of meat in front of Cardin. Saveen could smell the tang of blood from her hiding spot. Cardin went white as a ghost.
"I do so abhor removing a man's tongue, dear sir," Garret sighed. "Unfortunately, there are so few ways to insure he won't spread more tales he's no right to tell. I am quite interested in maintaining anonymity as of late, and you've gone and become a liability I simply cannot abide."
Across the saloon, chairs scraped against the floorboards as several of the patrons rose and grabbed for their coats. They began trickling out of the saloon, careful not to draw Garret's ire to themselves. Hap whispered for the serving girls to head for the kitchen, practically throwing the new girl over his shoulder to pull her away from Garret's presence.
Cardin swallowed. "My lord, I..."
"What did you tell Maya Algara of me?" Garret demanded. "Or the Vantalan? Ceril Dothraun?"
"N-nothing! When she busted up my place, she wasn't asking anything about you, my lord."
"I do so dislike being lied to," Garret lamented. "Perhaps I can convince you to change your mind."
Saveen cowered into the corner where the floor met the wall. Her polymorphy worked to make her a little bit smaller. She clamped her eyes shut, unable to watch as Garret wove his domination on Cardin.
Garret barked a surprised laugh. "Oh, well that's delightful. You're a daanman, too? My little spell won't work on an etherless cad such as yourself." He straightened and rolled up his sleeves. "The hard way, then. I do warn you, it will be messy."
Saveen heard boots thumping against the floorboards on the landing above.
"Try looking up 'ere, you rumbling madman!" Malkolm's voice was enraged.
Something flashed through the air, a crossbow bolt. It struck the center of the table, and the bottle of Hondoan liquor fell over and shattered on the ground.
Flames erupted from the saloon's doorway. The spellfire shot up to the landing, and Malkolm cried out. Saveen heard him scream. He hit the floor and flailed around as he tried to put out his burning clothes.
"Aha," Garret crowed. "My thanks, dove. A shame about the bottle, though. It really was quite refreshing."
"Stow it, fancy man. You were takin' too long, so I came lookin'. Do not give me cause to do so again. Step away from him, or you're next."
Saveen squeaked with fright. She forced herself to open an eye. The empress stalked towards Garret and Cardin's table, her face a storm.
Cardin was on his feet. By the way his knees trembled, he didn't look like he'd be able to stand for long. "Flames," he whispered. "Flames take me. When the assassin asked about you, I hoped, but..."
Elise stood in front of Cardin. Her eyes traced over his face, then his clothes. She reached up and cupped his cheek with her hand. "You've grown, Cardin," she said, her voice gentle.
Saveen shook. She felt a heavy sensation, like something inside her falling apart. It was like nausea but deeper, within her heart. Cardin was another of the empress' followers. She should have known as soon as she saw his green eyes. No, worse than that. She had known, but she had let him convince her that he wanted to help.
"Elise," Cardin said in disbelief. "You're alive?"
"On the worst nights," she said, "I kept thinkin' I was the only one who survived that day. I kept faith. I had to believe or everythin' was for nothin'. Are there others?"
"Some of us," he said. He was getting choked up, his voice breaking. "The kids. They separated us, made us all daanman. I heard a lot of them got killed anyway because they had too much Aleesh in them."
Elise set her jaw and drew Cardin into an embrace. She made soothing sounds as he clung to her and wept. The empress' eyes were glistening with unshed tears. "You lived, my little soldier. You did well, just as I taught you."
Saveen couldn't take watching anymore. She turned around and darted down the hallway. Unable to think of anything but this aching pain, she returned to the dining room, wriggled under the door, and became her human form. She pressed her back against the door and sank to her backside. Sobs of fear and a grief she couldn't understand wracked her body and made it hard to breathe. She didn't even care that her skin was back to being blue.
Footsteps came up the hall towards the door. Saveen didn't move. She almost didn't care if the empress found her anymore. Saveen just wanted this to end, even if it meant having her bond with the blood runner severed and being made a part of the empress' soul again. Not even if the empress hurt her again, because at least it would overshadow this new, horrible pain.
She was tired of being scared every moment, of hiding from the mortals, and being put into rooms with shut doors. Saveen missed her home, where she could trade Wager with ogres and watch fangblades run across the scarlet grass. She missed being able to fly across the sky without fear. If only Kimpo had never come, she and Trell would still be there.
"Terribly sorry about all the confusion," she heard Garret say through the door. "A man in my position can't be too careful, dear sir."
Cardin said something, but it didn't carry to her ears.
"I'm certain he's fine. Just a few scorched threads, isn't that right, my good man?"
Malkolm grumbled before speaking up. "I've 'ad worse. Err... no offense meant... my lady?"
"Surely nothing a strapping ruffer such as yourself isn't used to," Garret chuckled. "I must apologize on my dove's behalf for your hat. It looked a fine one."
"Enough jawin', fancy man," Elise snapped. "And you best drop the spell you put on the girl."
"Come now, dove. It was nothing nefarious. You must know how difficult it is to get prompt service in places such as this."
"Garret!"
"As you wish, dove."
Their voices grew louder as they approached. Saveen could hear Cardin more clearly now. "Back here," he said. "I paid a scrivener a fortune to lock a privacy sigil."
Elise clucked her tongue. "You shouldn't have needed to. Your wards were strong, even as a child. Don't worry, my little soldier. I'm workin' on a plan to get us all back what was taken from us."
Their footsteps passed and grew quiet as they went further down the hall. Saveen heard a door close, cutting off what they said next.
Saveen jumped to her feet and ran to the table. She had Cardin's hat and coat back on before a single, coherent thought passed through her head. After taking a moment to disguise her coloring, she threw open the door and sprinted for the front of the saloon.
Everyone had cleared out of the place. She only saw Hap by the front door. He was holding it cracked open and spoke to someone outside. "Saloon's closed," he was saying. "Can't let anyone in."
Saveen had to get away before Cardin sent someone to check on her. Before Garret appeared in front of her. Before the empress found her again. She couldn't bear to fall back into her possession, not after Kimpo sacrificed herself.
She reached Hap and shoved him aside. She yanked the door all the way open and ran through. The human Hap had been arguing with was bowled over, but Saveen couldn't be bothered to slow. She ran for the walkways, planning on throwing herself over the side and becoming her true self. Hap's distressed shouts faded until they became muffled by the mist.
Saveen passed beneath a metal archway, and she could feel a drop in temperature. The open sky was above her again, and she could see a railing ahead. She ran towards it as fast as she could. Before she came within three paces, a strong grip seized her wrist, and Saveen jerked to a stop. Terrified beyond reason, she whirled around to face her assailant.
"Stop running," he said. His voice was soft but carried the force of his command within it. Trell held his human form. His yellow eyes bored into her, and his expression was one of stern disapproval. "That's enough, Saveen. Be still."
He stood within a pool of shadow cast by a nearby gaslight. Trell's skiamancy had allowed him to appear next to her. Saveen pulled against the grip on her wrist, but Trell was far stronger than her.
"You should not have left, my Bastion," he said. "Why are you here? Where is the blood runner?"
Saveen whimpered as she tried prying his fingers away. Her efforts were futile and made no more difference to him than if she were still a mouse.
Trell sighed. "Saveen, stop."
"Please, let me go," she cried. "I don't want to go back. I can't."
"It is our place," he said. "There is nowhere for the mighty to be in this world but at our beloved's side."
"Kimpo said..."
"The Huntress is a traitor to our kind!" Trell shouted. "She and the Storyteller are fools to follow another."
"I don't want to follow anyone," Saveen wailed. "I want to go home!"
Trell pulled her to him. His eyes stared into hers, their intensity putting an end to her struggles. He maintained his hold on her wrist. His other hand rose to her face and caressed her cheek. "Your home is here, at my side. Have I not protected you, my Bastion? Was it not I who rescued your egg from the mortals after they slew your mother?"
Saveen couldn't deny what he said. As far back as she could remember, Trell had kept her safe. Her guardian, her teacher, and her parent.
His arm wrapped around her and held her by the waist. He pulled her closer and held her pressed against his chest. Trell's body was warm with the fire that burned within him. "Do not forget, Saveen," he whispered in her ear. "You and I, we are destined. I am the only one who can protect you. Do not make the same mistakes your mother did."
Saveen no longer had the strength to fight. Nothing she could do would change that the world was different now. Her life was different. Only Trell remained a constant. What other choice was there? What happened to Kimpo proved that. Saveen didn't even know if the Huntress still lived.
"You and I," Trell said. "Together, we are the only hope for the future of dragons. So few of us remain. Do not betray us, my Bastion."
"Some will see an invitation, one that cannot be rescinded."
As soon as she recalled the blood runner's words, Saveen felt a desperate strength enter her. She couldn't tell where it came from, but it drove her to act. To fight. She cried out and shoved Trell away with all her strength.
"Stay away from me," she roared.
"Fool dragonet," Trell growled. "I will not let you abandon the empress. Abandon me. Not after everything I've done for you."
Saveen bared her teeth. "I don't care what you've done. It doesn't mean you own me."
Trell came towards her. Fury lurked in his yellow eyes.
"Saveen, get down!"
She didn't know where the command came from, but she obeyed without hesitation. Her stomach hit the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of her. Spellfire roared overhead to engulf Trell. That wouldn't stop him, but it was bright enough to blind him for one moment.
Another surge of strength filled her. Saveen jumped back to her feet, changing her form as she rose. Her giant paws swatted at Trell, and she felt the impact throughout her entire limb. Claws ripped at his skin.
Trell roared and raised an arm to hold her back.
Saveen bit down on his arm. Her saber-like fangs pierced through, and she tasted his blood on her tongue. His cry of pain hammered against her ears.
"Sucé."
A spell of force struck Trell, ripping him away from Saveen. His arm remained between her jaws. Her adoptive father lay on the ground, clutching at the ragged stump of his right elbow. He glared at her. The fury in his eyes had grown into murderous hate.
"If you dare run," he said, "I will kill you, my Bastion."
Someone new ran up to her, uncaring that she wore a fangblade's body. Saveen vaguely recalled his dark half-robe as the one worn by the mortal Hap had been arguing with at the saloon door. Before she could react, he leapt onto her back and rammed his heels into her flanks.
"Don't just stand there, girl," he shouted. "Garret's right behind me. Ride that way!"
The blood runner. Saveen didn't spare a thought for where he appeared from and did as he said. She spat out Trell's arm, whirled around, and leapt over the railing.
"Not that way!" the blood runner howled as they plummeted into the mists below.
Saveen changed and became herself, only marginally larger than her fangblade form. Her rider grunted as their descent came to an abrupt halt and they soared into the night.
Trell's enraged cries echoed behind her. He was wounded, but the bond and his magic would regenerate his ruined arm in time. For the moment, they had escaped again.
Panting, Saveen craned her neck to look at the human clinging to her back between her wings.
"You came after me?" she asked, unable to believe that he would.
Krayson moaned and avoided looking at the gaping void beneath them. "Wait until there's something solid beneath us, please."
"The ground level is..."
"Right beneath us!" he shouted. "Not a mile between us and it!"
Saveen looked ahead. She banked wide of a spire and dove further into the depths of the city. The strength she'd felt earlier, appearing from nowhere, it had come through the bond. He'd given some of his own strength to her. Saveen broke through a wall of mist, and she could easily see the abandoned streets of Eastrun's ground levels beneath her.
"Better?" she asked.
Krayson moaned.
"Why did you come for me?"
"You're on your own," he said. Krayson raised his head to look at her. "I remember what it's like, being on your own. I didn't want you to be."
Saveen felt blood rushing from her head. She was descending too fast. Yes, that was the reason. She flapped her wings and steadied her angle. While she maneuvered, she kept a watchful eye on him.
Krayson noticed her scrutiny and planted a scowl on his face. "Besides, you were causing a ruckus and who knows how much thundering trouble that would start. The Order would hold me responsible. I didn't have a choice but to look for you."
Saveen looked ahead, seeking out a good spot to land. She found that she couldn't hold back her pleased smile.