Laini huffed contentedly and wrapped one feathered wing around Tamri’s body, holding back the mountain breeze. They waited like that, dragon and girl, until the others found them.
The four Cindral dragons and their riders arrived as the setting sun sent long shadows across Kurn Pass, all looking a little battered and frazzled. Errol and Heath had blood on their clothes, and a purple bruise was blooming on Taklin’s cheek. Only Reya had escaped unscathed, though her brown hair looked even messier than usual. Mav, Selivia, and Fenn were not with them.
Heath immediately began checking Laini over for injuries, not sparing Tamri more than a stern glance. Taklin, Errol, and Reya seemed to think they’d had a grand adventure. They were already swapping stories of their tussle with the Fork Town thugs.
“They’ll never steal from us again,” Taklin crowed. “Think they can kidnap our dragons? Ha! I’d like to see them try.”
Reya rolled her eyes. “They did try.”
“That’s not the point,” Taklin said. “We fought them off, though I reckon they won’t be happy to see us back in Fork Town anytime soon.”
“Princess Selivia smoothed things over with the Town Watch before she left,” Errol said, his voice muffled by the handkerchief he was holding to his bloody nose.
“She’s gone?” Tamri asked.
Reya nodded. “She and Fenn are on their way to Soole with Mav.”
Tamri silently cursed herself for not getting more information before the princess set off. Khrillin would not be impressed. Tamri also hadn’t had a chance to thank the princess for her kindness.
“Has anything like that ever happened here before?”
The others exchanged glances.
“No one would have dared anything so blatant a few years ago,” Reya said. “Under the circumstances, we didn’t think staying at the inn another night would be wise.”
“Glad you’re here, though, Tamri,” Taklin said. “Heath thought he was going to have to chase you down again.”
Tamri looked over at the chief dragon rider, who was avoiding her eyes a little too deliberately. He couldn’t be happy about the way she’d lashed out at him in the Fork, especially when he already worried about her hurting the princess. She would have to alleviate his suspicions of her somehow, if she wanted to learn anything useful from him. Hopefully the fact that she hadn’t tried to escape with Laini was a good start.
Heath went off to settle the dragons while the others built a fire of dried linden branches a few dozen paces from the road. They would have to camp here tonight, as it was too dangerous to fly through Kurn Pass in the dark. They would take turns watching the road in case the Fork Town thugs tried to finish what they started.
They shared a meal of goat jerky and hard cheese as the darkness deepened outside the ring of campfire light. The sky was clear, the flickering light not bright enough to mute the stars. The soothing smells of burning wood and sweet linden flowers surrounded them. Tamri stretched her toes toward the fire. The temperature was dropping. She’d have to get out her boots and new warm clothes before long.
Across the fire, Errol grumbled as he attempted to get comfortable. “Not that it wasn’t an exciting day and all,” he muttered, “but I thought we’d get another night in a soft bed.”
“Why did everyone react so badly when I used Watermight back there?” Tamri asked.
“Fork Town folk get skittish around Wielders,” Taklin said. “A lot of refugees moved there after the war in Trure. Saw enough Fire and Watermight violence to last a lifetime. They don’t appreciate people flaunting their powers.”
He opened a crinkling packet of goat jerky and passed it around the campfire. Errol took a double portion.
“They aren’t too happy about the dragons carting magical substances through there every month, either,” Taklin went on. “They tolerate us as long as our dragons stay in the stables and their magic stays out of sight.”
“Laini’s a needy little thing,” Reya said. “She probably went looking for Fenn and attracted the wrong kind of attention.”
Tamri wasn’t sure it was that simple. She had seen those same men—the one with sandy hair and the other with the scarred smile—watching the Vertigonians the night before. And Heath had been worried about threats to the princess. There was something going on here, a deeper undercurrent that could be connected to the souring of relations between Pendark and Vertigon.
“What would those thugs have done with Laini?” Tamri asked.
Taklin uncorked a waterskin and took a swig before passing it to Tamri. “I reckon a lot of people would pay for a captive Cindral dragon.”
“Do you ever sell them?”
“We don’t own the dragons,” came a quiet voice. Heath stepped into the ring of firelight. “They choose to work with us. They’re not horses for barter.”
He sat down between Tamri and Reya, looking tired. He removed his crisp blue uniform coat and set it carefully on a stone beside him. A grubby scrap of cloth was wrapped around his forearm, but blood still dripped over the back of his hand.
“Looks like a nasty slash you got there, Chief,” Errol said.
“I’m fine,” Heath said brusquely.
Tamri figured she’d better start convincing him she wasn’t one of those threats he was so worried about. She’d spied on Watermight healers at pen-fighting matches, hoping to learn enough to help Gramma Teall. She’d never gotten further than how to wash and seal a shallow cut, but that ought to win her some goodwill here.
“Uh, Heath?” She swallowed, nervous about addressing the imposing dragon rider. “I know some Watermight healing. I can seal up that wound for you.”
He glanced over at her. “Watermight is too valuable.”
“It doesn’t take much to fix a cut like that.” She reached for the cloth on Heath’s arm but he pulled it out of her reach.
“We go through a lot of effort to get it to Vertigon. You can’t just sling it around.”
“Fine,” Tamri snapped, irritation at his patronizing tone overcoming her wariness. “Bleed to death, then.”
Errol choked on his jerky, and Taklin gave a low whistle.
Tamri ignored them. She knew better than some Vertigonian how dear Watermight was. She had saved it from being wasted today. Thanks to her, it was sitting comfortably in Laini’s belly instead of sinking deeper into Fork Town soil.
Heath gave her a flat stare then started poking at the fire with a stick, blood darkening his clumsy bandage. How was she supposed to prove she wasn’t a threat if he wouldn’t acknowledge her contributions or accept her help?
Everyone ate in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. The coppery smell of fresh blood joined the aromas of burnt wood and linden flowers. Heath was starting to look pale, even for a Vertigonian.
“Chief, I don’t want to cause trouble,” Taklin said carefully. “But you’re bleeding really bad. Maybe you could let her—”
“No Watermight,” Heath repeated.
Taklin lifted his eyebrows, and the others examined their boots and fingernails, seeing no point in arguing with their leader. But Tamri wasn’t under Heath’s command. She didn’t have to put up with his stubbornness, especially when she’d been the one to slice him open.