Rhenor had never been an optimist, and as such he still had trouble believing their luck, but he was slowly but surely getting there. Everything was very strangely going their way, but he had trouble convincing himself that this could just be everyone playing them for fools.

The mayor —whatever that meant, Rhenor wasn't sure aside from it being a leadership position—had asked them a few questions as she showed them around, such as which one of them was gifted with magic, what they'd done to make a living until now, and so on, but nothing too personal or unreasonable. If this Adria woman was truly a leader in this city, it only made sense to find out how they could be useful to her people.

Elaya had seemed a bit annoyed by some of it, and there was a nervous energy to Kaz the entire time, but Rhenor didn't mind the questioning. He'd had to answer similar questions when he'd moved to Arlow, and even before then. People didn't like when someone threatened their way of life, after all, and they wanted to make sure that wouldn't happen. Rhenor imagined that was one of the things humans and dragons shared.

But with that done, for now, they'd been left to explore the city, and Rhenor had to admit that the first impression was very good. The place was similar to Sigallah, except without the oppressive, inescapable atmosphere caused by the dragons' presence. And there were also not as many people filling the main street, which Rhenor was very happy about.

The three of them strolled down the street, looking over market stalls, the goods being sold there, and the people themselves, delicious smells following them at every step, strong enough to overpower the almost ever-present tang of salt in the air. Rhen wasn't sure what the thing he could currently smell was, but it was making him hungry. It was probably fish, as that seemed to be most of the meat the locals ate.

Unfortunately, he would have to go without trying the local cuisine for the moment, at least until they had money that would not cause suspicion. Adria had mentioned nothing about money, likely assuming they had some, which he supposed she would technically not be wrong about.

Rhen held back a sigh. They would have to somehow deal with that soon. He was hoping they'd sooner or later find a butcher who might be interesting in buying meat from him, so he could go hunt as soon as possible. Adria had told them they could stay a few nights at a somewhat rundown tavern she'd showed them, which they had done last night, but Rhenor didn't like feeling like he owed people anything.

He paused his thoughts when he noticed a stand on his right, selling runed pebbles and what looked like strangely shaped glass. He automatically took a step closer, finally realizing that the glass had been made to look like a rune as well, and was filled with water.

Rhen had not thought about how magic worked for people other than Elaya in a long time, and so he'd not thought about how they might use water magic, but he supposed this made sense.

Throwing a glance at the person manning the stand, only to see she was talking to a customer standing with her, he leaned in closer, his eyes scanning over the labels. Each totem had its power written there, as well as which word you were supposed to say to set it off. The idea of carrying these seemed a little cumbersome, though Rhenor would be lying if he pretended like the idea of trying these didn't interest him just a little. Still, Kaz had told him he had no aptitude for magic, and the thought of using magic, in general, made him sick to his stomach. It was better to stay away from it altogether.

Kaz had of course in the meantime noticed the stand as well and was now gawking at the totems with utter fascination. Despite Rhenor's dislike of magic, he wished they had some useable coin. He'd love to buy Kaz something here. Not only did Kaz clearly find these things interesting, but he also knew how to use them, which could protect him in the future, just like he'd done in Arlow.

Later, Rhen decided, taking a hold of Kaz's wrist and gently pulling him away. He hated doing it because he didn't want to ruin Kaz's fun, but they still very much had things to worry about. Like figuring out money. Kaz didn't seem to mind though, instead giving Rhen a slightly embarrassed smile.

Rhenor didn't love seeing him be ashamed of enjoying himself, but that was a conversation for a later time.

"I expected more magic," Elaya commented quietly so only he and Kaz would hear her as they continued walking down the busy street. Rhen was looking forward to going somewhere quiet. The noise of people talking was making his head hurt.

"I mean, these people can use magic wherever and whenever they feel like," she continued, looking somewhat disappointed. "But they don't."

"Maybe there just aren't a lot of people who can use it like you can here," Kaz suggested in a whisper, shrugging. It was a bit difficult to hear him with how low his voice was, but aside from looking at those totems just now, he'd been needlessly cautious and timid. He must have still been worried about someone recognizing him for what he was and so didn't want to call attention to himself, but Rhenor couldn't blame him for that. All the more reason to get some local coin to avoid calling attention to themselves.

"If that's the case, then they aren't very cautious," Elaya replied, shaking her head. "The dragons' soldiers could come here at any time, and they don't have anything built to protect the city." Elaya paused, frowning in thought. And so did Rhenor.

It was odd, wasn't it? The dragons tended to subjugate everything they could, and so if there was nothing stopping them from taking over Embertide, they would have done it centuries ago. There must have been something protecting the city, there was no doubt in Rhen's mind about that, but the question was what it was. If it was powerful magic users they simply hadn't caught a glimpse of yet, that would make sense, but that begged the question of how the druids fit into this situation.

Before anyone could say anything else, Rhenor spotted a man selling smoked meat a few stands ahead and immediately quickened his pace, eager to get the upcoming conversation over with. He'd expected the man to be difficult, either through not trusting Rhen simply based on him not being a local, or not wanting to pay him a reasonable amount of coins, but the butcher gladly accepted, pleased by the idea of adding some game to the selection of meats he already had on offer, offering to pay Rhenor one gold coin for a rabbit, three for a boar and ten for an elk.

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Rhen wasn't entirely certain how much silver from Istamid represented one gold coin here, but having seen some of the prices at the other stands, it seemed reasonable.

With that, he was satisfied enough to leave, eager to hunt and then buy something to eat. He wasn't hungry, since they'd gotten a simple breakfast of bread and scrambled eggs from the man who owned the tavern they'd slept in, but Rhen really wanted to sample some of the foods sold at this market. And Kaz felt the same if the looks he had given the smoked meat the butcher was selling had been any indication.

Rhenor was about to start heading away from the sea, toward the wilderness, when Elaya spoke.

"I'll meet you at the tavern." She took a sweeping glance at their surroundings. "I'd like to take a look around, see if there is something I can do to make some money. I'm not much of a hunter."

Despite her easy smile, Rhenor was somewhat suspicious that she was lying, and that what she actually wanted to do was to try to find out more about how the people of Embertide used magic, but he decided not to say anything. He didn't mind going hunting at all, and she was right about her not being a hunter making her not necessary for that activity, not that Rhen would mind her presence.

His eyes immediately found Kaz, wondering where he would want to go. Kaz immediately noticed him looking, flashing a small, shy smile before looking over at Elaya. He was still keeping his head lowered, looking nervous.

"I think I'll go with Rhen if that's all right," Kaz told Elaya, rubbing his arm. "I could, um, use a walk."

While it took Rhenor a second to figure out that what Kaz was actually saying was that he wanted to get away from all the prying eyes, Elaya immediately seemed to catch on, nodding at the dragon with a smile.

"Stay out of trouble, you two," she joked, raising an eyebrow and chuckling.

Rhen waited as Kaz and Elaya hugged. Once they separated, Elaya gave them both a wave and disappeared into the crowd with one last look at Kaz, leaving Rhenor wondering if the look in her eyes had been one of concern or if he'd imagined it. He could understand being worried about Kaz, given the situation, but they were only going to the nearby woods. Rhen was sure they could survive that much.

Neither of them said anything until they were leaving the last houses on the outskirts of the city behind, walking in mostly comfortable silence. It didn't escape Rhenor's attention that the farther they got, the more relaxed Kaz became. Rhen didn't think the dragon had been this stressed over visiting Sigallah, but then again, that had happened before he'd been imprisoned. Twice.

"No one can tell you aren't human, you know." Rhenor wasn't certain if that was the best way to approach the issue, but he was tired of overthinking everything he said. It was better to be direct. "Even if someone notices your ears, I doubt they'd immediately assume you are a dragon."

Kaz sighed, scratching the back of his neck as he stared down at the cobbled road. "I know, I know. I just...."

He let out another breath, this time making it sound more like a huff as his eyes met Rhen's. They looked amber in the morning sun, rather than the deep, strangely intense brown Rhenor was used to. He tried not to get lost in them since now was not the time to do that, but it was difficult.

"This place seems nice, and the people are welcoming. But I'm sure that would change if they found out what I am."

Normally, Rhenor would accept what Kaz had said in a heartbeat. It made sense, and it was something that Rhen had been suspecting Kaz had been worrying about. And yet, it didn't sound right. The way the dragon had said it had been too easily spoken, too logical.

"Are you sure that's the problem?"

Kaz let out an almost overdramatic sound of misery, throwing out his arms in defeat and then hanging his head. "No, it isn't. I just don't want to give Elaya more reasons to think she has to look out for me like I am some accident-prone child."

Rhenor raised his eyebrows. That was an amount of frustration that he had not been expecting. And already the dragon was grimacing with guilt.

"It isn't her fault," he immediately added, keeping his gaze firmly trained on the road. "I was a child for longer than she was. I suppose it's hard for her not to see me that way sometimes. I just hate holding her back."

Strange facts about dragons growing up aside, Rhenor understood. But he was also of the opinion that Kaz was blaming himself for no reason once again.

"You aren't holding her back. You made it clear you think she should go with that druid, so this is her own decision," he replied, continuing even as Kaz looked up at him and opened his mouth to argue. "Besides, I'm certain she'll change her mind. You said it yourself—this island is nice, and it seems to be safe. We'll be fine."

Rhenor almost rolled his eyes at his own words. A person saying something like this usually prompted the gods to prove them wrong, but hopefully, nothing would happen. What could happen, even? Aside from a few wolf-like creatures he'd spotted at one point in the distance when walking to Embertide, there had been no danger whatsoever. The only feasible danger Rhenor could think of at the moment was getting robbed in the city, but even that didn't seem likely from what Rhen had seen so far. The place hadn't felt like the sort to breed criminals, but he could be wrong of course.

Kaz didn't say anything, only giving Rhenor a nod and a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Rhen resisted the urge to sigh. The dragon worried too much about everything. Hopefully, their stay here would help him relax a bit because him being anxious all the time wasn't healthy.

They continued heading west, with Kaz becoming noticeably less and less tense as they went, passing by large fields of wheat and grass until finally reaching a towering, dark forest. Even from the outside, Rhen could see large ferns filling the spaces between the trees. That would make the woods harder to traverse, but it might also mean that this forest was less frequented by people. Either way, he'd do the same thing as always and look for animal prints to track.

He was about to walk inside, his bow in his hand already despite knowing the chances of finding an animal quickly being practically nonexistent, but he stopped when he noticed that Kaz wasn't following.

He looked back at him, only to see the dragon looking off at something on the left that Rhen couldn't see because there were a few trees in the way. Walking around them, Rhenor couldn't help but blink when he noticed a structure made of white stone. It resembled a box, with two pillars in front, and what seemed to be steps leading down underground. It was situated right in front of the forest, surrounded by small shrubs with red blossoms and tall statues, almost as tall as the building itself, of the gods.

Noticing sudden movement, Rhen's eyes snapped to a figure in the shadows cast by a few trees growing a bit away. The person seemed to be watching the structure intently from where they were leaning on the tree next to them. Rhenor had no reason to think anything of this, but he tensed up anyway. He wasn't sure why, but something felt off about them.

"You can't hunt here," a disgruntled voice suddenly said from behind them, making both Rhen and Kaz jump. Before Rhenor could even turn around, a surprisingly tall old woman walked past them, a watering can in hand. Now that he could see her, he noted that the woman looked just as exasperated as she'd sounded. "This is hallowed ground. Beneath your feet are catacombs. Everyone who dies in Embertide is buried here."

She was now lightly watering the shrubs, not even looking at them.

"Oh, excuse us. We didn't know," Kaz apologized for the both of them. Despite his sincere tone, the woman's frown didn't lessen one bit as she waved her hand at them dismissively.

"Yes, I would hope so. That is why I am telling you."

Rhenor bit back the urge to say something rude to her. He usually wouldn't care about someone talking like this to him, but that was not the case when Kaz was the target also.

"Right. We will be on our way, then," Rhenor said, his tone much more sarcastic than he'd intended. Though, before he turned around to go find a more appropriate place to hunt, his eyes scanned the horizon. But the mysterious person who had been watching the entrance to the catacombs was nowhere to be seen.