*Katerina’s POV*

My knuckles were white from how hard I held onto the handle attached to the saddle. It wasn’t because the flight was rough – to the contrary, it was smoother than a horse or even a wagon – but it was a long way down.

I’d never been higher off the ground than the city walls, so this was an unwelcome learning experience. The winds in the sky were also cold. Rakota ignored me, which made it easier to bear. My heart rate eventually slowed down as I realized how secure the harness straps were. I began looking around, trying to spot any landmarks or villages.

The view was spectacular.

No wonder nobles paid a fortune for a flight. I doubted any tower in the world would let people see the world spread out below them like this. From up here, I could see villages and roads with people so tiny they almost looked like ants. That only reminded me of how high up we were, and I swallowed hard, resolutely forcing myself to memorize their locations in case we landed nearby.

I wished I could pull my map out, but that would involve letting go of my handhold, and the wind would likely rip it from my grasp. Nothing looked familiar from up here, but most landmarks were roadside stone carvings or signs which I wouldn’t be able to see from this distance.

Rakota glided through the skies at remarkable speeds, with the barest wingbeat keeping us aloft. The land we crossed in minutes would have taken hours on foot. It was a good thing I didn’t have a specific destination because I had no idea where we were or where we were going.

I’d never heard of dragon outposts before, but dragons didn’t go near human cities or villages often, so it made sense they would gather somewhere else. A shiver ran through me at the thought of being around more dragons. Rakota’s earlier intense stare had terrified me into thinking he’d sensed my magic, but he’d just been checking the harness straps.

I wasn’t sure how much longer my magic would evade detection. It was like rolling a set of dice over and over until both matched. A dragon might not be as cruel as the mages who had trapped Rakota, but I had no desire to be used as nothing more than a magic source, and I wanted to evade that fate as long as possible.

* * * * *

*Rakota’s POV*

Two dragons were relaxing on the stone peak as I began spiraling down. I recognized the purple one as Qwest and the orange as Victorya. Qwest did a double-take when he saw I had a passenger. He walked to the edge for a better look as I turned my flight into a dive.

The human let out an “Eep!” and held onto the saddle for dear life but didn’t scream as we plummeted past the rockface. I flared my wings as we neared the ground, slowing our descent without magic.

I landed lightly and lay down, glancing back at the pale-looking human whose hair was escaping the hair tie and fanning out in all directions. “Off.”

Her hands shook as she undid the harness and started to climb down. About halfway to the ground, her hands slipped, and she slid down my scales. With an annoyed huff, I used a touch of magic to slow her fall. She landed with a light bump, although the spell barely did anything to negate the magedebt.

Far too much remained.

“You can start a fire and relax. I’ll be back in a while.”

She rubbed her head and blinked at the old firepit in a daze. She stiffly got to her feet, then froze when she saw the lake beside us.

“Uh, Rakota, there aren’t any naga in there, are there?”

Her voice shook but it was the distant look of terror in her eyes and tension coiling in her muscles that made me certain she’d had a close encounter with one.

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I lowered my head closer to her level as I demanded, “You’ve seen a naga before?” The sea creatures shouldn’t be this far inland, but it wasn’t for their lack of trying. If some had slipped by our patrols, it was best to catch them before they had a chance to secure a foothold.

“T-They killed my parents and sister,” she replied quietly as she closed her eyes. Her thumb rubbed over the crescent-shaped scar on the back of her hand like it was tied to the memory. With a grimace, she added, “The horse I was on ran away.”

“When? Where?”

“About eight years ago, along the Ygates River.” Her eyes opened, but she continued staring at the water.

“Where along it?” I asked in exasperation. Dragging details out of this human was worse than ripping off a cracked scale.

“Uh, near the edge of the plains, not far from where it enters a big lake. There were no villages nearby.”

I narrowed my eyes, trying to recall if I’d heard of any reports of naga in that area around that time. “I’ll check with the historians, but I believe they caught three naga there roughly that long ago. If nothing else, we’ll send someone to check it out. And no, there are no naga in this lake.”

“Thank you.” The murmur was quiet but had true gratitude in it. The magedebt also eased a tiny fraction.

“No wandering off,” I said firmly. “There’s plenty of wood for a fire along the base of the cliff.”

There were still a few half-burnt sticks in the firepit, and I lit one on fire with a touch of magic. Without waiting to see her reaction, I spread my wings and took flight, ensuring the downdraft didn’t put out the fire or knock her off her feet.

I flew up the almost vertical rockface of the magically-built outpost. A dozen small caves were carved into the sides near the top for the guards or people passing through.

As I landed beside Qwest, I commented, “Eavesdropping again?” It wasn’t even really a question since I had sensed him cast the listening spell, which I hadn’t bothered blocking.

“Of course,” he said, shrugging his purple wings. “Last I heard, you were flying nobles and traders around to see if you could tolerate being around humans on a long-term basis. She clearly isn’t your rider, and this outpost isn’t near the normal flight routes. But after hearing your conversation, I think it would be prudent to send someone to check that river in case one or two naga are still hiding in the area.”

Victorya stretched her orange wings as she commented, “There’s that set of twins in Raymora Valley. They’re old enough to want to join the fight, but not experienced enough to go near the coast. A couple of naga should be within their abilities, especially if their father goes with them.”

I nodded. “That’ll work. Do you mind contacting them?”

“Sure. I’ll activate the communication crystal once we’re done visiting.”

Qwest gazed down at the human who was putting more wood on the fire. “Why did you bring her here? I’ve never seen a noble dressed like that. Nor are you carrying any saddlebags, so she isn’t a trader.”

I made a face. “Magedebt.”

“How much magedebt?” he idly asked.

“Far too much,” I grumbled. “I never realized how much could accumulate if a human risked being attacked by a dozen shadow mages to help me.”

He glanced at me and tilted his head. “Oh?”

Scowling at the memories, I began retelling my latest misadventure. By the time I finished, Qwest sat with half-unfurled wings and Victorya was pacing back and forth.

“They must have been planning this for years,” Victorya muttered. “Twelve mages, you said?”

“Yes, or at least that was how many I saw.”

“In that case, there might be more. And if it only takes three to activate an immobilization spell, we’re going to need a few more fighters in case they have more of those runes.”

I nodded firmly. “And that’s why I came here.”

She glanced at the communication crystal to the side. “I’ll ask around and see which outposts can spare a fighter or two. I want at least six if we’re going after such a well-prepared group, and I’d prefer it if at least one or two had riders in case we need a set of eyes in tight areas.”

“Andar is around,” I said. “I saw him flying to the north before I landed at Sapphire Lake.”

“He probably let Randel raid the king’s table again. If so, they’re likely camping at Meadow Spring. I can make a quick flight that way to check,” Qwest offered.

When Victorya nodded, the purple dragon immediately took flight. She leaned over the cliff to gaze down at the human below.

“Do you plan to leave her here while we hunt the mages?”

I shook my head. “No. She’d likely sneak away and end up getting eaten by a bear or something. I can’t seem to bribe her with gold or a spell, so I’d rather not let her out of my sight until I can take her to Emerson City and settle the magedebt.”

“If there’s that much magedebt, then it’s best not to take chances. Not with your magic on the line,” she agreed. “She might be useful if we need someone to check if the mages have hidden themselves in a village. We can shield her against their attacks easily enough.”

“That would work.”

“How are your magic levels?”

“I’ve got plenty of magic after ferrying so many nobles and mages around.”

“Excellent. And I see what you mean about her aim.”

I glanced down to see the human was using nearby trees for archery practice. She kept retrieving the arrow and going back to where she had been standing to try again.

“Is she aiming for the same tree each time?” Victorya murmured, tilting her head in perplexity.

“I truly hope not.”

“Well, it’s a good thing we aren’t relying on her archery skills.”

“I agree.”

She shrugged and began walking to the communication crystal. “I’ll start making some calls.”

I was about to follow her but paused and glanced at the human below. Until I’d mentioned the bear, the thought hadn’t even crossed my mind. I wasn’t used to keeping track of a human or thinking about its safety.

I cast a quick proximity spell to make sure no larger predators were around. Nothing noteworthy was nearby, so I went to help Victorya make plans.