Azure bonds - Kate Novak [120]
Moander gestured with Akabar's hands toward the trees which held Alias's attention. "My first stop is Myth Drannor According to your friend's mind, all the elves have deserted their capital. I've got to make sure. If it's true, at least I can dance on the rubble. From there we'll continue south until we reach Sembia. I love the way your friend thinks in terms of maps and trade routes. He is so useful."
"And once we've reached Sembia?"
"Ah, curiosity, my servant. A good sign. We'll cut southwest through Sembia toward The Neck, between the Sea of Fallen Stars and the Lake of Dragons, and just hop in the water. Scum, like cream, floats. We shall sail triumphantly to our new home.
"Which is?" Alias asked. She already had a strong suspicion, but she had to know for sure.
"Westgate, of course. Where we built you."
*****
The trio of non-humans climbed higher into the sky, keeping well above the range of the catapults of any surviving Keepers or Red Plumes.
"Why so high?" Olive bellowed in Mist's ear.
The dragon let out a puffing grumble, "What?"
"I said, what are we flying so high for?" The halfling grasped the ropes which Dragonbait had fashioned into an impromptu saddle.
The dragon rumbled between deep puffs of air. "Can either" (long breath) "fly or talk." (Long breath.) "Try singing" (long breath) "while you're running hard." (Long breath.) "Hang on."
The dragon ceased flapping, locked her wings in a gliding position, and began to circle the city, her wings catching the thermals rising from the mound. Olive looked back at the dragon's great batlike membranes. One wing still showed a pink line from the recently healed tear.
Dragonbait, who sat where the dragon's wings joined her body, had done the healing. According to Mist, the warrior lizard communicated with his scent glands, so he could not "speak" as they soared through the air. The wind would carry away the perfume of his words. But he made his desires known quite effectively by prodding the great wyrm with his sword.
"You were saying," Mist prompted the bard, now that she was able to breathe normally, her labors eased by the helpful warm air.
"Can't you fly any lower?" Olive asked.
"Do you want to catch a ballista-bolt in the crotch?"
When Olive did not answer immediately, Mist said, "Thought not. Trust me. I know what I'm doing. Besides the danger below, this is the best place to gain altitude. And I need altitude to soar after your lizard's Abomination. Flying, especially with passengers, isn't easy."
"Looks like they've made a ruin of it," the halfling commented on the city below.
"Human wars tend to do that," Mist replied curtly. "When I lived in this area, I heard of Yulash's destruction five, no, six times. Some group or another is always on a crusade or war of liberation. Merciless killing, cloaked by the niceties of civil tongues. They are a race of lawyers, these humans. I wonder how they survive."
"My people wonder the same thing."
An idea rose to the surface of the halfling's brain. "Say, O mighty Mist. I was wondering…" Olive trailed off, leaving the question hang for a moment. Based on what she knew about human and draconian nature, the halfling calculated some odds before continuing.
The dragon banked and, catching another updraft, began to rise again. "Yesssss?" she prompted.
"Once you've fulfilled your bargain with Dragonbait and freed Alias, you're going to attack her."
"Is that a question or a statement?" Mist's voice was low and guttural.
Olive glanced over her shoulder at Dragonbait, but the lizard was twenty feet away and couldn't possibly hear their conversation. His attention was focused on the ground below. "Well," Olive noted, "you haven't been very, uh, successful the last two times out of the paddock."
"If memory serves, you aided in my defeat both those times."
"My point exactly," Olive said. "And next time you'll have both Dragonbait and Alias to deal with. Now, if, my services were suddenly available on your side of