to die anyway. If his bleeding of the dragon had hastened its death, well, that didn’t mean he’d killed it. It was only an animal anyway, despite how Alise might moon over it. A dragon was only an animal, just like a cow or a chicken, to be used by a man in any way he saw fit.
Exactly the opposite, really.
The intrusion of that thought was so sudden and foreign that it shocked him. The opposite? That man was to be exploited by dragons as they saw fit? Preposterous. Where had such a silly idea come from?
He straightened his jacket, unlatched his door, and stepped out onto the
Day the 5th of the Prayer Moon
Year the 6th of the Independent affiance of Traders
From Erek, Keeper of the Birds, Bingtown
to Detozi, Keeper of the Birds, Trehaug
A missive from Trader Kincarron to the Councils of both Trehaug and Cassarick, expressing confusion and concern about the Councils’ contract with his daughter Alise Kincarron Finbok and asking for clarification. A speedy reply is requested.