Deathgripz shook her head, dark, wild hair flopping back and forth. "Not this one, man. He hates men."
"What about skeletons?" Agrathor said. Pierce wanted to tell him to dial it back. Girls could always tell when you wanted their attention, and it always meant getting ignored instead.
Right on cue, Deathgripz turned away again to speak with her grooms. They'd returned with the raptorions, and Pierce chose his the second he saw it.
Most raptorions had unique scale patterns and color palettes. The one that caught his eye had intertwining swirls of yellow and green down its back, like vines laced with candlelight. Her eyes were bright and alert, and her clawed toes were twitching with the readiness to gallop.
"That one," Pierce said, pointing. "Please."
Deathgripz looked at Axebourne, as if she knew he was paying. Or maybe she thought he was Pierce's father, though their skin and hair were different colors. Axebourne nodded.
"She's yours," said Deathgripz. "You know how?"
"I've ridden a few times, yeah," Pierce said. "Not afraid of falling."
"Nah, she won't throw you. Might bite, if you do something stupid, but they don't usually take off any limbs." She scanned him from top to bottom, sizing him up. "You'll be fine."
"Now see here," came an agitated voice from behind the party. "I just don't believe it! You come to this little girl before me? How many mounts have I sold to Gorgonbane, huh? How many?"
"Enough to retire on, I'd wager," said Axebourne.
"And not one today," said Agrathor, sounding annoyed. His green eye flames flashed. Wolf Runner halted mid-step. He held up both hands. They only had five fingers each.
"Not meaning to give offense, Sir Agrathor," Wolf Runner said. He turned his head toward Axebourne. "Just kind of thought we had a thing. A relationship, you know?"
The old stable-master was wrinkle-faced and silver-haired, the top of his head mostly bald, hair grown long and tied back. His pale green eyes looked jealous.
"Perhaps we're just giving someone else a turn," Scythia said.
"Or maybe we don't like you anymore," said Agrathor, stepping toward the man. Wolf Runner fell back a pace.
"Agrathor," said Scythia. The skeleton man reversed his step.
"Look, old man," said Deathgripz. "You ain't gonna beat my price, so you might as well just head on back to your stables. They may have meant to make you jealous by coming here first," she said knowingly, "but they didn't know I've got connections, and you don't."
Wolf Runner scowled at her, then glanced at Agrathor, saw the flare in his eyes, and softened his face.
"Alright, then," he said. "At least give me a fair haggle. How much for this group?"
All heads turned toward Deathgripz.
"A thousand for each raptorion, three for the bloodhoof," she said casually.
"I...how do you..." Wolf Runner stammered. "I can't beat it," he murmured, turning on his heel to slink away in defeat. "I can't. I don't know how she does it," he muttered.
Deathgripz finally smiled, a tiny thing that bent the corners of her mouth and squinched the ends of her eyes slightly.
"I'm giving 'em to you at cost," she said conspiratorially. "Figure if Gorgonbane is out and about after all these years, must be something big going on."
Axebourne pursed his lips, then tilted his head and looked appreciative. "You wouldn't be wrong, miss. We thank you."
Deathgripz shrugged. "Saved one of my cousins once, you did. Gorgon over in East Fell River, turning everyone to stone. I wasn't alive yet, but Moms told me all about it. You hear lots of stories about Gorgonbane, you know, if you're not in it."
Pierce nodded - it was true.
Axebourne paid the young woman and told her to drop by Sugar's for a free pie later. Meanwhile, the grooms brought out Scythia's bloodhoof. Pierce had never seen one in person before.
The creature had a lethal beauty like no beast Pierce had ever seen. Its body was built somewhat like a large deer, coat a waxy yellow, with a fluffy white tail. Its head, too, was deerlike, but sat at the end of a long, sinuous neck with a white stripe down the spine. Two small, sharp horns sat between its ears, and its hooves had a natural blood-splashed pattern on them, as its name advertised. Its eyes were bright and yellow, like Scythia's.
"It's beautiful," Scythia told Deathgripz. "I don't think I've ever seen its equal."
"Hard to part with, too," said the stable-master. "But worth it. With all you've done for the people of Overland, you deserve it."
"You do us much honor," Scythia said, with a small bow. "We won't forget it."
The mounts were saddled and acquainted with their new masters, and the little party rode them back through town to stable them at Sugar's.
Pierce was moon-watching late that evening when Sugar came out onto the veranda that wrapped around her tavern.
"You the only one up, cutie-pie?" she said. Pierce started out of his reverie.
"Yes ma'am," he answered, glancing over with a smile. "At least out here."
"Ma'am," she mused. "I reckon it has come to that."
Sugar joined him in looking up at the moon.
"Ever wonder what keeps it up there?" she asked.
"Kinda just figured it's sticky," Pierce said. "Crawls across the sky like a slug."
"But what would it stick to?" Sugar asked quizzically.
Pierce furrowed his brow at her. "The ceiling?"
"Ceil..." she said, "Huh. Looks like just a bunch of open space to me. That's what teacher said anyhow, way back when. All blackness."
"Is that what they say in school?" Pierce asked.
Sugar laughed heartily. "Well yes. Didn't you go?"
"For a while," Pierce said, but didn't offer more.
"Ess might know," said Sugar. "I figure you're going to pick her up next. You should ask her for some lessons."
Pierce perked up. "Ess - the Second?"
She would be the fourth member of Gorgonbane - the second-most powerful mage in Overland.
"You think she'd teach me?"
"Well there won't be much time, from the sound of things," said Sugar. "But it can't hurt to ask. I'll send her one of my pies to butter her up for you."
She winked.
Pierce felt
