“Owein. My name is Owein.”
I smiled. He certainly wasn’t afraid. That could have been why mortals were the inferior race. They didn’t know when they should fear or when they should mind their own business. I supposed I didn’t blame him. He lacked the ability to sense my emotions because a human’s light was insignificant compared to an emrys’s light and was unable to harness power. He wouldn’t know I was deceiving him.
“So what are you, then, mighty beast?” Owein moved to my left, as if sidling around an imaginary campfire. “Seren’s a pretty name for such a creature. Who’s your rider?”
I mirrored his movements but paused when he sat on a rock. He slid a knife from his boot and pulled an apple from a bag slung across his body. He didn’t look at me as he carved white pieces of flesh off the fruit and popped them into his mouth. With every bite, he smiled around his mouthful.
Seren dug her claws into the soil. She gauged my assessment of him and considered my appraisal, but she didn’t relax. I, on the other hand, wanted to burst out laughing.
A low growl rumbled from Seren’s throat.
“It seems, Owein, you perturbed my friend here. You’re a fool to enter the camp of a dragon.”
Owein arched his eyebrow. “Dragon? Tell me more. What does she do, other than fly and smoke like a chimney?” He pulled another apple from his pack and chucked the golden fruit at me.
I caught it, one-handed, with a flick of my wrist. I tried not to wince at the show of my skill. I had excellent reflexes and was an accomplished warrior in Gorlassar, but Owein didn’t need to learn that.
How long will this charade carry on? Seren asked. We don’t really mean to threaten him.
Interested in gleaning information, I gave up our ruse. I’m done. “Tell me, who spotted us, and why do you need to warn us? Surely they’re not as curious as you are.” I bit into my apple. Not as sweet as the ones in my possession, but it would do.
He swallowed. “More like scared. You should hear the stories they’ve come up with.”
I sat in the moss and crossed my legs. Seren remained a statue. “Oh please, enlighten me. If I like one, I might tell you who we really are.”
Owein leaned in. Seren had stopped puffing smoke, so I wondered just how much of my features he could distinguish in the moonglow. “Tell me your name first, my lady.”
“I’ll do only that. Niawen.”
Smug, Owein relaxed. “Now, we’re getting somewhere. You could be a goddess, though I know of no story that tells of one flying on a dragon.”
“Anything else?” I yawned, not impressed with the goddess angle.
“A Gwyll. But I destroyed that theory with my knife.” He brandished the knife before shoving it back into his boot. “You’re much too pretty to be mistaken for one of those elfish hags anyway.”
“A Gwyll? What’s that? What does a knife have to do with it?”
“The folk headed to the festival thought you were here to trick them, to entice them far enough into the woods until they became lost. Those Gwyllion cause a lot of problems during the festivals, with poor souls wandering for the week and missing the event. I said it didn’t make sense that you were flying on that beast. You couldn’t be one of those. Gwyllion are repelled by metal, so I pulled my knife out as a test.”
“That’s an interesting story. What of my dragon here?”
“A Ceffyl Dŵr. A shape-shifting water horse that flies. That could be true.”
My dragon peered closely at Owein, challenging him. “I don’t change shape.”
I folded my hands in my lap. “Seren, sit, my love. I don’t think Owein means us harm. And you don’t intend to harm him, do you?”
Seren dropped on her haunches. “Perhaps not.”
Owein seemed satisfied, so he continued our conversation. “Thankfully, the villagers didn’t see your friend puffing her fire, or they’d be in an uproar.”
“So who saw us, then?”
“My partner and I and the caravan we’re traveling with.”
“Why’re they not here with you?” I chucked the apple core into the woods.
“I convinced them it was safer not to mess in affairs we know nothing about.”
“Yet here you are. So audacious.”
“As I told you, I’m curious. My reasons for being here are very apparent or you’d have cause for more concern, but you haven’t revealed your motives. Didn’t one of my stories satisfy you enough to share your secrets with me?”
I liked the fellow. He had a clever way with words. “I don’t think I should tell. You haven’t earned my trust yet.”
He hasn’t earned my trust yet, Seren said.
There’s no need to worry.
“I’m nothing but trustworthy,” Owein said. “I’ve come out of concern for your welfare. It distresses me to see a young woman traveling on her own, that is, without human companionship. Not that I don’t trust your dragon to keep you safe. The roads are dangerous. Some men prey on young women. My companion, Arnall, and I are headed to the festival to sell the furs we’ve accumulated from our trappings. The harvest festival is the best opportunity to make a profit before the long, cold winter begins in the highlands. It’s an arduous journey from the lowlands, so I’ve teamed up with others making the same trip. In the nature of a gentleman, I wanted to see if you’d accompany us.”
“Sounds interesting. Though you do realize I could fly on my dragon.”
“Aye, you could, but you’d miss the camaraderie.
