‘Really?’
‘You don’t seem very impressed.’
‘I’ve seen plenty of flying reptiles.’
‘But none that could speak.’
‘I saw Blackrose for about five minutes when Van took me to Fordamere. Is there any chance at all that it’s her?’
‘Highly unlikely, I would imagine. A colony of wild dragons lives in the mountains a hundred and fifty miles south of here; it’s far more likely to have come from there. I believe that Blackrose stayed there for a while, but I don’t know what happened to her after Yoneath.’
‘Maybe we should check, just in case.’
Aila stood. ‘Let’s eat first. Come on.’
They walked back into the camp, and made their way through the maze of tents to a small market, where they bought enough food to fill the empty bag Kelsey had been carrying. With her mouth salivating, they went to a quiet spot, sat on a dry patch of earth, and ate in silence.
‘Pyre’s arse, that feels better,’ Kelsey said, as she licked her fingers. ‘Thanks, Aila.’
‘We have enough for three days, I reckon,’ she said, ‘but we’ll need to find somewhere that will take the gold, or at least change it into smaller denominations for us. Or, we could use it to buy passage to Kin Dai.’
‘How would we do that?’
‘We’d have to walk back to the main coastal road and wait for a passing wagon. If we try to spend it here, it’ll only arouse suspicion.’
‘What about the dragon?’ said Kelsey. ‘We’ll feel pretty stupid if we reach Kin Dai and discover it was Blackrose.’
‘I told you, the chances are remote.’
‘Remote, but not impossible.’
‘What do you want us to do – wander off into the forest looking for a dragon? Has eating that food done something to your brain?’
Kelsey smirked. ‘Maybe. What are the folk here planning to do about it?’
‘They’re sending for the army.’
‘They’re going to kill it?’
‘Yes, if they can. The man also said that he was going to request a demigod with vision powers to help them. We should stay out of it; we could be in Kin Dai in a couple of days. Six gold coins should be enough to get us both there.’
Aila quietened as a couple of militia walked past where they were sitting. They looked aggrieved, and she wondered if they had been on the receiving end of a tirade for failing to find the old woman.
‘Excuse me,’ said Kelsey.
The guards turned.
‘Can I ask you a question? Where is the dragon supposed to be?’
One of them frowned even deeper than before. ‘How do you know about that?’
Kelsey shrugged. ‘Word travels fast in this camp.’
‘The last sighting was a little over five miles from here.’
‘Is that all? That seems close.’
‘Don’t worry, love. We’ll protect you if it comes here. Do you live in the camp?’
‘Are you chatting me up?’
The guard dropped his frown. ‘Might be.’
‘Well, I do live here, and I might be free tonight. If, that is, you help me and my friend get a bit closer to where the dragon might be.’
‘Why? Are you crazy?’
Kelsey gave him a smile. ‘You might find that out tonight.’
The other guard sighed. ‘We haven’t got time for this.’
‘Hang on a minute,’ said the first guard. He turned back to Kelsey. ‘There are wagons going to and from the forest edge that leave not far from here, at the western exit from the camp. Go there, and tell them Albert sent you, and they might give you a lift. The dragon was seen only a quarter of a mile from where they’re cutting down the forest. What’s your name?’
‘I’m Betsy.’
‘And I’ll see you back here tonight, Betsy?’
‘Alright, as long as I don’t get eaten by an enormous flying snake.’
Albert grinned at her, then the two guards went on their way. Aila waited until they had disappeared behind a row of mud-splattered tents, then frowned at Kelsey.
‘Betsy, eh? Sometimes, Kelsey…’
‘Thanks, I know. It was a great idea, wasn’t it? You’re just jealous he fancied me.’
‘You just ruined our chances of staying here overnight.’
‘I had no intention of staying here overnight; this place is a dump. Here’s what we do – we hustle a lift to the edge of the forest and find out what we can. A few questions to eye-witnesses should tell us if it’s Blackrose or not, aye? If it’s not, then we simply start walking to the coastal road.’
‘You mean another night out in the open?’
‘So? We’ve spent plenty of nights out in the open.’
‘I shouldn’t have fed you; all that food’s turned your mind.’
‘It has perked me up, right enough, and filled me with good ideas. Come on, Aila; this journey has been nothing but misery. It’s taken us twenty days to walk sixty miles. That’s an average of three miles a day.’
‘I can count, you know.’
‘I knew you weren’t as stupid as you look.’
Aila shook her head and glanced away. Perhaps Kelsey’s idea had some merit, she thought. It almost certainly wasn’t Blackrose, but Aila could imagine Kelsey’s scorn if they arrived at Kin Dai and discovered they had been wrong. And the idea of a lift taking them a few miles further south appealed.
‘I have a few conditions,’ she said.
Kelsey laughed. ‘Let’s hear them.’
‘If we find out it’s not Blackrose, then we leave.’
‘What else?’
‘Um, actually, that was it.’
Kelsey stood, picked up the bag of food and slung it over both shoulders.
‘I notice you didn’t agree to my one condition,’ said Aila.
‘That’s right; it’s a silly condition. We have to keep our options open.’
‘But I’m pregnant; it might not be safe.’
Kelsey rolled her eyes. ‘Really? You’re using that excuse? You were happy to carry a knife into a camp and rob someone, but this is too much?’
‘Amalia’s ass,’ muttered Aila as she got to her feet.
Kelsey gave her a perturbed look as she started to walk down the track. ‘You can’t say that; she’s your grandmother.’
Aila caught her up. ‘What?’
‘You shouldn’t refer to your grandmother’s ass. It’s, eh… well, it’s a bit weird.’
‘Shut up; it’s just a saying. You’ve never
