The trio slipped past the wall of stopped wagons and proceeded into the web of unattended stalls and tables. Kaleb scanned the area, peering past a large, weathered statue at the center of the square which boasted the form of some long-forgotten hero of mankind, but he could see no cages or other containers that might hold living stock. “Are we too late?” he asked their guide. “It looks like these merchants have almost all cleared out.”
That was when he smelled it again. The scent reached out and took him by the nostrils with such force that he startled. No... the source of that scent... it's still here. Whoever or whatever it is... it's close by...
“Let's hurry,” urged the tusked woman, head low. She pushed past the grunting workmen loading chests of valuable goods onto trolleys and hoisting clay vessels of trinkets. The plaza, like seemingly every spot in this city, had no shortage of nooks and crannies. This corner and that of the vast square branched off in separate paths, leading to sub-plazas or groups of tall buildings. One could walk the alleys of Karn for days and never see everything that the city had to offer.
Kaleb was thankful to have a local leading the way; had he been forced to navigate the city on his own, he'd have gotten hopelessly lost. In fact, had he been tasked with finding his way back to the city gate they'd entered through the day prior, he wouldn't have been able to find it without shifting into his dragon form and seeking it out overhead. Minx, too, appeared disoriented by the sprawl of this massive, disjointed city, with its meandering segments. She turned about in her ill-fitting cloak, doubtless reaching out to her Faelyr companion telepathically—and getting no response, by the looks of it.
Vevne took them down one of the side streets lined in ancient stone arches, and made a strange motion with her large, green hand. “It's down here,” she whispered. “This, I believe, is where the special Faelyr was being kept.” She shook her head, adding, “I don't know if she's still there. It is possible that she's been taken elsewhere—loaded onto one of the wagons.” The tusked woman came to a halt at the entrance to this arched path, and did not seem inclined to go further.
“Thank you for your help,” said Kaleb, stepping past her. “Are you leaving us now?”
“Yes,” replied the green-skinned guide. “I hope that I have been helpful to you, and I am pleased that I could share my recent visions with you both. It is no coincidence that we have met this day—surely the two of you were the intended recipients of these visions. It is my hope that you will succeed against the army of darkness. But at this time, I should leave. If the two of you encounter trouble while attempting to free the Faelyr...” That she was much averse to violence, despite her imposing size and apparent physical strength, was clear. “Take care.”
“Say no more,” replied Kaleb. “We appreciate your assistance. Minx?”
The Fae huntress joined Kaleb at the mouth of the street-side passage. “Many thanks, Vevne. Get home safely.”
With that, the tusked woman departed as silently as a specter, passing through the square and disappearing into the crowd of laboring merchants.
“Do you think this is a trap?” asked Minx, taking a few tentative steps down the path, toying with the limbs of her bow. “You think someone put her up to this—told her to lead us here? Into an ambush, maybe?”
Kaleb considered the question. “No, I don't think so.” Vevne, in their brief acquaintance with her, had been gentle and forthcoming. He thought himself a good judge of character, and had sensed nothing untoward in the strange-looking woman. What's more, as he began into the shade of the successive arches, he found the air laced with still more of that odd dragon-like scent, and felt confident that they were on the trail of the one they were searching for. “That smell, it's coming in stronger. I think we're going to meet the source very soon now.”
Quickly, the two of them marched down the path, soon arriving within a crumbling public square where a few buildings had apparently once stood. The constructions had been razed some time ago, but evidence of their former presence remained in the half-collapsed walls scattered around the space. This spot, clearly shunned by most of the merchants for its remoteness, was empty—except in one corner, where Kaleb spotted a large steel cage against one of the tottering walls and a wan, long-haired woman standing close by it.
The scent came in as strong as ever, and from across the square, he locked eyes with the young woman standing beside the cage. She wore a loose-fitting garment of rough design, and her long, light hair fell in waves across her slight shoulders. She looked back at him with clear, striking eyes. They were orbs the color of fog, and had an odd gleam in the midday sun. But the feature that most arrested Kaleb's gaze were her hands—somewhat elongated and coated in dark green scales. Dragon-like. Kaleb came to a halt, tugging on Minx's cloak and bringing her to a stop as well. “The scent,” he uttered. “It's coming from her.”
Minx pulled away from him, focused entirely on the cage in the corner. “Mau!” She broke into a sprint, yanking back her hood and rushing headlong toward the cage. “Mau, is it really you?”
From within the steel enclosure, a large Faelyr with silvery fur rose to all fours and loosed an enthusiastic purr. This, then, was Mau—the one they'd spent days searching for. Kaleb rushed ahead, lowering his hood and keeping his eyes on the woman still lingering near the
