Tricked Into Flight

Chapter 24

*Katerina's POV*

No one was in sight as we walked toward the village. It would take us a while to get there since the dragons had landed quite a distance away. Randel was in the same clothes as last time, and Brandon could easily pass as a prosperous farmer as long as no one noticed his hands lacked the heavy calluses of such a livelihood.

"How do we want to go about this?" I asked the other two. "I can easily slip through the crowds like a normal traveler, but that might not work for you two."

"Can I be a tax collector again?" Randel asked.

"No... If I recall correctly, this place has a tax office. Ummm... What did you do before you became a rider?"

"I was a squire for Sir Narwhalz, the most esteemed knight in–"

"You don't want to mention that in this village," I interrupted. "Any other work experience we can leverage off of?"

He scratched his head. "Not really."

"His grandfather was a Duke," Brandon commented. "He sent Randel into squire training when he was just a boy, although I don't think he left the Duke's estate before Andar flew the Duke back one day."

That explained a lot and also let me fill in the gaps. A Duke with enough wealth to hire a dragon was probably one of the King's close advisors and wouldn't have allowed their children or grandchildren to dirty their hands, lest it damage their reputation. Most went on to become knights, although some found other professions.

I wracked my brain for something he could do in this town without getting into trouble. "You could pretend to be a scribe traveling back home and offer to write letters, although this is a main route where a horse rider routinely does this and then carries those letters, so that might not work. Hmmm... Oh, I need more rope and some sturdy thread. I was going to trade for those, but you can claim your mother-in-law sent you to the nearest village to pick some up. Do you think that will work?"

"I can do that. My uncle used to trade stuff, and I talked with plenty of nobles who hung out at the castles just to avoid their wife or mother-in-law."

"Remember that you're a farmer or a wood splitter. Not a noble."

"Got it."

"Great. Let me get you some trade goods..." I pulled off my backpack while we kept walking and dug through it, pulling out my last two rabbit hides, a couple of fancy shells, and the pheasant feathers. "Here, ten arm-lengths of rope is worth about two rabbit hides, and see if someone will trade the shells and feathers for some sewing thread. Any color will work, although you probably won't get much, so it'll give you an excuse to talk to a few people while you try to barter for the better deal. Remember to ask if the mages rode by, but don't act too curious."

"Rabbit hide?" he asked, taking the items dubiously. "Why not use coins?"

"Most travelers and villages barter with items. Coins are more commonly used in the cities."

"Huh. Okay. Two rabbit skins for ten arm-lengths of rope and try to trade the feathers and shells for thread. Got it."

"Excellent. If something goes wrong or people get suspicious, start walking north, and Brandon and I will keep asking around."

"Any good ideas for my cover story?" Brandon asked. "I was going to play the scribe card, but I'm beginning to think it won't work as well as I had hoped."

I rubbed my chin as I regarded him. "Most people only make trips to the city to buy things they can't get elsewhere. You don't have a horse to carry something heavy, and I don't think you want people wondering if you have something valuable in your backpack."

"Not particularly."

"The scribe idea might work to open up a discussion, but you need something else... some other reason to travel..." I pursed my lips. "You could be a scribe from the city who traveled this way to meet his cousin and escort her back home. That would also give me a good excuse about why I'm traveling."

"That works," he agreed amiably. "And I can still offer to write letters. Are we using our real names or fake ones?"

"Real ones. It's too easy to slip up otherwise." I glanced behind us, noticing a horse and cart in the distance. "We can enter the town together, then we can part ways with Randel as if we had met on the road."

Brandon also noticed the cart. "Good plan. And just so you know, the dragons are listening in and can easily relay information to Randel or me. If you stay in our vicinity, Diondin can block any magical attacks that might come our way. You're kind of left out of the communication loop though."

"That's fine. I'll follow your lead if something comes up."

The trees beside us ended as the fields began, allowing us to see the sprawling village.

"Look at all the cattle in the field," Randel said. "Some youths in the court kept talking about cow tipping, and it sounded fun. Want to try it?"

"Uh, let's not," I hastily replied. "And please don't mention it because villagers don't like it when people bother their animals or try to push them over." This wasn't something I ever thought I'd have to tell someone...

"Alright," he groaned. "Maybe another day."

"It would probably kick you if you tried," Brandon added.

Randel's eyebrows furrowed. "They didn't mention that. They said the cows didn't see you in the dark."

"It's not nighttime," I pointed out. "Why not ask the youths more questions the next time you see them and get the fine details? And maybe try with the king's herd since Andar might get upset and eat it, and the villages need everything they have."

He grumbled but relented, which was good because other travelers were approaching, and this wasn't a conversation they needed to hear.

At long last, we reached the edge of the village, and Brandon clapped Randel on the shoulder as he said, "Nice traveling with you, and I hope you have a safe trip back. Best of luck with your mother-in-law."

"Thanks for reminding me. I might have to linger here a while for some peace and quiet," Randel grumbled, surprisingly in character.

He headed one way while Brandon and I went toward a different street.

Once we were out of earshot, Brandon whispered, "If they dunk him in a horse trough, let's pretend we don't know him."

I chuckled. "Cleaning up is probably a good idea. If this place has a bathhouse, I wouldn't mind stopping quickly."

"Let's check. It'll give us a good excuse to look around."

He gazed around in idle curiosity, and we occasionally paused to chat with a passing villager or vendor, but the former were busy and the latter just wanted to sell us things we didn't need. Halfway down the street, we found the bathhouse, which wasn't far from several guest houses.

I peeked out of the corner of my eye as we went by the guest houses but didn't see anything through the cloudy glass. There was no way to tell if anyone was inside.

"A quarter copper for a bath," the old woman told us from her chair by the bathhouse door.

I dug into my backpack and produced the coin since I didn't have anything else to trade. "Here you go."

"Far room on the left is yours," she said, passing me a key. "The right spout has hot water. Left is cold. Please drain the tub when you're done."

"I won't be long," I told Brandon. "I can come find you later."

"Nah, I also need to wash up. Take your time. I'm sure this lovely lady would be happy to visit while I wait," he said, gesturing to the gray-haired woman, who smiled at the compliment.

I took the thread-bare towel and yellowish bar of soap the woman offered me and went inside. Since being dragged off by Rakota, I'd washed my arms, legs, and face every day, but I had been too self-conscious to remove all my clothing, so a bath was going to be welcome.