Dragon Mage (Book 3): 4. Small Trust (Patreon)

Corvus braced himself for an attack. Connecting with someone else via a party had never felt like much of a risk before, but there was much about the Path system that he didn't know. Even with Perry's assistance over the last few weeks.

There was every chance that connecting with her left him vulnerable.

So he tensed, one hand drifting to his belt where he kept his Deadly Bouquet dagger.

Instead of an attack, he received a flood of information.

Ding!

Party member Hattie has connected you to her profile sheet.

Name: Hatrice "Hattie" Patterson

Age: 18

Level: 24

Path: Kelpie Kin

Subclass (step 4): Wartime Diplomat

Bonded Creature: Kelpie

Strength: 25 (Kelpie Kin +5 Strength)

Speed: 14

Agility: 18

Intelligence: 17

Wisdom: 13

Stamina: 23

(Kelpie kin + 5 Stamina)

Interestingly enough, the sheet didn't include her list of skills. Corvus blanched at the strength and stamina. It exceeded his own... and Roan's for that matter.

In fact, the spread of her attribute points reminded him of Gwen's tactic.

There was no doubt if there ever had been before that she was a full-fledged Path user.

He looked at Charm who's gaze was tracked somewhere off in the distance. Reading.

"What do you think?"

"I would like to know how she sent an abridged version of her sheet," Charm said. "Whenever you sent yours, it shows your bonded partner."

Corvus and Gwen had exchanged sheets before -- more often in the beginning and less often as time went on -- and he'd always been able to see NightShade’s stats. Conversely, Gwen had seen Charm's stats through Corvus's sheet.

If this girl, this... Hattie could shorten sheets, was it possible she could edit what Corvus saw too?

"There's no mention of 'demon' anywhere in the sheet," he said to Charm. "Only Kelpie."

Down below in the pit Hattie barked out a sound. Corvus thought it was supposed to be 'Hey' but her guttural accent made it sound like "Hoy".

When Corvus glanced down at her, Hattie waved exuberantly at her water horse demon. "Kelpie," she said, still with that accent. And again. "Kelpie."

"Yes, I understand that. Thank you," Corvus called back.

The girl frowned up at him.

He turned back to Charm. "I think she's trying to tell us that thing isn't a demon."

"It's a prey animal that eats raw meat," Charm replied. "It prefers pig, and you do know what pork tastes like?"

Corvus blinked. He hadn't been told that detail. "No, what?"

"Human flesh."

"How do you know that?"

Charm's smile might have sent a shiver up his spine if he didn't see any malice in it. "I can smell the similarities in the meat. Cooked pork smells very similar to a human caught in a fire."

He turned away. Tomorrow, he was ordering oats for breakfast. Not bacon.

Back to the problem at hand.

"I don't suppose you can understand me now?" he called down to the prisoner.

She continued to frown up at him then rattled off a version of the same sentence she'd been speaking over the last week.

Corvus rubbed his mouth in thought. "Her subclass is Wartime Diplomat."

"Yours is Dragon Diplomat," Charm said. "But she isn't a dragon."

"Still..."

Accessing his system, he composed a message and sent it to her.

Corvus: Can you read this?

Hattie flinched and her vivid green eyes took that far off quality people had when they were reading path System messages.

Ding!

You have received a message from Hattie.

What followed what not in his language. None of the characters looked familiar.

From what he remembered from his studies in the palace, the written demon language was based directly on the sounds of their language with each "letter" building a picture of sounds which made up a word.

Which was a long way of saying it looked like nonsense to him.

"I could read the sheet, but not the messages," he murmured. "Could it be because the sheets are a direct reflection of who we are? I should have brought Perry down here. He loves teasing out system riddles."

Still... the girl had given him information. It would be only proper to return the gesture.

"I know what you're planning to do," Charm broke in sounding unamused. "It may be a foolish idea."

"Do you have a better one?"

"I eat the horse, free the host. If she survives you pay someone to sit her down and teach her to speak a normal language."

Corvus was quiet for a moment. "The sheet said the horse--the kelpie--was a bonded companion. Like you."

"Not like me."

"Like NightShade or CloudStrike are to Gwen and Roan, then," he said to soothe his dragon's pride. Though his sheet did list Charm as a bonded companion. "The point is there are no mentions of demons."

Charm let out a long pensive growl that did not sound natural coming from a teenage girl's lips. Below, the Kelpie pricked its sharp ears forward and Hattie edged back a step, looking unnerved.

"We're arguing in circles," Corvus reminded her.

She gave him a flat look. "I do not like you sharing your unfettered information to an enemy, I especially don't like that it will include my information. But," she added, glancing meaningfully to the side. "You are right. We're running out of time, and I hear people approaching."

This time Corvus almost let out his own growl -- this one of frustration. "Can't I have five damn minutes to myself?"

"You've had nearly an afternoon to yourself and put off the nobles once today," she reminded him. "Want me to stall them?"

"No." Just the joys of running the city. Everyone wanted his input over everything.

Corvus made his decision and sent his sheet over to Hattie. Who knew? Maybe she would see it as a show of trust.

Or perhaps she would notice that his skills were varied and to the point he had several glaring holes in his metaphorical armor. Like the fact that most of his offense was generated around runes, of which he'd barely scratched the surface of theory, and took time and preparation to construct.

Perhaps this hadn't been the best idea, but it was done now.

Hattie's eyes widened when she received his very long, extensive sheet.

Then the Kelpie bellowed a sound that was much more like a grass lion than a horse and lifted up on its hind legs.

"Draga?" Hattie said in disbelief. "Draga Royale?"

Then she looked up at Corvus, paled, and got down knee, her head bowed. The monstrous kelpie by her side did the same.

"That is much better," Charm said.

"I'm not sure it is," Corvus muttered. Over the past week he had developed a distaste for this sort of blind obedience. The nobles were overeager to gain his favor. Starella took it in stride, but he much preferred the casual attitude of the Horse Folk.

Without warning the steel doors opened and a girl a couple years younger than Corvus strode in. It was his cousin, Starella.

Starella had stopped wearing elaborate dresses and had switched to trousers and tunics, though the fabric was fine enough to equal the cost of a peasant family's yearly earnings. On her shoulder sat a cat sized purple and blue dragonet. Cosmos looked ready for a nap. HIs eyes were heavily lidded though he squawked a greeting at Corvus the moment he spied him.

"Corvus," Starella said as she strode up. "I've been looking all over the tower for you and--oh! Charm. How did you get in?" She peered at the illusion curiously and then around for any indication of the dragon.

Cosmos squeaked in delight. "You are small. Like me!" He extended his wings and launched off as if to land on Charm's shoulder... only to fly through the illusion, lose his balance mid-air, and tumble to the ground.

"It's only a spell, brother." She turned to Corvus. "My mana is almost gone. Meet me on the roof."

Then she tossed him the bladed rune reservoir. His hand snapped out and he caught it between two fingers. By the time he did, the illusion had already faded.

Cosmos squeaked in dismay and Starella went to collect him, cuddling the dragon in her arms.

The little dragon didn't quite understand Charm being "there" and not at the same time. Oh, and also the smell of meat in the room made him hungry.

Corvus pretended he didn't understand what the little dragon said to Starella. That was a closely guarded secret and besides, it wasn't anything interesting. Just hatched, Cosmos was capable of simple phrases and equally simple thoughts. It was like having a conversation with three year old.

Someday, though, it might prove to be illuminating.

Starella deftly soothed the little dragon and then turned to Corvus. "What are you doing here?"

"Making friends."

Her nose wrinkled. "With a demon?"

"I don't think she's a demon." And he went on to summarize, briefly, what had just happened.

Starella frowned and stepped to the edge of the pit to look down. Hattie gasped upon seeing Cosmos, and the Kelpie snorted.

They must think this kingdom is flooded with dragons, Corvus thought amused.

Starella gazed down for a moment and then stepped back. "You can't speak with them?"

"No, nor has the language skill been increasing. I think... we either need more exposure to learn each other's language or..." He trailed off with a scowl.

"Let me guess. Studying your runes?" she asked dryly.

He gave her a sharp look. "How did you know?"

"Roan told me you were rune-crazy. He's right, but I don't see how you will have the time to study. When the nobles aren't bothering you, they look to me. Though really, it should be the other way around." She tossed a lock of her blond hair over her shoulder.

Corvus ignored this. He was used to her jabbing at him, and more and more often he was willing to let her have the city. That had been part of a half-baked plan he'd had earlier.

"There's more," he said darkly and looked around. She ought to be sitting down for this, but they were in a prison complex not a parlor. "While I was out, I found Kale Horseman returning. There are... many rumors on the road. Most agree that Daffodil attacked the Palace."

Starella went instantly pale. "That beast! Did Kale... does he know if...?" She couldn't finish.

Corvus shook his head. "From what I understand there's no agreement. Some say we have a new queen... others that we have a new king."

The cousins stared at one another.

Both had claims to the crown. They were second generation royals with Corvus's father and Starella's mother, Sunli being first or second in line to the throne depending on the King’s whims. Corvus was older and male, which gave him an edge. But there were questions of his paternity. Supposedly King Orphus knew the truth that Corvus was Cipherus’s son. However, that would matter little if the man had died.

"I hope you don't take offense," Starella said quietly. "But I sincerely hope your father is not King."

It wasn't greed for the throne he saw in his cousin's eyes, it was fear.

Corvus couldn't blame her. He felt the same.

"Do you think my mother is alive?" Starella asked.

"I don't know."

Her lips pressed together, and she nodded. She looked composed but Cosmos, who was directly linked to her emotional state via their bond, betrayed her. He started squeaking assurances immediately and poking at her cheek with his muzzle.

"I kill anyone who hurts you," the tiny dragon said urgently, trying to be helpful.

"I'll... give you a moment." Corvus turned away. Seeing her distress brought his own to the forefront. He hadn't seen anyone from the palace in over two years, but he had loved and respected his Aunt. Many of the servants had been the closest thing to family to him. Some of those rumors said the Palace had been razed to the ground...

Corvus walked to the steel door to speak to the guards. Behind him, he heard Starella's quiet sob.

The guards immediately straightened once they caught sight of them.

"There's been a change of plans," he told them. If Starella were with him, she'd chide him on explaining himself to the common folk. But Corvus liked to give explanations, especially when his orders were bizarre. "Bring a pair of hand and foot manacles -- new ones, well cleaned. I will need several other men down here to help work the crane. The woman is coming out of the pit."

"You... want her bound?" The two guards exchanged a look Corvus couldn't interpret. 

He nodded.

"The water horse stays in the pit, but the woman's coming with me."

Note: Corvus has no idea he's given creepy vibes. ;)