The voyage was uneventful.

  Starna spent most of her time locked in her room, working on attuning the moonstone she’d received from the Dwarves.Her ability to generate mana would be almost nonexistent the moment we stepped off the ship, so all she would have was whatever she could store in the gem before we got there.

  My own budding magical talent was a source of concern for me, but I’d been in physical contact with my brother a number of times since it had appeared in the last month and I hadn’t suffered from any of the negative effects that any mages in his grasp displayed. It was something that I wanted to explore, but it was going to require plenty of downtime when Starna wasn’t busy with her own tasks.

  I was the first one off the ship once we docked.

  “What’s that smell?” Starna sniffed the air as she jumped down beside me.

  “Kazadt grass.” I nodded at the red fronds that covered the top of the wall to the city. “It’s one of the few things the Camadt were able to bring from their homeworld that weren’t eradicated by the senates.”

  The tanned Elf’s gold and blue eyes bulged. “That’s…”

  I patted her arm. “Don’t worry, it’s not invasive and it’s too bitter for most things to eat.” I pulled off the bandana on my arm and offered it to her. “This will probably help.”

  The brunette took the offering and tied it over her mouth and nose. “A little.”

  “The Camadt only plant it on their city walls, so once we get out of town, things will get a little easier for you.” I looked at the green Goblin that was speared to the wall. “It’s highly illegal, but that doesn’t stop opportunistic people from trying to steal some.” I nodded at the body. “Punishment for climbing the wall is death and display, so make sure to stay on this side of the barrier.”

  “Won’t be a problem.” Starna looked around the near empty port. “Ambassador Tu’Rik was supposed to meet us.” She looked up at the sun to gauge the time. “We are a little early.”

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  “I’ve never dealt with an Ambassador from here before.” I looked down the dock at the two other ships that were loading cargo. “The merchants deal directly with the Captains and escorts are kept to a minimum when they let you through the gate.” I pointed at the large iron bars guarded by a pair of the four-armed felines. “So there’s no bazaar here like back at Hepool.”

  “Sectum! Give me a hand, would you?” My brother threw me one end of the rope that I hoped he wasn’t planning on using as a leash for Nipper.

  “This is way too long to use on your Drake!” I held up the rope that was thicker than my thumb. “Plus, she can cut this in a single bite!”

  “It’ll be fine.” Vin threw open the cage door. The caged reptilian shot out of her week-long confinement and landed on the dock next to me.

  “Stop!” Vin dropped his end of the rope and jumped down after his mount.

  I heard the gate opening, joined by the shouts of the guards. I had a feeling they would jump at the excuse to harvest drake meat, which meant I needed to get the mount under control before they found an excuse to kill her.

  “Stall them!” I moved to cut off the horse-sized reptile so she couldn’t go closer to the gate, but that meant her only other way to go was farther up the dock or towards the wall.

  The drake did not want to go back into a cage, nor was she interested in the water, so she scrambled towards the twenty-foot-high stone barrier. I heard the scraping of metal on stone as the tip of a ballista was heaved over the top of the parapet .

  “NO!” My brother tackled Nipper, but she slipped free.

  The scuffle slowed her down enough that I was able to get a hand on her back leg. The momentary contact with the scales wasn’t enough to bring her down, but it did make her back left leg slip out from under her. The drake tried to bite me as I landed on her, her claws digging into my arms as I was forced to grab her jaw to keep the sharp teeth away from my body.

  Green liquid started oozing around her scales as I transferred the wounds back to the large reptile. She’d stopped struggling by the time Vin knocked me off of her and started tying her off.

  “PUT THAT THING AWAY!” Starna cupped her hands as she yelled at the guards. “I am Starna Shellock, Ambassador of her Majesty, Queen Alessa Malus. You are threatening an ambassador with your weapons. I demand that you summon Ambassador Tu’Rik here at once!”

  I brushed myself off, making sure that I hadn’t gotten dirt in the healing bite marks while the Elf shouted at the unwavering guards on top of the wall. I ran my hand over Nipper’s green scales as my brother finished tying the rope around her weakened body.

  “That could’ve gone better.”

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