“That’s so creepy. Please don’t encourage her.” What was charming in certain birds, he found much less so in the form of a horse-sized lizard. Tiberius would have liked to have brought Bel instead. Unfortunately, satisfying her dietary preferences on the road for an unknown number of days … Well, the thought quickly became logistically untenable.
Then there was the question of anonymity, however unlikely it was to maintain. Many gentlemen kept dracolisks in Minrathous. No one else anywhere kept a half ton feline, at least to his knowledge. Still, this creature – Ria, he supposed – was preferable over the other horse-lizards. He had a feeling the one Enzo was riding would bite him if given the chance.
Otherwise, this was nice enough. It reminded him of other trips they had taken, long ago. There had been another cottage by the sea, the hedges fragrant with clusters of sweet smelling flowers. He would have liked to not be working, now.
Oh, well. Smugglers did not generally feature heavily in Tiberius’s thoughts. They filled a void in the market, and Tevene nobles were always after the rare and exotic – if only to show eachother up. It seemed a waste of the Eyes’ time to do more than a token investigation, where your typical minor criminal was concerned.
So. This missing agent was very clumsy – or these smugglers were unusually dangerous. What was the cargo, he wondered?
“As you like.” The cabin looked as though it would be close and warm inside, far from the comfort of home. Intriguing, though. How long had it been since they’d truly been alone together, without family or servants as close as the next room away? He dismounted and led Ria into the stable, looking to Enzo and then copying the steps he took to unburden and take care of his mount.
“How does this work, then? Do we just … Follow the coast, look for likely spots to land? See if anyone shines a signal light out on the sea?”
Then there was the question of anonymity, however unlikely it was to maintain. Many gentlemen kept dracolisks in Minrathous. No one else anywhere kept a half ton feline, at least to his knowledge. Still, this creature – Ria, he supposed – was preferable over the other horse-lizards. He had a feeling the one Enzo was riding would bite him if given the chance.
Otherwise, this was nice enough. It reminded him of other trips they had taken, long ago. There had been another cottage by the sea, the hedges fragrant with clusters of sweet smelling flowers. He would have liked to not be working, now.
Oh, well. Smugglers did not generally feature heavily in Tiberius’s thoughts. They filled a void in the market, and Tevene nobles were always after the rare and exotic – if only to show eachother up. It seemed a waste of the Eyes’ time to do more than a token investigation, where your typical minor criminal was concerned.
So. This missing agent was very clumsy – or these smugglers were unusually dangerous. What was the cargo, he wondered?
“As you like.” The cabin looked as though it would be close and warm inside, far from the comfort of home. Intriguing, though. How long had it been since they’d truly been alone together, without family or servants as close as the next room away? He dismounted and led Ria into the stable, looking to Enzo and then copying the steps he took to unburden and take care of his mount.
“How does this work, then? Do we just … Follow the coast, look for likely spots to land? See if anyone shines a signal light out on the sea?”
08-19-2024, 03:53 PM
