17
The train didn't take us all the way there. Of course not, that would have been too simple.
We solved it anyway, we just had to risk flying... which meant that to avoid getting spotted, we needed to fly low. Very, very low.
Which meant being visible even through a blur spell, that thing only worked at range. And invisibility spells either lasted for thirty seconds or left you unable to see out of it!
So it was time to get sneaky about it.
I couldn't focus on keeping up two channeled spells at once and still fly, and it was hard enough to project an invisibility spell around one dragon - yet alone two. Zrazta wasn't enough of a spellcaster to pull it off either.
Instead I rode on top of Zrazta, clinging to her armour between her wings while in mortal form.
Quicksmithing a pair of handholds was easy enough without compromising the armour, then I just needed to hang on while keeping a invisibility spell around us, and a scrying spell to show the outside of the bubble on the inside - at least in front of her.
Forty minutes ago, it seemed like a great idea.
Now? Now I wasn't so sure anymore.
"Atregos? How are you handling it?"
"...I'm fine."
"I'm landing."
"Keep going," I answered, trying to peer past her at the illusionary view while focusing at keeping the spells stable, "Can't be long now!"
Her wings stabilize as she started to beat them steadily again, "If you are sure."
Alexis, unless you are in mortal danger I'll kick your arse all the way back to London. Could it have hurt you to pick up a phone to call your family!?
"Atregos!"
Her voice pulled my attention forward once more as we rose over a mountain peak to see a castle in the distance.
No, that's wrong. Calling it a castle was a understatement. It was a castle the same way New York was a city. It didn't really translate well.
"Put us down!"
Zrazta banked and circled down for landing on top of the mountaintop and I slid off her, returning the handholds to her armour again in passing. Landing on the ground, I allowed the spells to fade away as she returned to mortal form.
"What do you think?" she asked as she looked at the castle across the valley.
It was massive, with towering... well, towers. Long walls and large windows. It was next to a large, deep lake and some way away from the castle was a small village, maybe a couple of hundred buildings.
"No idea," I said with a frown, reaching into my satchel, checking my phone. Dead.
Huh.
Putting it back into my pocket, I looked at the castle across the valley. There were people moving around on the grass covered grounds. It was quite far even for a dragon's eyes, but they looked small... children? All of them?
Why would there be a castle full of children?
Reaching up, I touched the tracking necklace and channeled my magic into the spell, feeling the connection form.
Alexis was close and in that direction. She was down there.
Zrazta moved up next to me, "They are all wearing the same thing."
"Now that you mention it, it almost seem like some kind of uniform..." I started to say and then frowned in thought, "Children, wearing uniforms... either that's a camp with child soldiers, or that's a school."
The fuck is going on here!?
Zrazta frowned at me, "Are we going down there?" and then shook her head, "Stand still," she then ordered and reached up to try to get my hair back into its normal ponytail.
I suffered through it, "Next time, you ride."
"I think that can be arranged," she answered with a smirk, "But the question is what to do now?"
"Well, the options are to either turn around and go away, or find out what's going on. We'll go down there."
Zrazta nodded as she finished with my hair, "Is there a way we can contact her from here?"
"Not really, no."
Damn it, Alexis is the one with the bird summon that can track people. I'm so having her teach me how to do that!
But distance communication would be a good feature to add to the necklaces... even if range wasn't unlimited, it would be really useful. Wonder how hard that would be?
That's for later. Now to get down there.
AN// Many thanks to Drunkenvalley for betaing this section.
We solved it anyway, we just had to risk flying... which meant that to avoid getting spotted, we needed to fly low. Very, very low.
Which meant being visible even through a blur spell, that thing only worked at range. And invisibility spells either lasted for thirty seconds or left you unable to see out of it!
So it was time to get sneaky about it.
I couldn't focus on keeping up two channeled spells at once and still fly, and it was hard enough to project an invisibility spell around one dragon - yet alone two. Zrazta wasn't enough of a spellcaster to pull it off either.
Instead I rode on top of Zrazta, clinging to her armour between her wings while in mortal form.
Quicksmithing a pair of handholds was easy enough without compromising the armour, then I just needed to hang on while keeping a invisibility spell around us, and a scrying spell to show the outside of the bubble on the inside - at least in front of her.
Forty minutes ago, it seemed like a great idea.
Now? Now I wasn't so sure anymore.
"Atregos? How are you handling it?"
"...I'm fine."
"I'm landing."
"Keep going," I answered, trying to peer past her at the illusionary view while focusing at keeping the spells stable, "Can't be long now!"
Her wings stabilize as she started to beat them steadily again, "If you are sure."
Alexis, unless you are in mortal danger I'll kick your arse all the way back to London. Could it have hurt you to pick up a phone to call your family!?
"Atregos!"
Her voice pulled my attention forward once more as we rose over a mountain peak to see a castle in the distance.
No, that's wrong. Calling it a castle was a understatement. It was a castle the same way New York was a city. It didn't really translate well.
"Put us down!"
Zrazta banked and circled down for landing on top of the mountaintop and I slid off her, returning the handholds to her armour again in passing. Landing on the ground, I allowed the spells to fade away as she returned to mortal form.
"What do you think?" she asked as she looked at the castle across the valley.
It was massive, with towering... well, towers. Long walls and large windows. It was next to a large, deep lake and some way away from the castle was a small village, maybe a couple of hundred buildings.
"No idea," I said with a frown, reaching into my satchel, checking my phone. Dead.
Huh.
Putting it back into my pocket, I looked at the castle across the valley. There were people moving around on the grass covered grounds. It was quite far even for a dragon's eyes, but they looked small... children? All of them?
Why would there be a castle full of children?
Reaching up, I touched the tracking necklace and channeled my magic into the spell, feeling the connection form.
Alexis was close and in that direction. She was down there.
Zrazta moved up next to me, "They are all wearing the same thing."
"Now that you mention it, it almost seem like some kind of uniform..." I started to say and then frowned in thought, "Children, wearing uniforms... either that's a camp with child soldiers, or that's a school."
The fuck is going on here!?
Zrazta frowned at me, "Are we going down there?" and then shook her head, "Stand still," she then ordered and reached up to try to get my hair back into its normal ponytail.
I suffered through it, "Next time, you ride."
"I think that can be arranged," she answered with a smirk, "But the question is what to do now?"
"Well, the options are to either turn around and go away, or find out what's going on. We'll go down there."
Zrazta nodded as she finished with my hair, "Is there a way we can contact her from here?"
"Not really, no."
Damn it, Alexis is the one with the bird summon that can track people. I'm so having her teach me how to do that!
But distance communication would be a good feature to add to the necklaces... even if range wasn't unlimited, it would be really useful. Wonder how hard that would be?
That's for later. Now to get down there.
AN// Many thanks to Drunkenvalley for betaing this section.
