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Putting up a second set of bed curtains cut down on the noise.
On their first day into the cave they came across the pursuit, the noisome NoTannadon and another Skotl dragon searching westward, sniffing at every strange tunnel. Their reek set the mules to bawling, and the blighter mule tenders cursed and shoved them aside, clearing a way in the tunnel.
And the Copper moved up to block it.
“Cry meetings,” NoTannadon said.
“Cry meetings, NoTannadon. Haven’t seen you since the Black River fight.”
“You’re…you’re RuGaard, now, as it looks,” NoTannadon said. “Have you seen anything of NiVom? He’s visiting the western Upholds and the Tyr has need of him.”
“I’d be glad of the visit. But no dragons have passed through the cave mouth, have they, Nilrasha?”
“A dragon? No. We’d have welcomed a new face. Ha! No dragons, I’m afraid.”
“I told you the trail went cold at the Tooth Cavern,” the other Skotl dragon said. “He flew out there. We should turn around, catch up with the others.”
“This drake—er, dragon…” NoTannadon said, then fell silent.
“Yes. Both my ears work, duelist. What were you going to say?”
“…Is in the Imperial line. I expect he’d notice if a dragon emerged in the middle of his palace. We should turn around.”
“I’ll send word back that the Upholder should tell him the Tyr needs him, should he show up for a surprise visit, shall I?” the Copper asked.
“Yes. Yes. That’s a fair wind of an idea,” NoTannadon said.
The dragons turned around in the rather cramped tunnel and hurried in the other direction.
Their arrival at the Lavadome merited no special reception, as it was simply another load of kern coming in. The trading house saw to its distribution to various wareholes and livestock corrals.
“Where will you go?” the Copper asked Nilrasha.
“Wherever you like, my lord.”
“We’re not mated yet, dear. Things may go ill for me on the Rock. Perhaps you should go to the Firemaiden quarters on your home hill. Your association with me could be hazardous.”
“It’s my blood. It flows for you. If you die, it might as well be spilled too.”
“Where can I find you?”
“I grew up on Dufu hill. Yes, the milkdrinker’s hill, among the thralls. Not much of a home, but the tunnels are clean enough. At least there’s little chance of society from the Black Rock visiting.”
“I’ll come to you in a day or two. Take care of my thralls until then. If anything happens, treat them well; they’ve earned it. And as for you—if they come for you, just do what they say and feign ignorance.”
“The way you feign your lack of ambition. Certainly.”
“You may have to do more. Tell them you grew sick to death of the sight of me in Anaea. They’ll believe that.”
“I shall. But I won’t enjoy it.”
He wound his neck around hers, squeezed her, then broke it off and looked across and down the river.
“I did enjoy that, however,” she said. “I’m told the Anklenes have some scrolls about how dragons can mate in a river, and it’s like flying. It seems delightfully perverse.”
“We’ll have to find out.”
They said no more. The Copper told the kern train that he was exhausted and would spend the night on the riverbank, washing and resting and preparing for his return to the Imperial Resort with a bellyful of fish.
