I woke in Aelyn’s arms.

  I lay still with my head resting on his chest and I held on to the moment as long as I could. When I looked up, I saw him smiling down at me.

  There was a knock on the door.

  “Circe,” called Alea, “I have your clothes.” She giggled. “Both sets.”

  “Ugh,” I said, “I thought she was my friend.”

  I pulled myself out of bed and walked over to the door. I opened it to see Alea smiling at me. She handed me a stack of laundry.

  Aelyn folded back the covers, sat up, and stretched. I leaned against the wall and stared at him shamelessly. His gaze focused on my breasts and dipped lower.

  “Unless you get up,” I said, “they’ll leave us behind.”

  He nodded and stood up, then pulled me close for a kiss. I began to grind against him, and he held me at arm’s length with a grin.

  “Later,” he promised.

  “I’ll hold you to that,” I said.

  The trail led through an open area of sand dunes and low scrub, interspersed with the occasional short, windblown tree. Constant passage by wagons had eroded the roadbed, so we moved through a cut that was below the level of the surrounding land. I looked up at the sky, thinking that this section of the track would be a particularly bad spot to be caught out in a thunderstorm.

  Aelyn was letting me guide Sella. Mainly, this involved holding the reins loosely and letting her pick her own way. I felt his hand lift my hair, and I turned to look at him.

  “It’s a little tangled,” he said.

  “Someone had his hand wrapped around it last night.”

  He smiled and pulled out a brush and held it up. I nodded, and he began to pull the bristles through my hair with long, firm strokes. Every so often he would stop and free up a knot with his fingers. Eventually he was satisfied with his work and put the brush down.

  “May I braid it?” he asked.

  “Please.”

  I realized that this was another task I had to learn. But for now, I merely enjoyed the feeling of his hands pulling and twisting as he formed a single plait. I heard a metallic click and reached back to feel a clasp. I pulled it forward and saw a silver clip embossed with a winged lizard.

  “Aelyn. This is lovely.”

  “It’s yours.”

  I blushed with pleasure. “What is this?” I pointed at the creature.

  “A dragon. It’s my house mark.”

  “Wait,” I said, “Dragons are a thing? They fly, and breath fire?”

  He looked me, puzzled. “Of course. Not that we see them much. But if you travel to the Dragon’s Teeth Range, on the eastern border of Sha’Na’Lyona, you will probably encounter one. They are rather solitary people, and do not welcome visitors.”

  “People?”

  “Yes.” He frowned. “I know that some nations consider them dangerous creatures, but they are an ancient race. Our nation was ruled by one, centuries ago. Raskana is her name. It is said that she served as Empress in her human form, which she then shed to live again amongst her kin.”

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  “Why did she—” My question was cut short by a shout from behind us. I stood up and looked over the top of the wagon. About a dozen vehicles behind us, I saw a wagon stopped in the trail, while two people pointed at the front axle. The Elven teamsters continued, unruffled by the scene. Breakdowns, I supposed, must be a common occurrence.

  Or perhaps not. Aelyn was also standing, and he frowned at the stalled cart. He looked ahead and tensed. I looked forward and pulled on the reins as the wagon before us veered to the side and stopped. The wagons ahead of it kept moving.

  We stared at each other, and Aelyn reached for his horn and sounded it. I looped the reins over the seat and rose to my feet, looking right and then left. I heard a deep drumming noise, and then from a dip to the left, a line of riders rose into view. They were mounted on long-necked quadrupedal lizards and wore light armour. Most had shields strapped to their arms or the side of their steed. All were armed with lances; as I watched, the poles dropped from vertical to horizontal and lined up on our wagons.

  Aelyn pulled out his bow and strung it with a single motion. He snapped the quiver onto his back, slid out an arrow, and drew and shot without seeming to aim. I saw the arrow flash out and strike a rider at the base of the neck. The attacker slumped in his saddle, slid off to one side, and was dragged along the ground.

  There were ten or twelve raiders, and they were closing too quickly to pick off individually. I drew up a spell with a speed that I did not know I was capable of. A blue rope snapped into view running between two low trees twenty to thirty paces from the wagons. I set the height just above the lizards’ heads.

  The riders impacted my construct just as the spell stabilized. All but two of them struck the strand with their head or chest at a gallop. The spell barely held; the trees shuddered and thrashed but remained upright. The riders were catapulted over the withers of their beasts and struck the ground in a cacophony of rending metal and leather. Lances spun out of control and tumbled end over end. By the grace of my Goddess, none struck our wagons.

  Two riders had escaped my snare. Both had passed outside of the nearest tree and were looping around to attack our wagon from the front. Aelyn loosed another arrow that took one in the left eye. I hammered a fireball directly into the face of the other. Both fell, and neither rose.

  Aelyn dropped to the ground and strode towards the downed riders. Their mounts had stopped and were moving anxiously in small circles. I climbed down and followed him. He turned to see me and frowned. I placed my hands on my hips.

  “I stand with my Blade,” I said.

  He gazed at me and then looked at the battlefield. He nodded and motioned me to his left rear quarter. He had slung his bow, and his sword was in his right hand.

  About a third of the attackers had survived, and most of those were badly injured. One took a last gasping breath as I watched. Aelyn walked up to one of least wounded and lowered the tip of his sword to place it in line with his opponent’s left eye.

  “Skaford,” he said, “bad day for you.”

  “Aye.” The rider spat blood and looked at the clot disinterestedly. “Easy job, gone to shit.”

  “What was the job?” I asked.

  He sneered at me. “Why should I tell you, lass?”

  “Because,” I said, “I’m the Mage who broke your charge. And you.”

  He looked at me and nodded slowly. “Well done.” He coughed up a larger volume of blood. “Someone led us astray, then. A simple grab and snatch it was. Of a young Healer wearing a green dress.” He began to laugh and then coughed once more. “Said you was easy pickings.” He looked at Aelyn. “Will you?”

  Aelyn nodded, and his sword flashed down. The rider’s head dropped to the ground and rolled once.

  I turned away to vomit.

  Collecting and calming the lizards turned out to be more difficult than winning the skirmish. They were evil-tempered, skittish, and remarkably recalcitrant. In the end, Ryanth determined that they would do anything for a taste of a small blue fruit he called waskot. I called them devil’s plums, in honour of the beasts.

  Mast had shown up with Lamont in tow. They looked at the strewn bodies and gear, and Mast walked up to examine the animals. One began to hiss at him until Mast showed his teeth; the beast recoiled and settled into sullen silence.

  “Well,” said Mast, “What happened to them?”

  “They tripped, I guess,” I said helpfully.

  Mast did not even bother to glare at me. “Your work, eh?”

  “Ours.” I pointed at Aelyn.

  “Your grendaki, then.” He nodded at the lizards.

  “Goddess.” I stared at one of them, who huffed back at me.

  Mast looked at Aelyn. “The Skaford talk?”

  “Not much,” Aelyn said. “Mainly, they died.”

  “Good.” Mast looked around again. “Nasty bunch.” He looked at the position of the suns. “We camp two stads up the trail. You know the site.” He turned on his heel and walked back to the command wagon. Behind him followed Lamont, with three wagoners, their hands bound behind them.

  Raina walked over to us. She put her hands on her hips and looked at the wreckage. Her brow creased, and she walked over to one of the dead raiders. She stared at his body, then moved to another, and then a third. When she came back, her face was troubled.

  “These people,” she said, “I recognize them. They are the ones who stole our sensal.”