"Worth it?"

  The shouted question didn't travel far in the rushing wind, but Aytin managed to catch it. "Yes, worth it!"

  Rina angled towards him, her larger wings needing only three beats for every four of his, and that was with the bulging backpack only she carried.

  Nonetheless, Aytin was grinning as his wings bit into the cool, clear air.

  It had only been a day and a half since Agon had worked his magic - and he still shuddered in phantom pain at the memory - but the healer had already pronounced him fit to fly. He might have preferred a few more days to exercise his atrophied muscles, but the stiffness and occasional twinge were a small price to pay.

  He and Rina were accompanying Agon and his escorts back to the tribe. Cue had also joined them, while Ness and Attalee remained behind with Faelon. Verk and Okoni - the two huntresses who had arrived with the shaman - also remained behind to help keep an eye on the camp while the rest of them were away.

  The thought of Faelon was a dark spot on what was otherwise a day of celebration. He had been... understanding. Aytin was fairly sure the dragon didn't hold his healing against him. But there was a definite bitterness there. A reminder of what he knew he could never have again.

  As their party flew away, Aytin could feel eyes on his back even after the camp had long disappeared into the distance. And the uncomfortable feeling of guilt for his own fortune was a pit in his stomach.

  'Not that I'm entirely good as new.'

  Both of his wings were marred by long, vertical scars. The thin, white lines stood out against the blue underside of the rest of the membrane, especially backlit by the late afternoon sun.

  Even magical healing wasn't perfect and, truth to tell, he probably should have waited a few more days for the tender flesh to finish knitting.

  There just wasn't time.

  It would be just under two weeks before the earliest that the brigands could return. Whether they had the wildlings' help or not, they needed time to plan and prepare. So Agon had spent the previous day exhausting his magic to speed the wings' healing. It took another day and a half for the healer to regain his own strength and for Aytin's wings to reach the point that they were fit to fly. But as soon as they were both recovered, the group had set out.

  "Do you need rest?" Rina asked, eyeing him with concern.

  Aytin was definitely feeling a little winded, but he shook his head. "I am fine. Maybe soon." They hadn't been flying for long, just over half an hour. The sun had barely moved, still about halfway to the western horizon. He was already slowing them down enough without constant breaks. Still, it was worth asking, "How far to the tribe?"

  "We will soon be half there."

  He grimaced. They had nearly covered the distance from the cache to the abandoned keep. He thought he had even caught a glimpse of it, out in the distance to the southwest. If they weren't even halfway...

  To take his mind off of the strain, Aytin focused on the island below him. It was nice to be able to see things from above once again. That was a luxury he would never again take for granted.

  The ground appeared at first glance to be nothing but trees, some green and others fading into a multicolored patchwork as fall turned their leaves shades of red and gold and brown. But there were breaks in the tree cover here and there. Gaps where streams wound their way between larger bodies of water. Hillsides that were too steep for the hardiest of trees to grow. A large dark scar in the distance where lightning had set the dry woods ablaze. And here and there meadows dotted the landscape, giving grass and shrubs a chance to grow.

  He spotted movement in one of those meadows and pointed. "Look, deer!" It was a sight he had hoped for so fervently during those early days of freedom that the exclamation was almost automatic.

  Cue followed his pointing finger and frowned. "You eat deer. Those are deer."

  Aytin blinked. The words sounded similar, but...

  "Get venison from deer?" At the shaman's nod, Aytin twisted to face Rina. The huntress wore a blank expression. Too blank. "You tell me venison means deer."

  "No," she replied, still with a straight face. "I never do that."

  Thinking back, it might not technically have been a lie, but... "I say venison for days. You do not stop me."

  "Noooo."

  Aytin flicked one ear in annoyance. "Why?"

  "It too good to stop you," she answered, this time with a wide grin.

  Stifled laughter sounded over the windstream as the escort fought to stay professional in front of their god's companion.

  "Other words?" Aytin asked with a sigh.

  "Maybe..." Amusement dripped from Rina's single word reply.

  "That is not good." In contrast, Aytin sounded completely serious. "I talk to tribe leaders. I need to talk good."

  "You talk good," she argued. "I help you. The matriarchs understand."

  "And other wrong words?"

  "No other wrong words," the huntress admitted. "Only venison. It is joke. Funny thing."

  "I understand." And then, grudgingly, "Good joke." He cracked a small smile, which Rina returned enthusiastically.

  They ended up taking a single break, a short rest near the entrance to a small lake. Aytin tried to avoid it, but he was falling behind the rest of the group, even with their relaxed pace. Not even Agon or Cue were having trouble, and it was obvious that neither were as at home in the air as the huntresses.

  It wasn't long, just enough to give Aytin's disused wings a chance to recover, but not long enough for them to stiffen. On their healer's advice, he kept the limbs extended and constantly flexing. They were sore, but thankfully not painful.

  He still very nearly fell back into the soft mud on takeoff, but a lucky gust of wind caught his wings at the last moment. It was just enough that with a final push he managed to get airborne.

  The landscape became more broken as they flew. Not mountainous, but jagged cracks dotted the land while bits of forest seemed to jut up above the rest. It was towards one of those they flew, practically a small island within the island around it. The sides were sheer cliffs that would make approach from the ground nearly impossible. This bit of land was just as defensible from ground attack as any keep.

  Smoke drifted from among the trees. Clearings and paths between them emerged as they spiraled down for a landing. But it wasn't until the last moments that a handful of structures began to stand out. The domed, wooden huts blended in with their surroundings, it a way that might very well have been deliberate.

  Aytin was worried about the kind of welcome he would receive. There were a number of dragonettes in evidence as they landed. More appeared as word of their group's arrival spread throughout the tribe. All told, about a score of wildlings gathered as the six of them stretched and loosened straps on packs.

  Whispered mutterings began, but no one seemed to dare approach within a few wingspans of the newcomer.

  "They know about me?" Aytin asked in a hushed voice. "And Faelon?"

  "Yes, Ness is not quiet. You are not a secret, a thing you do not tell others."

  The searching looks weren't hostile, but they were far from what he had been expecting.

  'I guess that an enormous red dragon makes a bigger impression than a single recently un-crippled dragonette.'

  Thankfully, Cue immediately stepped forward and began to speak to the crowd, gesticulating wildly. That served to distract them from Aytin, but it was quickly apparent to the young dragonette that the wildlings had been deliberately slowing and simplifying their speech.

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  Aytin could catch about one word in three. He heard "Dragon" and "Faelon" a lot, thankfully in a positive sense. And his own name came up a couple of times, with meaningful gestures his way.

  A flicker of motion caught his eye. A trio of hatchlings, somewhere between six and eight years old, darted out from around the crowd. Their leader was tall for her age, not all that much shorter than Aytin himself. The web of braided leather connecting her sharply swept horns came up to his chest.

  Her already mud covered feet kicked up a spray of dirt as she skidded to a halt in front of him and immediately started talking. Between the rapid cadence and the odd pronunciations of any kid, it was hard to follow the babble. But Aytin managed to piece together that she was asking if he was the one Cue was talking about.

  "Yes, I am the Dragon Faelon's companion."

  The hatchling gave him an appraising look. Then, as if speaking to an idiot, she informed him, "You don't look like a companion. You're small."

  Conversations stopped mid-word. Every eye was suddenly on Aytin and the oblivious youngling who continued to look challengingly up at the newcomer. One wildling who had been edging up to the trio of children went rigid, ears pricked and eyes wide in something near terror.

  "Well," Aytin replied, struggling to keep a serious expression on his face, "Faelon try to teach me to be big, but I am not good at it. He is, though. Faelon is big enough for the two of us."

  The little girl nodded gravely. "Companion Cue isn't big, either. Makes sense. Are all companions short?"

  "None of the companions I have met are tall."

  'It's not even a lie,' he thought to himself, with a mental chuckle.

  Most of the onlookers looked to be holding back their own smiles. All except for a frowning Cue and the mortified looking wildling who had to be the girl's father or guardian.

  Aytin saw that Rina had set her bag down nearby, so he hunted through it for a particular pouch. Pouring some of the contents out, he offered it to the hatchling and her companions.

  She took a nut and cautiously sniffed, then took a careful nibble. Her eyes widened as she tasted the smokey, salty flavor and immediately grabbed for more. The other two members of her little band weren't far behind, and in an instant, Aytin's outstretched hand was empty.

  With her mouth still half full, the girl waved. "I'm Saza. That's Taj and that's Koonie." She pointed to each of the boys in turn. They both seemed content to eat their own snacks in their leader's shadow.

  "Hello Saza, I'm Aytin."

  "I know."

  Aytin had to turn his laugh into a cough as Saza looked at him with an expression full of pity for an adult's stupidity.

  He was about to say something when the wildling caretaker finally worked up the nerve to dart forward. "I am so sorry, companion!" he gushed. To the children, he ordered, "You must be more respectful to the companion!"

  "Why?" Aytin had to stifle another chuckle at the little girl's obstinance.

  "Because I say so. That is why. Move!"

  The two boys looked cowed, but Saza simply shrugged, and waved goodbye to Aytin. "Come bring me more nuts." At a glare from her minder, she grudgingly added, "Please."

  "She is... a very strong girl," Aytin said to Rina as the children were ushered away. The giggle he got in response wasn't quite what he was expecting. "What?"

  "That is Attalee's daughter," she informed him, a wicked expression on her face. "And she likes you."

  "Oh." Aytin raised his eye-ridges and cocked his ears in surprise. "Are you sure?"

  "Yes. Very sure."

  "Huh."

  "Come," Rina motioned down a path in the trees. "Get on new clothes. They are cooking a big dinner. You talk to matriarchs after."

  Aytin let himself be led into the trees. The trunks were widely spaced, without the brush and brambles he had become all too familiar with during his trek with Faelon.

  Here and there, structures emerged out of the woods. They blended into trees around them, having been covered with woven strips of what looked like bark.

  A few of the smaller ones were covered with hides instead. Almost tents, but with a slightly more permanent feel.

  They passed by one exceptionally large dwelling. It was probably a hundred paces in length and twenty wide.

  "It is for adults on their own," Rina explained when he asked about it.

  Communal housing for single dragonettes, was the impression he got. "Oh. Do you sleep there?"

  When Rina shook her head, Aytin felt a pang of disappointment. But it quickly faded as she went on, "I am a huntress. We have our own home. We are going there."

  The home in question was one of the smaller hide covered affairs. It was empty of occupants, but four beds were inside. Or what passed for beds. Really, they were less beds and more nests of furs and hide blankets. But their function was obvious.

  "I share with Ness, Verk, and Okoni. This one is mine." The huntress indicated one of the sleeping spaces. It had notably more furs than the rest, and a number of belongings lay scattered nearby.

  Rina actually looked a little embarrassed at the clutter, quickly moving to shift it into something resembling order.

  "It is okay. My room at home is not better," Aytin commented with a gesture towards the mess.

  He did frown slightly at the structure itself. The hide walls were attached to thin wooden struts that formed a sort of elongated dome. It was more than tall enough for someone of Aytin's stature, but the horns of his much taller companion brushed against the ceiling everywhere except the very center.

  The floor was hard packed dirt, and while it was dry now, the walls couldn't be entirely waterproof. Enough moisture would no doubt seep through during a heavy rainstorm to turn it into a muddy mess, and probably soak into the sleeping nests as well.

  It all had a slightly temporary feel to it. Like it was more than a camp, but not really a settlement.

  "How long your tribe live here?"

  "Since spring," Rina answered. "We will move to winter home soon."

  "Why move?"

  She seemed to consider that for a few moments, either trying to come up with an answer or else put it into words he could understand. Finally, she said, "There is good hunting near here. Lots of deer, birds, tirox. Good plants, too. And animals cannot get here."

  Aytin nodded. The steep slopes and general broken nature of these badlands would make it hard for anything without wings to approach.

  "But in the winter, it is cold," she continued. "Very windy. Lots of rain. Some snow. Like cold, cold rain."

  "Ah." Even with the trees, the hilltop was rather exposed to the elements. And if they moved into the crevices to escape the weather, a single good storm would wash them away. "Where you go in winter?"

  "There are big hills to the north." She gestured in that direction. "Big enough to stop the wind. We build homes into side of hills. But there are not as many plants or trees, and it is easy for animals to walk in."

  It sounded like they wintered in nearby caves and maybe even hibernated there if they had access to the right herbs.

  'Faelon won't like that.' The dragon's hate for tight spaces, and especially mines, probably extended to caves as well. Then again, if those caves were far enough away, it might make sense for him to hole up nearby. This wildling village was over a week away from the cache on foot. If the weather turned too quickly, he could get stuck out in the middle of nowhere.

  But that was a worry for another time. The slivers of sunlight visible through the door flaps were getting longer and the faint smell of something delicious cooking was beginning to torment Aytin. His stomach was starting to tie itself into knots of hunger, reminding him of how much he had put himself through that day.

  He wasn't really sure what sort of thing was appropriate to wear to a wildling feast. Rina seemed to have begun hunting through her small pile of belongings for something. She found her prize in the form of a deep blue leather tunic. Several brightly polished rocks dangled off of tassels and clicked merrily as she began shrugging out of her leather armor.

  Aytin quickly turned away, eyes wide and ears pinned back in embarrassment. But the wildlings had much less in the way of body modesty than he was used to. It wasn't nonexistent, but this wasn't the first time he had seen one of the huntresses casually stripping off articles of clothing without any regard for who could see.

  It was, however, the first time he had been this close to one.

  The desire to grab his things and scurry out of the hut was strong. And the temptation to turn and look wasn't exactly nonexistent, either.

  So Aytin did neither, and studiously ignored the other dragonette as he began to undress himself.

  He decided that it was a good thing that he had found his travel trunk and the formal wear inside. They might be outdated by capital standards, but he thought he looked good in the snow white vest, even if recent events meant the tailoring was no longer quite as fine as it once had been. Weeks in the sky as part of Faelon's crew, followed by his ordeal on the island left some parts a little baggy while a few were almost uncomfortably tight.

  It still looked good enough. And after a quick buff, the brass buttons practically sparkled in the late afternoon sun.

  The matching blue pants that went with it wasn't anything special, but it was made of heavy wool instead of the usual linen. For that, Aytin was grateful. As night fell, it would be getting uncomfortably cool, and even the leggings he slipped on might not be quite enough to keep off the chill.

  When he turned, he found Rina watching him, a playful leer plastered on her face.

  Aytin had to force himself not to accept the bait. Instead, he returned her look with one of his own.

  The blue tunic fit the huntress well, and it would no doubt be warmer than his own sleeveless vest. So would her much longer skirt of a slightly lighter blue-dyed hide that nearly reached her ankles. And the polished stones hanging from all over added a certain style to what would otherwise have been a fairly plain set of clothes.

  Rina finally broke the silence between them "You look very good," she said. "Very different, but very good."

  "Thank you." Aytin couldn't quite control the twitch in his ears, but he managed to keep any hint of it out of his answer. "You look very good, too."

  "Do you like it?" She gave herself a slight shake, setting the stones clicking and clattering. "I find the rocks myself. Then I cut holes in them and make the rest from deer I hunt."

  "You do a very good job," Aytin said, and he meant it. Even if it wasn't fancy, the entire outfit was competently made and fit the huntress well. He also had to admit that a part of him appreciated more than just the outfit.

  Rina smiled at the compliment, but a distant voice drew her attention. "We need to go. They will start soon."

  At his nod, the huntress opened the flap and led the way towards the center of the wildling village.