Wielder

Chapter 24 - Disguise

As the sun lowered on the horizon, Darrel finally directed the dragon to land. The great beast gave a huff as it settled on the ground, deep in the heart of a bed of flowers. Alie slipped off the dragon's back and nearly collapsed as her stiff, aching legs struggled to suddenly support her weight. She had never ridden a horse before, but she assumed this must have been what feeling saddle sore was.

As soon as they had all dismounted, the dragon gave a grateful snort. It swung its large head in Alie's direction, it's golden eyes asking. She gave it a smile and an appreciative pat on its scaly snout, then waved it off toward the hills. Prancing like a gleeful pup, it bounded into the flowers in search of something to eat for dinner.

Darrel's mouth twitched as he watched the dragon prance away. "I don't think I'm ever going to get used to you talking to animals," he frowned.

"Really? After everything that's happened to us?" Michael sank down into the flowers, stretching his aching legs.

Darrel shook his head. "It's not natural."

"Neither is turning an origami figurine into a living being," Michael shrugged, "but okay."

"I'm starving," Alie declared loudly, to keep them from arguing. She was incredibly glad that she had managed to get them both out alive and relatively unscathed, but she was way too tired to deal with them bickering.

"Well, all our supplies are gone, in case you haven't noticed," Darrel scowled. "As is our money. And my crystal. Don't think that I forgot about it."

"Damn it," Michael muttered under his breath. "How are we going to get around, now?"

"Portals," Alie shrugged.

"With the Commander on our tail? We might have gained some ground riding the dragon all afternoon, but I doubt we'll be able to keep it for long."

Alie put a hand on her hip. After a moment of thought, she turned a sly grin to Darrel.

The moment he noticed her attention, he stiffened uncomfortably. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You're a thief, aren't you? How do you manage to take whatever you want and keep from getting caught?"

His answering smile was wicked. "You sure you want to know the answer to that, Princess?"

"I'm not becoming a criminal," Michael groaned.

"Too late," Darrel snorted. To Alie, he said, "You'll have to leave the dragon behind. It's not exactly inconspicuous."

Alie shrugged her shoulders. "That's okay. It'll be happy here."

"And you'll have to keep the heroics to a minimum. If you want to keep the Commander off our tail, then announcing yourself to every town we enter is something we just can't afford to do."

She nodded firmly. "Of course."

Grinning, Darrel slung his arm around her shoulders. "Alright, then. Don't worry, Pet. Just do exactly as I say, and before you know it, you'll become so hard to find, people will start to think you've turned invisible."

Alie lifted his arm off her shoulders, returning his mischievous grin with one of her own. "Just don't call me Pet, alright?"

"What's the matter, Sweetie? Not fond of a little nickname?"

"I have a nickname. It's Alie. Sweetie."

His sea-green eyes glistened. His smile turned sharp with attraction. He made a sound deep in his throat, like a cross between a moan and a purr.