Ink Forged

~Always Running~

Maevus stayed near the door, arms crossed defensively even as Vraylor walked around to the other side of the desk. He sank into the chair behind the desk, watching her with those keen eyes.

He leaned back in the chair and, ignoring the stacks of paper, propped his boots up on the edge of the desk. Hands behind his head, he studied Maevus for a moment longer.

Then he finally sighed and said, "That's one hell of a chip you've got on your shoulder."

The observation startled Maevus, making her arms drop down to her sides as she gaped at him. A laugh burst from her in the next second, the sound bitter and cold.

"Well who wouldn't?" she asked. Gesturing wildly toward the broad windows, she said, "I was doing just fine out there. Going where I wanted. Staying away from places I didn't want to be. My decisions the only ones that mattered?"

Maevus shook her head, red hair flying. Vraylor watched silently as her outburst continued.

"If Savrin had just kept his mouth shut, I wouldn't be here at all! I would still be free." She hissed under her breath, sounding more like one of her dragons than she'd realized was possible.

Vraylor cocked his head at the noise, eyes narrowed thoughtfully. His boots fell off the edge of the desk as he sat forward, resting his forearms on the top of the desk.

"You were happy out there?"

Again, his words took her by surprise. Happy? No, she didn't suppose she'd been happy in a very long time.

But that was hardly any of his business. 

So Maevus just shrugged. "I don't want to be here," she said flatly. 

"Yeah," Vraylor said softly. He released a long sigh through his nose, his eyes softer than they had been since she'd stepped into his office. Maevus watched him with suspicion as he stood, but all he did was move toward the windows behind him.

His arms were behind his back as he stared out over the city.

Maevus shifted nervously from foot to foot. This man used silence like a weapon. Finally, he turned sharply on his heel and pinned her with a hard stare. 

"I don't like these new laws any more than you do," he said quietly. "Furthermore, I'm not too partial to the idea of having an Encant around who doesn't want to be. Especially one like you."

"One like me?" Maevus bristled. This wasn't exactly what she'd expected when he'd asked to speak to her alone.

"I've seen exactly one other Dragon-Charmed Encant in my entire life. If you're half as powerful as he was, then you're swiftly going to become a pain in my ass."

The blood drained from Maevus' face at the mention of another Dragon-Charmed Encant. Then she shook her head slightly. The likelihood of that was impossible. Covering her slip with bluster, she said, "Then why don't you just send me somewhere else?"

"And not be able to keep an eye on you?" Master Vraylor scoffed. "I don't think so."

Maevus skittered to the side as Vraylor came toward the door. But all he did was take a broad-brimmed hat down from a coatrack she hadn't noticed, placing it on his dark head.

He opened the door, then gestured for Maevus to leave first. She didn't budge.

"Where are we going?" she asked, hand going up to the pendant at her neck. It pulsed lightly, but like Koret the pendant couldn't feel anything sinister from Vraylor. 

He was frustrated, and tired. Maevus frowned, squeezing the pendant a little tighter. It could sense something else about the master, but it was a feeling buried so deeply that she couldn't discern what it was.

"Maybe a little walk will help cool your head," Vraylor suggested.

Maevus pursed her lips, eyebrows furrowing. Why would a walk help anything? She'd already seen more of Valmor than she had ever cared to.

"Come on," he urged, gesturing more forcefully to the door. Then he rolled his eyes. "I'll get you something to eat. How about that?"

Traitor that it was, her stomach growled. Vraylor's mouth twitched slightly. She hadn't had anything to eat since early in the morning. Scowling, she stalked from the room and began to head back toward the main hall.

"Well hang on a second," Vraylor said, grabbing her by the elbow. He spun her in the opposite direction, nimbly avoiding the hand she swung down to slap at his arm. He tugged the brim of his hat down lower and muttered, "It's still around noon. Madhouse down there."

"I noticed," Maevus said before she could help herself.

Vraylor snickered as he led her through a twisting maze of hallways, passing dozens of doors. Finally, they descended another narrow staircase before slipping through a side door into an alleyway that ran the length of the guildhall.

Maevus stared up at the sky wistfully before her gaze fell on Vraylor again.

He was watching her closely. Then he turned his back on her and started toward the end of the alley. "You want to go, go. I don't want you around if you don't want to stay."

The harsh statement hurt more than she cared to admit. Not wanting to stay was one thing, but she hadn't considered that perhaps she was just as unwanted. 

"I won't get in any trouble if you run," he continued. "So why don't you just fly on out of here. Run like you've been running."

Maevus stayed silent at that, her eyes flicking back up to the free sky. She didn't know how to do anything else. It had been that way for too long.

"Or."

She looked down at the word. Vraylor had half-turned and was watching her like a hawk. He nodded toward the wide street before him. "Or you could come with me, and I could show you it's not as bad as you think."

"And if it is?" she asked suspiciously.

"Then you can run." Vraylor shrugged and disappeared around the corner.

Maevus sighed deeply, looking up at the sky once more. 

Then she ran after Vraylor.