"The what," the Sorceress said.
"The, er, dragon, my lady," Soren repeated, shifting in his seat. "I take it that means you were unaware of the situation?"
"There's a dragon. In Prismarche. Looking for me."
"Not that she's claimed to be one," he hedged. "But yes."
The demon paused. Her bored tone took on a hint of incredulity. "You think there's a dragon? You don't know for certain?"
"Er. Technically no. But circumstantial evidence is rather abundant, it's not a claim I would throw out flippantly, my lady. I have very little doubt." He hesitated. "Though I should have made the ambiguity clear from the start."
"Circumstantial evidence like what?"
"She's rather… obvious… with her words and actions. She most certainly is not a gold rank like she's claiming to be." He started to doubt himself, then remembered all of the reports he'd gotten. He shook his head. "I think you'll understand as soon as you meet her, Lady Vivisari. She should still be at the Adventurer's Guild."
"What does she look like?"
The question gave him pause. Did it matter what the dragon looked like? As if there was some dragon in particular she was expecting?
The thought had been sarcastic, but, with a twitch, he recalled yet again that this was the Sorceress. She likely did know several dragons by face and might be expecting one.
"Young human woman, in her early twenties," he finally answered. "Perhaps a tad younger than that. Long gray hair, black plate mail, two-handed sword. All of it encrusted with gems." Part of that 'circumstantial evidence' he'd been talking about—not even the most pompous 'gold-rank adventurers' of noble lineage walked around with half a city's wealth embedded in their armor and weapons.
"Eye color?" the Sorceress asked.
"Orange."
"Gray hair, orange eyes." She breathed in, one of the more obvious physical reactions she'd given so far, and that made Soren suddenly nervous. "Okay. I'll go see what's happening with that, too, then."
"…excellent." Soren pushed down his curiosity. It was the job of a Guard Captain to keep himself informed, but matters between dragons and heroes of legend were something he would rather not involve himself and the city guard in. "Let me know if you need anything, Lady Vivisari. We'll begin clearing out the town square. Should be ready within the hour, as I said."
"Thank you. That's it?"
"Yes, my lady."
Without lingering, she turned and left, her apprentice shadowing her.
Soren leaned back and let the tension of the meeting drain from him. That hadn't been so bad. Just… there went the Sorceress, off to speak with a dragon.
He closed his eyes and prayed that the city wouldn't be on fire before next bell.
***
Once Vivi stepped out onto the street, thankfully free from the guardhouse and all the staring eyes within, Saffra immediately snorted at her side.
"Ha. A dragon?" the catgirl said. "Not going to make that mistake again. What do you think it really is, Lady Vivi?"
Taking a casual pace through the streets toward the Adventurer's Guild, Vivi mulled over the question. She was unsure how to answer.
"Because it can't be a dragon," Saffra insisted. "I know there's stories about that kind of thing, but they're just stories." She stole a hesitant look at Vivi. "…right?"
"It's very rare," Vivi half-agreed. "They're isolated to the Sky-Pillar Range by the Dragon King's own decree. That doesn't mean no one will ever disobey him, doubly so for wild dragons." Since not every dragon evolved human levels of intelligence, only some.
Saffra seemed pleased by Vivi's answer. Vivi could imagine why, and it was an entertaining enough idea that she had to stifle a smirk. Probably, the girl was taking satisfaction in how if even the levelheaded Guard Captain of Prismarche had jumped to the outrageous explanation of 'dragon in disguise,' then surely her own embarrassing misconception earlier—having mistaken Vivi for one—hadn't been that silly after all.
"That said, I imagine exceptions do happen," Vivi said idly as they walked down the busy street. "Official business, sanctioned expeditions for one reason or another. She is looking for the Sorceress." That seemed like a mission the Dragon King might allow under the right circumstances.
"She's looking for the mysterious mage who was in Prismarche two weeks ago," Saffra pointed out. "If she wanted the Sorceress, wouldn't she be in Meridian?"
Vivi conceded the point. "I'm really not sure what's going on. We'll find out soon." The description the Captain had given was what gave Vivi the most pause about this situation. Gray hair and orange eyes. Surely not?
She shook her head to clear it. "The Guard Captain doesn't seem like someone to jump to conclusions."
"Yeah… but she's not a dragon," Saffra said. "I mean, if she was, and she's here on official business, then there's no way she'd have given herself away that fast. Apparently, it took like two days for the city guard to be 'almost certain' she's a dragon. That would be wildly incompetent, right? Something else is going on."
Another compelling piece of logic, Vivi had to admit. But dragons were just people like everyone else, and everyone had their flaws.
Heck, it wasn't like Vivi could count secrecy among her strengths.
***
Vulkarius is going to eat his words when I see him next, Embralyne thought smugly. Really, 'not the best with subtlety,' he says? Hah! I'm practically one of them already.
Indeed, she had taken on this human persona with the unparalleled expertise she displayed in all things. She'd spent a full three days in this city, mingling with its people, and nobody had the slightest inkling of who she was, much less what she was. Her stealth mission so far could be described as nothing short of a dazzling success.
As if anything except success were possible when she, Princess Embralyne Valeriana de Caldaros, was involved.
"And so there I was, three Mirewalker Bears surrounding me, having appeared as if from thin air. One working arm, half-delirious and barely able to stand, with nothing but a shattered sword and my wits," she said gravely, sweeping her gaze out across her audience and savoring the way they hung on her every word. Not only was she a master at blending in with these mortals, but she could charm them effortlessly, too.
She took a long drink from her tankard, letting the tension of her last statement build. Like all of the stories she'd shared, the core of the tale was true, though she'd changed the details to make sense for her human identity—yet more proof of her unequaled skill in subterfuge, thinking on her feet so readily.
"And how did you escape, Lady Ember?" one of the younger-looking humans asked eagerly, brown eyes wide.
Not as enthusiastic as the boy, an older man said, "Mirewalker Bears? Never heard of those, and I'm from the Eastern Kingdom."
She paused, then haughtily waved her hand. "And you've read every bestiary in the lands, have you, human?"
His dubious look doubled… and turned suspicious. She wasn't sure why. "Not all of them, but quite a few."
She shrugged. "They're fodder beasts, barely worth speaking of. Twenty feet tall or so, black fur like razors," she said dismissively. "Minor water affinity. Rather inconsequential for anything but a fledgling." Er… wait. She was supposed to be pretending these monsters were a threat. She'd scaled the story down to fit this identity, but for a weakling, a Mirewalker Bear would be more than slightly dangerous. "For the me of the present, I mean," she coughed, perfectly salvaging the mistake.
"Twenty feet tall," the man repeated flatly.
"Quite." She didn't understand why his eyebrows were raised so high, and those of many others in the audience too. Had she said something wrong? The man pointedly looked at the gold badge on her chest, but she wasn't sure what that meant.
"Though I am… exaggerating, slightly?" she hedged.
"But how did you escape, Lady Ember?" the adolescent boy from earlier repeated enthusiastically, leaning forward in fascination. Gratefully, Ember hurried past whatever had created those doubtful looks in her listeners. She launched into her continuation of the tale, and the skeptical expressions were erased in moments; she enraptured her audience once again. There wasn't a thing in the world Princess Embralyne Valeriana de Caldaros wasn't peerless in, but her charming personality truly was near the top of the list.
When she finished the riveting story, it was to cheers and applause all around. She preened under the attention, basking in their approval with the modesty and grace that were only expected of her esteemed lineage.
Except… the sounds of adoration trailed off far too fast.
Indeed, rather than the usual flurry of questions that she should have received after the roar of applause ended, heads were turning away from her. Silence fell over the Adventurer's Guild.
Looking where everyone else had, she saw that two newcomers had arrived. Ember blinked in surprise. It was a demon and a beastkin, both of them fledglings. Though there was an aura of casual assuredness draped around the demon that didn't fit on a child—Ember reevaluated that first impression. Not a fledgling after all. In fact, primal instincts stirred as those red eyes fell onto her.
Dangerous? they whispered, unsure.
The notion was absurd, and she shook it away. Dangerous? she thought with mild outrage. Nothing in this entire city could pose a threat to her. Where had that silly feeling come from? She must have imagined it.
As she scrutinized the short woman more closely, a realization hit her like a boulder.
Oh, no, she thought with dread.
Short demon. White hair and curled horns. Black robes. With a red-haired cat beastkin accompanying her.
She knew who this was. How could she not? And her appearance was a worst-case scenario. Because…
Because the pesky mage had just been an excuse!
What did Ember care about some random rumor of a 'dragon on the loose'? They received dozens of reports like that every year. Though admittedly, not many with a shred of substance behind them, much less enough to warrant an investigation. Mortals were always shouting about the most outrageous things imaginable.
Rather, Ember had used the possibility of a rogue, intelligent dragon as justification to sneak into mortal lands without overtly breaking any laws. Which meant she didn't actually want to track down the source of that rumor. If she received proof that this demon wasn't a dragon—which would obviously be the case—then Ember would no longer have her excuse.
This development jeopardized everything. Her hand wandered up to brush the gems of the Divine Treasure hanging around her neck. While her real mission might be unnecessary—while it might have come from paranoia or misjudgment—she had no intention of abandoning it. Of possibly any dragon in existence, she might escape Father's wrath for defying one of his laws outright, but she didn't want to test that idea. Not at all. She had no idea how much leniency, if any, he would show.
Her thoughts turning to Papa made her spirits dip. Ultimately, he was the reason she'd left her homeland. He… hadn't been right recently, and she wasn't imagining it, no matter what others said.
Refocusing, Ember glared at the newcomer. She couldn't allow this blasted demon to ruin everything. What was she even doing here? She'd supposedly left town two weeks ago—why was she suddenly back?
Essentially the entire Adventurer's Guild had turned to look at the small, pale woman. Red eyes cast around the room, not bothered in the slightest. Though a grimace might have flickered across her features. Maybe Ember imagined it.
The demon strode forward, gaze turning back to firmly lock onto Ember. Princess Embralyne Valeriana de Caldaros would never feel intimidated by a puny mortal; no such emotion struck her, certainly not. But her spine stiffened, and she rose from her chair as if yanked upward by a firm hand.
The demon stopped a few feet from her.
"Can we speak?" a cool voice asked.
"Indeed, we shall," Ember responded, lifting her chin. "Follow me, demon." She spun on a heel and led them to the furthest corner of the Adventurer's Guild.
When she slid into her seat, Ember considered employing an anti-eavesdropping measure, but the demon mage did so first. She waved a hand and summoned a bubble of mana around the three of them.
Ember didn't so much as feel the spell's invocation, far less see the spell circle.
What?
Had… someone just snuck magic right in front of her eyes?
"We can speak safely," the demon said.
Ember stared witlessly for a moment, then shook off her shock. Clearly, she just hadn't been paying attention. Her halfdragon form might limit her mana-sensing abilities, but a random mortal, even a powerful one, couldn't mask their spellcasting from her.
At having that thought, Father's voice spoke unbidden in her mind. The world is wider and deeper than you will ever know, Little Cinder. Never pretend to understand it, not even in part.
She understood his point, obviously, but Father had grown dramatic in his old age. Whenever he could theatricalize, he would. She knew better: a simple explanation was the correct one, here. Either she hadn't been paying attention, or the mage hadn't cast a spell at all. Utilized some artifact or specialized skill. It would be disgraceful to so much as entertain the idea otherwise.
"Well, then," Ember said, narrowing her eyes at the unwanted complication. "I see you discovered that I've been inquiring into you. Wise, to submit yourself without delay. I am not a woman to be kept waiting."
Even as she spoke, her thoughts sprinted around inside her head. Every sentence they exchanged threatened her already flimsy excuse for being here, and she truly couldn't overstate how little she wanted to defy Father's decree more than she currently was. But she couldn't up and flee. Not only would that be undignified, it would also be shirking her duty to investigate. There would be no avoiding some level of insincerity there, but… she would figure out how to toe the line. A difficult task, but she was never one to shy from those.
So. How could she escape this conversation as fast as dragonly possible, while retaining doubt over the demon's identity?
Go on the offensive, she decided. That was always a winning strategy.