Zikee winced, lava pouring through her veins as she bit down hard.
“Alright. That’s it, Kiki.”
She immediately spit out the stone gag, a bit of soreness lingering as she tried to stand but no real pain hindering her any longer. She rubbed her back with a grumble as Andiz handed her sword back.
“So you’re a healer and a gambler?” Ty asked, watching them both. “You certainly handled the duet better than I would have expected, Andy.”
Andiz smiled.
“I’m a former guild hand, Ty. Alchemic studies, to be exact. I’ve dealt with many experiences that were quite interesting.”
His voice trailed off as he said the last words, eyes briefly locking with Zikee’s. She smiled back wistfully. He’d been so high-strung back then, almost like a string of rope just begging to be snapped. And she’d taken great pleasure in giving it that final tug.
“Anyhow, I appreciate your cooperation here, Ty. Your dragon blood worked wonders to counteract the poison.”
The halfling shrugged. “Just don’t expect me to take needles anytime soon.”
Given their dire situation, they’d had to rely on the properties of Ty’s draconic side to neutralize Zikee’s poisoning. It was something Andiz taught her when they’d first started hunting together. The blood of a dragon carried rare nutrients not found in many other substances, which made it valuable for elixirs and antidotes. Though painful to inject, having it swimming through her bloodstream worked to minimize the poison’s effects enough for her to walk again.
“Exposure to the open air should help accelerate the process. I’ll do a more thorough healing once we’re out of this dungeon.” Andiz gave her a serious look. “Please don’t try to pick a fight until then, Kiki.”
Her response was a shrug. Even with her body no longer deteriorating, she still had no access to magic. The duet’s gaseous substance had no reaction to dragon’s blood. Perhaps it was a spell of some kind. A blessed miasma, perchance? Ty pushed the thought aside as Ty began to transform, her wings sprouting wide and body enlarging.
Within moments she had taken on her more monstrous dragon form, though she had to bend at an unnatural angle to avoid breaking through the ceiling.
“Listen to Andy, Big One,” Ty said, her claw lowering for both of them.
Even though she didn’t have a choice, Zikee kept her guard raised as she climbed aboard.
“I’m only trusting you for now, halfling. Drop us and our contract ends.”
A deep gurgle came out from Ty’s body, reverberating the walls of their cramped prison.
“Yes yes,” her voice thrummed. “Do not fear. The feeling is mutual. Except for you, Andy.”
The giant dragon winked, which Andiz seemed unsure how to respond to. Was she trying to pick a fight? Zikee disregarded the taunt as Ty leapt skyward, dragging them all with her. It took little effort to break the ceiling, pieces of rubble crashing around them.
Given it had taken some time to synthesize an antidote from Ty’s blood, Zikee didn’t expect the Dragon Duet to be near. Even so, they did a quick sweep of the night to be on the safe side. All the guards who’d been knocked out by Andiz’s spell were nowhere to be found. Nor did they spot any dragon tracks.
“Looks like we really scared them off, Kiki. We should make ourselves scarce as well before the guilds take notice.”
Though she hated the idea of letting prey escape, Zikee knew her husband was right. A giant green dragon soaring through the night sky was not something onlookers would miss, especially after having seen two others flying by minutes beforehand.
“Ty, do you remember the way to our house?” Andiz asked.
The gurgling noise echoed once again.
“Of course, Andy. I have a natural sense of direction.”
With those words, she arced through the air, a cool summer’s breeze blowing across Zikee’s face in the process.
Even as she didn’t expect the halfling to drop them any time soon, she clung to Andiz for safety. And partially protection. Something about the way the halfling spoke made her more cautious than usual. It might have been her imagination, but it almost seemed like the halfling had taken a shine to her husband. She’d need to learn her place soon enough.
***
By the time word spread about the Dragon Duet’s home being ransacked, Kison had become flooded with guild members and watchdogs. As expected, nobody took the news of multiple dragons in their small trading town lightly. Still, with all the new activity, it made for better trades for Andiz to come home with while they were laying low and gathering more rumors.
“Kiki, great news!” her husband said as he came home one day, running with bags in his hand. “I have a tip. And some lamb chops, though I’d imagine the former would be more pressing.”
As he started unpacking, Zikee noticed a glint of light through the window, her teeth clicking in annoyance. They’d told Ty to lay low, but the halfling insisted on hunting in draconic form regardless.
“It’s about our founder friend, Qui Valentina. Rumor has it she’s expanded her search. She’s put out a few requests to the guilds for assistance.”
“She’s that wealthy?” It shouldn’t have come as a surprise given how many labs Project Ranger possessed, but to hire the guilds directly was still no small feat. Even with all their savings combined she and Andiz would barely afford to hire out one guild hand, let alone multiple at once. “Is it only here?”
Andiz shook his head. “It’s just like with the posters. Everywhere from here to Revanie she’s been offering rewards for information.”
“She must be truly desperate.”
The front door slammed open, Zikee reflexively brandishing her sword for battle, though she lowered it as she saw a partially naked halfling holding up her hands in surrender. Ty was fortunate they needed her experience. Zikee sighed, sheathing her weapon.
“Hey, Ty,” Andiz waved. “We-“
“What part of laying low did you miss, halfling?”
Andiz’s joy deflated a tad, but Zikee never took her eyes off Ty, who was beaming like she’d just won the Grand Joust, a hand on her exposed hip.
“It’s called scouting, Big One,” she said. “And you should thank me. It’s thanks to my efforts I managed to find traces of our lost dancing couple.”
Zikee couldn’t hide the briefest surprise that crossed her, which Ty seemed to notice immediately, her grin spreading like wildfire.
“You found Angel and Sky’s tracks?” Andiz asked.
“Mhmm. Leave it to a halfling to find another halfling.”
“And you’re sure you weren’t following a wild dragon?” Zikee asked.
Ty seemed a bit agitated by that, though she tried to hide it behind her usual smile. Zikee had spent more than enough time with her interrogations to notice when someone was putting on a farce.
“Yes,” Ty said. “A wild dragon would mark its territory with saliva or urine or some other scent marker. A halfling may do the same, though it would be more compulsion than anything. We are human, after all. So our tracks tend to be more, for lack of a better word, classy. We keep our urges regulated. We value our privacy. It’s not something I imagine normal folk would-“
“A dragon is a dragon.”
Ty’s smile faltered, Zikee simply sitting back in her chair.
“Pretty it up if you’d like, but it just sounds like you’re describing that very notion.”
She scanned the halfling over a moment, noting how she always tended to wander around either fully or partially naked. In any other circumstance, one would call such carelessness savagery. But even in Zikee’s old tribe, they had standards to live by. Lines they didn’t cross. It was what separated humans like them from the wild beasts of the forest.
Looking at Ty, she couldn’t help but wonder where on the spectrum she fell. The halfling closed her eyes a moment, taking a small breath.
“Would you mind if I asked you a question, Big One?”
“I would.”
Ty didn’t seem the type to take that response, and sure enough, she was asking anyhow moments later.
“Why do you have such a grudge against me?” she asked. “Or dragons in general? Us halfings? The founders I can understand, but us...We’re as much victims in all this as you are.”
Zikee scoffed.
“So says the woman who can sheer through a village with her claws.”
“As could you, I imagine.” Ty’s smile disappeared completely. “Was it not because of my draconic nature you were spared death?”
Zikee glanced to Andiz, deciding it better to be honest.
“It was. I’d be a fool to claim otherwise. That doesn’t mean I have to suddenly like having a dragon in my house.”
“A dragon with the blood of a human! A human who was forced to become draconic, mind you. Do you also blame the wolves for being born with fangs? Do you blame the bears for being born with claws?”
“A bear chooses to kill regardless of circumstance. That blood is on their hands.”
“It’s a bear!”
“And you’re a-“
She was moments from attempting to strangle a dragon when she felt a small tug, Andiz, holding her wrist as tightly. The healer wasn’t looking at either of them, but Zikee could feel the emotion in his gaze.
“Please drop this line of questioning, Ty,” he said. “It won’t end well.”
His words were barely above a whisper, but they made both the halfling and Zikee deflate slightly. The latter put a gentle hand on his, giving him a reassuring nod. He finally let her go then.
“You said, you found tracks?” Andiz asked. “Can you please show them to us?”
Ty met his gaze hesitantly, giving a small nod in response. Neither she nor Zikee spoke another word as the halfling led them to the Dragon Duet’s trail.
