Traveling with the dwarves actually turned out to be a relatively stress-free affair. Talia was never asked to perform any tasks other than guide them in the darkness. She was definitely not going to complain. More than that they kept their chitter-chatter to a minimum when she would get tense. In the week or so that they had been traveling together they had gotten good at spotting her mood shifts.
It was the last night they would be traveling before they reached Amethyst Cove. She anticipated that they would arrive in the late afternoon or early evening at the city gates. From there she knew a few of the more unclean Inns that would gladly shelter them from the light of the public. With her face in the shape it was in they definitely did not need extra attention. Especially with the prince of dwarves in the group.
"Do you think they will have Thunder-Rooks?" Grimor asked in the background. She wasn't certain if he was trying to address her or what Thunder-Rooks even were. Obviously some sort of Dwarven thing. When no one offered an answer she sighed,
"Most cities this far away from your homeland will not have anything dwarven related. They don't have an open trade line with the united Dwarven kingdoms either. If they do have any dwarven crafts in their markets it'll be third party stuff." Not to mention most cities had outlawed dwarven presence within their borders.
"You're not wrong there. We'll have to be careful not to have a large presence within the city. Allow Nico or Talia to perform most of the shopping while we head to the underground to gather information and plan our next move. I plan to be there only four days, a week at the most. Rest, recover, but don't go throwing around money. Leave that to our guardians." Bromyr spoke with conviction as his followers all grunted in agreement.
"I don't 'throw around money' you oafish dwarf." Talia growled as she turned her head. Bromyr flashed her a grin, his dark eyes glittering in mirth. She rolled her eye and turned back to the road. What was she going to do with them? If they even touched an ounce of ale they'd be asses to the wind.
"Then toss it giantess, or drop it... Or..." He hummed, scratching his beard as they marched. She rolled her eye again. She'd roll her eye clean out if they kept up making jokes. And she only had one left.
"I'll do what I very well please. Besides, we shouldn't spend a lot here. It'll draw attention, even to me. And this isn't the kind of city you want to be seen most of the time." She squinted at the sky and tried to imagine just how badly things could go if they were discovered by pirates. Something like a dragon egg could fetch unimaginable riches to the man brave enough to risk taking it. Her fingers clenched on the reins as she ground her teeth. If anyone tried to take it from her they'd burn to ashes before they could even fathom the pain they were in. Before they could even scream.
"You look tense Hound, is something bothering you?" Grimor piped up from the back. He was always the most observant, almost terrifyingly so. Grimor was always able to pinpoint Talia's mood even in the darkness. She released her grip and relaxed back into the saddle with a soft sigh.
"Of course. Just tired, we're almost done for the night." The moons were nearly touching the distant mountains. They were so close to disappearing and allowing N'Kalla's glorious orb of light to rise and reclaim the heavens once more. Talia hated the sunlight, but it was a necessary evil. They were all worn from their travels after all.
"We'll be arriving this evening right?" Bromyr spoke this time. Talia looked down the road as she calculated their travel so far. Were they so close already? Yes, she supposed. They had made great time.
"Can you see the city?" She looked to the skies again but Nico kept well hidden. For a minute there was only heavy silence but then he replied,
"Yes, it's still a pretty decent ride but if we leave as the sun is half way in descent we should be able to make it before sundown. I can fly ahead and reserve a room? What Inn should we stay in?" He sounded distant, as if he was barely able to keep up the connection.
"Do you think we should stay away from the shoreline? From the docks... If we want to be closer to the walls we should stay at the Opalescent Queen's Inn." She recalled the building well, not too pricey but it wasn't gutter trash either. Nico's laughter was still distant but Talia always felt relief in being able to contact him.
"I'll see to it then." He replied before cutting their communication. Good, at least that was taken care of. Then when they arrived she could get super drunk and pass out for a good while. She eyed the dwarves again wondering just what they would get up to. Could she really get wasted if she had to babysit? They were grown men, but they were strangers too. She couldn't guard men she hardly knew.
The few days they rode together had given her some valuable insight into them but it was hardly enough. All she knew was that Bromyr's word was law, Floki was the second in command and uncompromising, Grimor was the omega but he held the team together with his ingenuity. Rombier was a lot like Grimor, though their similarities ended at their status. Rombier was higher ranking, perhaps a personal guard to Bromyr if she had to guess. He was a more serious man even though he was the same age or close to Grimor. Killo was quiet and reserved as well as quite a bit older than the others. He was a smithy as well, though Talia had yet to see his talents unfold.
"This looks like as good a place as any to rest up for a few hours. Eat what little food we've got left..." Talia sighed, pawing at her meager stash of jerkies with a frown. It was hardly enough for her, she was already growing far too weak... But it was enough. The dwarves were in the same boat, their own bread, meats, and cheeses running terribly low. She was glad they had made such good time.
"Aye, so it is. Break formation men, lets pull out our bedrolls and rest for the night." He stopped his squad as Talia pulled Jax to a halt. The stallion nickered softly before huffing. She patted his neck softly with a smile, the poor creature was weary like the rest of them. And hungry too judging by his pinned back ears and saucy attitude.
"Alright big boy, I'll let you graze tonight, so long as you stay nearby." She warned him sharply as she dismounted and started to unsaddle him. He stamped his feet tiredly as she slipped off his headgear and replaced it with a fine leather halter. After that she slapped his rump playfully and he trotted off into the trees before stopping and putting his head down.
"You and that horse have a special connection no doubt about it." Floki nodded his head towards Jax as he started pulling apart some stale bread. Talia lay her saddle and blankets down off the road before digging out her sleeping pad and blanket.
"Aye, he's a special one." She called out as she set up her sleeping area. Her affections for Jax were unparalleled, he was her jewel and she would do anything to ensure he was safe and happy. She took special care in his diet when she could and always maintained his clean coat. She hoped that one day she could amass a few mares and start breeding some prime horses which her brothers and sisters could use.
As the dwarves settled in for a few hours of sleep she found herself sitting on her bed pile and staring at Bromyr's satchel. What she wouldn't do to hold that egg again... To feel the sparks race through her body. And the fire through her soul. In the time since Hephatus had told her that fate chose her to be the rider she couldn't stop thinking about holding the egg again. More than that every time she remembered the first moment her flesh touched it she couldn't shake the realization that the bond was real. She'd kill for it. And it hadn't even hatched yet.
The urge to hold it hounded her dreams. It hounded her thoughts. She was being consumed by it and she couldn't even talk to anyone about it. Sometimes she found her hands shaking with the need to just... Grab it. She hated herself for it. She sighed, rubbing her temples as she tried to bring herself to relax. Being so close to the satchel was slowly driving her crazy, she couldn't wait until she could distance herself from it in the city.
After a while she did finally manage to lay down and curl up under her blankets. With the sound of Jax eagerly munching in the distance, his heavy feet plodding every so often she managed to drift off into a fitful slumber dreaming of glittering scales and blinding fire.
***
By the time Talia's eyes opened she realized that the sun was finally starting to sink. The air was hot and the birds were chirping. She had managed to sleep through the hottest hours of the day so she wouldn't complain but she still felt as if it wasn't enough. Her face was throbbing and her vision was blurry but a few minutes of gently wiping at her good eye managed to fix it.
"Morning Hound, or should I say afternoon? Or maybe evening..." Grimor strode by her with an armful of his water skins. Talia nodded to him as he passed. He was the chatty one.
"I suppose at this point it hardly matters. It'll be night again soon enough." She was already eager for the shadows to envelope them, especially as they were getting closer to the city. Hiding a bunch of short squat little men could prove difficult. He smiled before heading down the road to find a water source.
"You up then?" Nico's voice surprised her, she blinked in response to the intrusion.
"You're a malignant little man." She replied sourly. She hated mornings so much. Actually if she was truthful it was waking up that she hated the most. Especially when chatty short men wanted to socialize with her.
"I've got rooms booked and I'm walking the city now. So far its as vibrant as I remember." He had a tone in his voice she couldn't place. Was he enjoying it? Would she? The last time they were there it was for a very brief time but she did recall the extravagancies she found there. Money could buy a lot of things, cool things, but more than that she loved seeing the diversity in people. Humans were far from the only people that inhabited the glittering city.
"Let us hope their wells of booze are as glittering as the seas. I need a stiff one." She retorted. Nico laughed and went on his way once more. She growled, she hoped he knew how serious she was. He could babysit while she got wrecked.
"Are we ready to go?" Bromyr asked as he came up to greet her. She closed her eye and sighed. Her saddle was still on the ground. Jax was still grazing. Was the dwarf more blind than she was?
"Of course let me just mount an invisible horse with an invisible saddle while leaving my sleeping mat on the ground." She smiled at him making sure to bare her sharpest teeth at him. He wasn't phased however as he answered with his own sarcasm,
"I do hope this invisible steed is as handsome as that Jax of yours." He winked before grabbing his satchel and pulling it off.
"What are you doing?" She hissed before trying to shove the strap back over his tiny little idiot head. Now was not the time to be playing with the dragon egg.
"Oh hush, I figure this is safest with you. Especially as we head into the city. No one will mess with you, and I have business I'd like to tend to. It's just... Peace of mind." He continued to hand it over while she continued to deny. If she laid hands on it she would never let it go. And that's what she desperately wanted.
"Please, you don't understand..." She tried, but he had already let it go as she caught it. It was already too late. He had let the hand of Fate slip it right into her grasp and she would never let him hold the egg again.
"Don't let it out of your sight Hound. The very fate of my kingdom rests on it, and perhaps every other kingdom." He didn't have to tell her twice. By the gods he didn't have to remind her twice. The feel of it in her hands was euphoric, the buzz of power addicting.
She carefully pulled the strap over her head desperate not to make skin contact with the shell of the egg. If she did that she was half afraid it would hatch then and there. And then what would she do? How would she hide it? Though if that was her fear she would have to consider how she'd hide a dragon anywhere, in or out of a city. But out of the city would be better.
"I'll do the best I can." It was all she could promise. Her life would lie between anything that wanted the egg, so the best she could do was hopefully damn worth it. With his apparent mission of the day done he left her to her once more. Sighing she started to pack her things and look for Jax who was thankfully not far away.
Getting him saddled and ready as always was not difficult. He came quickly to her whistle and waited patiently as she saddled and bridled him. She loaded her pack back onto the back of the saddle before tying it securely. After all was said and done she climbed up into the cold leather and waited for the dwarves to group up.
"Alright lead on." Bromyr called out after a few minutes of them arguing amongst themselves. She didn't care to hear what they were squabbling about, as long as it wasn't about how to knife her in her sleep. She rolled her eyes while nudging Jax down the road. Luckily during the majority of their time on the road there was very few people travelling. The road was old and overgrown so she knew there was very little traffic there to begin with, but hiding the dwarves was only going to become more difficult the closer they got to the city.
"Should you guys wear cloaks or something?" She ventured after the forest began to thin and their descent into the valley bottom and flatlands began. Soon they would merge onto the more used roadways and she still wasn't sure how well a band of dwarves would be received.
"Most coastal cities do not turn away a dwarven caravan, our trade could prove too valuable. They accept pirates after all. And you." Floki pointed out with a dark look on his face. Talia glowered at him but decided not to remark. He wasn't wrong, halflings were accepted readily within Amethyst Cove whereas in other cities they were not. Perhaps the dwarves would be free to walk about within the walls and she wouldn't have to bother with them.
"Well alright then. Lets go get set up in the city." She said it quietly enough that she didn't expect any of the dwarves to hear. She hoped Nico would already have a good sense of the land and where they could get things they needed quickly and cheaply. Then they could spend the rest of their time eating good food and getting very drunk.