'No it's not the same' Ava said as relief washed over me knowing she was awake.
I stood up and hid underneath a larger boulder.
Unlike before when we are attacked and the children screamed giving away their position.
Yuit, Leen and Fooya all moved swiftly towards the nearest cover while waiting for instructions from Alia and Rumi.
'They don't even realize how obedient they are being' I thought to myself as I watched their silhouettes disappear.
Sure enough a whistle gives away Rumis position and all of us converged on the spot.
Seeing his silhouette moving we chase after it.
My dagger is drawn silently as I run through the wide winding roads that are made from hundreds of years of merchant travel.
We run east, away from the beasts roar.
'If it's making noise it already got its first kill' I thought as I got close to Rumi.
Alia is waiting for us atop a ledge that we climbed up to and used the thin trees and other rock protrusion as cover.
As the sun rose on a new day its morning light revealed a torn up scene.
Portions of the caravan have been destroyed but I couldn't see the extent of the damage due to the angle in which we hid.
"I told you that urchin is bad luck" Alia said while standing high above the children and leaning on a rock face, watching the beast above.
It was a scaly red with wide membrane wings and a thin neck half as long as it's body.
"Right, it's his fault that Undia was attacked the day we arrived there as well" Rumi scoffed.
"This is good for us, the merchants will be desperate to get across and will speed up' he muttered.
"They might even dump their wares or pay us for escort" Rumi smiled thinking of the mana stones he could collect from these stingy merchants.
"Have you ever travelled this road before"? Alia asked.
"Never, my 'Right of Passage' was in the south in the battlefield not collecting some whelps".
Alia sneered "Well there is need for your services, why don't you go back to your beloved battlefield".
"All in do time young one" Rumi jumped down and landed gently where we are hiding.
"Come on out, that thing won't be coming back for a while".
"How do you know that"? Leen asked.
"Because it ate it's fill already" Rumi said while sliding down the rest of the mountain side.
I follow behind Yuit but only after I make sure I have Alia in my sites.
'Why is she so angry' Ava asked.
'I believe all the mages who came on that flying vessel are part of House Kiseson'.
"She probably believes I was found by another mage and decided to serve them instead'.
'Is your service so important' Ava asked.
I smiled, 'Never underestimate the power of the human resource'.
"What are you smiling about" Rumi asked turning his head to me.
"I am just grateful to be alive and to have met you all again' I replied.
"Mmm I am sure you are" he said glancing at the blades hanging from my back.
"Those blades are from Luca are they not"?
I shrugged, "I don't know the mage who found me gifted them to me".
Alias face contorted into a grimace but she did not turn around and look at me.
'Lying little vermin, I swear if you are serving another house, association laws be damned I will end you' she thought to herself.
As we get closer the travelers are even more wary of us thinking anyone unfamiliar to be after their merchandise.
'A merchant who isn't wary is usually dead' I told Ava when she asked me why they gave us such harsh looks.
Fooya slowed down a bit and her gaze wandered.
A body had been picked up, gutted and dropped back on the ground making it look like a watermelon that had been dropped from the fourth floor of my high school science building.
Leen held her hand and urged her onwards as the mages never stopped or slowed down for anyone.
'I don't remember them being so close' I thought taking note of how Leen supported Fooya.
Before Leen looked at me and all the other Olim children like trash.
'Funny what a few months in the wild can do for someone' I can understand why they choose this method to find the right candidates.
Not only does it weed out the ones who are not serious or who want to be carried throughout life, but it also helps to turn the ones who do make it into obedient mages who won't hesitate to receive a commands.
Only a few people have been attacked and the rest callously walk past them heading west towards the Little Mountain.
High above I can see the beast still moving in circles around the mountain ranges.
"Seems the beast is not done menacing these lands" Rumi sighed as he followed my gaze upwards.
Slowing down we follow the pace of the Skiles in front of us.
"It is rare to see one dragon-kin, but two in the same venture... ahh our luck is quite bad is it not"
"What are dragon-kin" I asked.
"It's as it sounds, they have the blood of the ancient dragons" Rumi replied.
He sounded calm like he wasn't being eyed by a predator the size of Oskana but he was starting to get bothered by the fact that the beast hasn't moved on.
It would disappear only to reappear hours later circling the mountain ranges.
Night came too quickly for the merchants who began to make larger groups attempting to secure shelter together.
The more experienced ones broke down their merchandise and hide with it knowing the others are just making themselves larger targets.
That night all our stomachs performed a symphony but I heard no whispers or complaints as I did before.
Only a solemn understanding that they would be left behind or worse if they did not pay attention.
"Ill take first watch" Yuit said with hollow cheeks underneath his eyes that looked to be carrying the baggage of a thousand men.
"You should let Ambrose take the whole night; he has been under the care of some other Mage" Leen said pointing towards me with a small smile.
"Mind your tongue, our hero Ambrose has crossed Death Valley and conquered the beasts throughout" Yuit chimed.
"He slayed a bloody path through countless Um just to reach our side once more" Fooya giggled.
The way they bantered made it clear how much they have went through together.
"I don't mind, get some rest" I said while sitting with my back to the wall.
I couldn't rest anyway I looked over to my right where the two mages are perched high above and I make eye contact with Alia.
'I hope she doesn't become a problem' I thought.
'Are you going to do it' Ava asked.
'Probably' I replied as I dragged my gaze away from her and to the snake like beast that could be seen in the far off horizon.