*Katerina's POV*

Randel plodded beside me, still sulking and thoroughly convinced the miners would mistake him for one of their own. I had apologized and told him his clothing wasn't that dirty, but he just ignored me. I was still having trouble believing that I had thrown damp dirt at a dragon rider – with the dragon present! – and was still unharmed.

When the village came into view, I had an entirely new set of worries to contend with. The biggest problem actually being the rider beside me, or rather, his superior attitude. It had disappeared around me, but when we passed two other travelers, the haughty expression had returned.

After making sure no one was around, I stopped. "We need a plan. We can't go in together."

"We find people and ask questions. How hard can it be?"

"The miners won't talk if you just walk up to them like that. We need to be more subtle..." I trailed off, realizing that the word would never apply to this man, regardless of how hard he tried.

With a sigh, he crossed his arms and waited impatiently.

I pursed my lips as his pose reminded me of a certain group of people I always avoided in my travels. "Have you ever talked to a tax collector before?"

"They don't bother dragon riders," he said, like the answer should have been obvious.

"Well, you're not dressed like a rider now. Surely you had to pay taxes at some point."

"Yeah..."

I shrugged out of my backpack and started digging through it. "Okay, dust as much of that lingering dirt off your clothing as you can so it looks like you tried to be clean. You're going to pretend to be a tax collector and ask the person in charge for the receipts. Here's some paper and a pencil. Also be sure to ask how much the guest houses have made, how many travelers are in them now, and what they're paying. They'll charge a mage more since they always have money. Write down the details – you can write, right?"

"Of course," he told me indignantly.

"No offense meant. Most can't. I bet only a handful of people in this entire place can even read." That seemed to appease him, so I continued, "Don't ask about the mages. Just about tax papers and the amount the guest houses are bringing in. You'll go into the town ahead of me, and I'll see if I can get more details out of the miners. Pretend you don't know me if we walk by one another. Does that make sense?"

"I guess. What do I do if they haven't paid their taxes?"

Did this guy have no creativity to speak of? Apparently not... "Ask about anything that might make them money. Especially those guest houses – oh, and ask about expenses, like mage spells. Then tell them you'll send someone back later to collect the money. Talk for as long as you can."

"Okay. Is that it?"

"I think so. Good luck," I told him. He was going to need it.

With paper, pencil, and attitude in hand, he paraded toward the town in a fashion that made me wonder if he had actually been a tax collector at one point. After giving him a head start, I wandered down the road, slightly dragging my footsteps like I had been traveling for hours on end.

By the time I wandered into the village, Randel was being ushered into the biggest building in town. With him out of the way and occupied, I looked around, hoping for inspiration or an opportunity.

"Can I help you, Miss?" a woman asked as she hung damp clothing on a clothesline.

"Are there any places to eat?" I asked politely. "I wouldn't mind resting for a few hours after the walk here."

"Guest houses are empty if you want a bed," she replied, "and I have some freshly baked buns inside."

"Those sound lovely. How much are you asking? I don't have much coin on me. Would a rabbit pelt work?"

"Four buns if it's tanned well."

After pulling out the pelt, which wasn't "tanned well enough", I received three buns. Instead of her lingering outside for gossip like I'd hoped, she bid me a good day and said I could rest on her porch steps if I wanted.

So much for that attempt.

I stuck the buns in my backpack and continued wandering through the town. I examined the guest houses from a distance, but all four had a wooden sign with a vacant symbol hanging from the door handle. Could the mages be staying in a less obvious spot?

My gaze drifted to a mine entrance just outside the village, where a handful of men pushed a loaded cart along the tracks. The wheels squealed in protest as they pushed it to a large building where more men were coming out to pull it inside.

The men who had been pushing it began heading toward town while dusting themselves off. I quickly scanned my surroundings and guessed they would be heading to a raised horse trough with rather murky water. I quickly went over and sat on a stump near it and took a slow drink from my waterskin, as if resting in an out-of-the-way spot.

My intuition had been correct; the men came over and began splashing the water on their faces and arms. If Randel thought his clothing had been dirty, he clearly hadn't seen a miner up close. The dirt and dust were caked onto their clothing to the point where layers were actually flaking off when they moved.

When they began drying themselves off with rags from under the trough, I commented, "There was a dragon flying around to the south yesterday. Did it pass by here too?"

"That big green one? Yeah, it flew by a couple of times. Had a rider on its back too."

"Was it lost?" I asked, tilting my head as if puzzled. "I saw it several times as well. Haven't seen it today though."

"Doubt it. Seemed like it was looking for something."

"Or someone," another man muttered, glancing back at the mine entrance.

As much as I wanted to ask what he meant, I gingerly tiptoed around the subject. "Strange. I wonder what a dragon might be looking so hard for."

The first man shrugged. "Dunno." His tone pointedly said the topic was over.

"What's the closest village to the north? Any idea if they will have rooms available?" I asked, picking questions that many travelers had likely asked in the past.

"Adacanth is the next place," the man replied more amiably. "Not sure about rooms. Nine mages raced through on horses and might have taken up all the rooms there or in another village. If you stay here, my wife owns a guest house and the rates are good if you want to spend the night. She has a leg of mutton on the fire if you're looking for dinner."

The subtle push was typical in a small village with limited income, especially when a relative could make some coin. I politely declined, "Sorry, but it's only noon, so I'm sure I can reach at least one more village. The day seems nice so far."

"Hot as it is, we'll be getting a storm one of these nights," the second man commented. "In the meantime, enjoy your stay."

"Thank you."

The men dispersed to various houses, likely in search of lunch. I sat for a while longer as if enjoying the scenery when I was actually watching the mine. A few more men went in and out, but none wore the typical mage robes.

Nine mages had ridden north, so at least I had discovered that much. And one man's comment indicated that "someone" was hiding in the mine. But where were the others? There had been at least eleven, maybe twelve.

I rose to my feet and went to see if I could find someone else willing to talk. While walking, I found another traveler watering their mule near a well.

"Did you come from the north?" I asked. "How are the roads?"

"Good enough. The road is dry although some spots have a lot of wagon ruts."

"Did you see that big group of mages that went by?"

"See them? They practically ran me off the road the way they charged down the middle!"

"Seemed to be in a hurry. Nine, I think I counted."

"T'was nine of them. Their horses were lathered, so unless they got new mounts at their next stop, they wouldn't be going far."

A bit more chatting let me ferret out which village he had been near. After a few more pleasantries and wishing him a good trip, I went back to searching for a talkative local.

Over half of the buildings seemed to be bunkhouses for workers, who were likely in the mines. Most villages were usually bustling with women and children going about daily tasks, but there was a startling lack of them in this mining setup.

As I walked by a building, the window beside me opened and Randel asked, "Can I leave yet?"

"Give me a bit more time," I whispered, peeking past him and relaxing slightly when I saw that he was in an empty office with papers everywhere. "Nine mages went north, and I think at least one is in the mine shaft, but I'm still trying to figure out where the others are. The guest houses are empty."

"Look what I found," he said in a hushed whisper as he leaned over and picked up a mining pickaxe. "They have a dragon toothpick here!"

If he hadn't been completely serious, I would have chuckled. All I could do was stare at him in disbelief.

The door behind him opened, and he quickly turned around, hiding the pickaxe behind him. I ducked down and kept going, glancing around to make sure no one had seen the evasive motion. The couple of people within sight were all facing different ways. With a sigh of relief, I kept going.

Randel's voice boomed out the still-open window, "I see at least three mine entrances and two full carts already being wheeled down. How do your records say you only get four cartloads every day?"

At least three flustered voices tried to answer at once. I roamed the streets trying to find someone to gossip with, but I came up empty-handed. Most of the people I passed were working and didn't want an interruption. Others were coming or going and had a purpose to their step.

I sat on a log bench and gazed around the town, wondering how many more times I could walk up and down the streets without arousing suspicion. The door to the large building opened as two men shepherded Randel out with far too much bowing.

He frowned at them and looked around, his eyes landing on me. I flicked my fingers toward the road. His gaze moved back to the men.

"Fine. Do a recount. I'm not happy about having to walk back down that road and waste the rest of my day, so your records better match their books when I return!" Without waiting for their reply, he stormed off down the road.

I decided another slow lap around the town wouldn't hurt, especially if it got me out of the men's sight at the moment. I took my time visiting the latrine and the water pump, and when I couldn't find another excuse to delay, I went back to the road.

The third man had come out of the building, and all three were still on the porch talking and waving their hands around in agitation. Since the men were keeping an eye on the road going south in case the hot-tempered tax collector returned, I walked the other direction. Randel had all the information I gathered, and it wouldn't hurt my feelings if Rakota conveniently forgot about me.

As the village disappeared from sight, I dug around in my backpack and pulled out a trail ration. It was probably best if I kept them hidden when Randel was around since he'd probably eat several in one sitting. As I chewed, the birds sang cheerfully in the trees, creating a peaceful ambiance.

I pulled out one of the buns and thoroughly enjoyed the fluffy bread. Just as I finished it, a rather large shadow crossed the road ahead. Rakota circled around and landed behind me.

"Get on. Randel and Andar are already heading back to interrogate the leaders and find out how many mages are in those mines. We're going to attack before they have time to get prepared."

I froze mid-step. "Uh, how about I just keep walking and we go our separate ways? Or you can find me later?"

He leveled a glare at me. "Get. On. Or I'll carry you in my hands. Pick."

My throat went dry, not liking either of those options. I did not want to be around dragons or mages while they were casting spells or fighting!

A growl began forming in his chest, and his eyes narrowed in his growing annoyance. I couldn't convince my feet to move. When he lowered his head, I squeezed my eyes shut and waited, unable to move. Silence fell and hot dragon breath blew down from above.

"Last chance."

I didn't want to be carried, and it was everything I could do to make my feet move, refusing to look up at the head right above me. Once I reached his side, my previous experience kicked in like an automatic reflex, letting me climb up without falling.

The harness was barely secured before he leapt into the sky with powerful wingbeats. It didn't help the dread settling in my heart.