*Katerina's POV*

The city walls slowly disappeared into the distance. Thankfully, I still hadn't seen the dragon, and there were plenty of other people using the same road to keep me from standing out.

The sound of a dog fight had me looking ahead just as the brawling canines careened into a passing horse's legs. The chestnut horse reared, unbalancing the elderly lady riding it. Those walking nearby caught her as she tumbled off. One tried to grab the reins but missed when it bolted away from the snarling dogs beneath it.

As it got closer, I waved my arms and shouted, "Whoa!" I tensed up, ready to jump out of the way if it decided it wasn't going to stop. If thoroughly spooked, nothing would stop a fleeing horse.

The horse slowed down and tossed its head. It pranced nervously in place just long enough for me to grab the reins. It took me a bit to calm it and convince it to come with me without yanking its reins free again.

The dogs had been reclaimed by their owners and were being led away, and the others in the old woman's group were helping her to her feet and making sure she was okay. None of them had horses, but she wouldn't be able to make such a trip on foot.

As I got closer, the gray-haired woman leaned on a younger man's arm as she shuffled forward and said, "Thank you so much for catching her."

"It was no problem," I replied, passing the reins to a middle-aged man, who happened to be the closest one. "Are you okay?"

"Just bruises, I think."

A younger woman beside her commented, "We're heading to the city, so we'll get a healer to check her bones, just in case."

"Thank you for catching Giselle," another man said. "We'd be in trouble if she ran for the hills or if someone else took her. I know it isn't much, but please take this as our way of saying thanks."

"Oh, I wasn't hoping for payment..." I trailed off, trying to find a polite way to decline the battered bow and quiver of arrows he held out.

"Please take it. It's old, and I was planning to buy a new one at the market."

"Thank you," I said, giving in and accepting the gift. It had been years since I last shot a bow, but it could be useful during my travels.

With a brief nod, he turned to help the woman back into the saddle. To prevent her from trying to thank me again, I continued walking down the road as I inspected my new weapon. It had definitely seen a lot of use and had likely fed the family many nights. There were a dozen arrows in the small quiver, but as long as they didn't break, that should be enough.

The thought of grilled rabbit taunted me until I left the road to find a clump of trees to practice in. I picked the oldest arrow with the dullest tip to avoid ruining the others while practicing. I pulled the string to get an idea of how hard it was to draw, then took aim at a tree trunk.

The string sang as I released the arrow, but it completely missed the tree, striking another one to the side. I winced and went to retrieve my arrow for a second attempt.

My next shot was no better. Nor was the next. The third time, the arrow clipped the side of the trunk and took shelter in a thorn bush as if it were also hiding from my embarrassing aim. Stubbornly, I reclaimed the arrow and kept trying.

Ten minutes later, I still hadn't hit the tree I was aiming at and any observing rabbits were probably laughing themselves silly. So much for my daydream of being able to use the bow for hunting purposes.

Shaking my head, I put the arrow back into my quiver in resignation and returned to the road.

~

       As the sun dipped toward the horizon, I scanned the landscape again but still didn't see a decent camping spot or another village.

I had passed through a few villages, but there were no nearby camping areas and none of the inns had open rooms, so I was forced to keep going. Fields had given way to lanky trees that were so spread out it was hard to call it a forest.

In the distance, a section of slightly greener grass and leaves caught my attention. I narrowed my eyes as I tried to make out more details, eventually spotting a willow tree and other water-loving plants.

With the sun about to set, I was running out of options, so I left the road and began trudging through the waist-high greenery in hopes of finding a small creek. To my dismay, the trees and shrubs were growing on the edge of a previously-hidden lake.

I gazed at it from where I stood, but I had no way of knowing if the trampled grasses along the edges were from regular wildlife or left by deadly naga that might be waiting in ambush in the water. I wasn't about to take any chances, not when I'd seen my parents and sister killed by the scaly snake-like creatures.

Naga were extremely rare, but that was only because the dragons hunted them relentlessly. Unfortunately, the naga primarily lived in the water, out of the dragon's reach, and were just as persistent when it came to killing humans. Even if they weren't armed with the spears or tridents they usually carried, they were strong, and I was only armed with a dagger, belt knife, and my new bow, which barely counted as a weapon with my lousy aim.

Keeping an eye on the lake's smooth surface, I backed up until it was out of sight. Turning, I began jogging away, refusing to linger in the area just in case the lake had any sinister residents. Traveling at night was less than wise, but I wanted to find a camping spot with some dense brush so I could hear if anything approached during the night.

The light was rapidly disappearing by the time I spotted a denser section of trees. As I got closer, the ground ahead began sloping downward, and I slowed to a stop at the edge of a nearly vertical drop. I peered into the darkness and through shadowy trees, wondering if this was a hill or a valley.

I couldn't see how far down it went or how wide across it was, but if I found a level spot halfway down the slope, the steep sides would make it troublesome for anyone to sneak up undetected. Most valleys also had a creek flowing in or out, so I should also be able to find a safe water source nearby.

Moving quietly, I walked along the edge until I found a narrow dirt path. As I eased down the slope, the path widened and the ground wasn't nearly as steep. I sighed in relief since the sun had set some time ago, and the last dredges of light were disappearing from the sky above. Approaching voices made me dart off the path and duck into the long grasses between the trees.

"How long do these wards have to stand?"

"It'll take three days to complete the binding, so it's your choice how often you want to hike all the way up this hill. I plan to set mine for the full three days."

"Probably wise, although if we leave one of these amulets as an anchor, we won't have to come up here to recast the same spells."

"As long as nothing bigger than a fox gets in or out without us knowing, I don't care how you set your wards. Just make sure they're cast in such a way that I don't have to come up here again to recast my cloaking spell."

I barely breathed as the two men walked by without noticing me. A small glowing ball of light floated ahead of them as they discussed various casting and layering methods for their spells. The foreign words and phrases made it impossible for a non-mage to understand their exact plans, but it was clear that the entire valley was going to be surrounded by alarm wards very shortly.

My heart raced at the thought of being near mages casting spells, especially since these ones were trying to keep it a secret. They'd also mentioned some sort of binding spell. That alone made shivers go down my spine. Was there some sort of magic spring in this valley they were trying to claim for themselves? I wasn't sure, but I definitely didn't want to stick around while they cast that spell.

I glanced back, wondering if I could get out of the valley before they set the wards. My heart sank as I remembered how steep the upper slope was. There was no way I'd be able to climb up before they reached the top of the path. Was this valley big enough for me to hide for three days without being detected? Or was it possible to somehow bypass the wards?

Remaining in my grassy hideout, I strained my ears to listen to their discussion. As best I could tell, they only planned to use silent alarms and cloak them from another mage's senses. The spell would alert them when I left the valley and tell them exactly which spot I crossed, as well as that I was human, but that was it.

Judging by their huffing and puffing, they weren't used to much physical exercise. If I waited until dawn when I could see, I could run away and they'd likely be sleeping, or at the very least, down in their camp. I'd be able to reach the main road long before they would, and even that early, there would be other travelers heading to the city. I could blend in or hide nearby. It definitely wasn't the best plan in the world, but it was all I could come up with right now, and I did not want to be in this valley when they finished the binding spell.

As the voices faded out of my hearing, I decided to put more distance between me and the path they were using. As bad as my current plan was, getting caught on their return trip would be worse.

Keeping low, I eased between shrubs as quietly as possible. I peered through the leaves, trying to spot their camp so I could avoid it and get an idea of how far away it was from the edge of the valley.

I covered a yawn and kept moving through the greenery. How big was this valley? And where was the mages' camp? And why wasn't this place on my map? Had there been previous cloaking or aversion spells to keep people away? Casting such spells on a valley this big would take a lot of magic. What was so important down here that they needed to hide it and not just post guards?

The questions just kept piling up, but answers were nowhere to be found, and I certainly wasn't about to ask the mages. I double-checked my shields, but they were as strong as I could make them. I hoped it would be enough to avoid detection if they were using their mage senses to check for other magic users.

Finally, I saw the glow of several campfires below. I cautiously edged a bit closer, wondering how many people were here and if they had horses. If they did, they could probably catch up to me before I reached the road. I doubted they had mounts, or the two men wouldn't have trudged up that steep path on foot. But mages weren't the kind to walk from place to place, so I really needed to know what I was up against.

The ground sloped down steeply, giving me a height advantage and a bit more safety as I crept closer. I stepped over a log carefully, making sure nothing went rolling downhill.

"Makiel!" A voice shouted. "We need more light!"

I dropped to my knees in the grass as a precaution. One by one, a dozen balls of magelight appeared far above the ground and cast a soft amber glow on the valley below. Thankfully, the shadows under the trees were still dark enough to hide me.

The light glittered across a small lake and illuminated a dozen tents near the campfires. On the other side of the clearing, a massive red mound dwarfed the tents.

My breath caught in my throat when I realized it was a dragon. As if a dozen mages with dubious intentions weren't bad enough, they had somehow captured a dragon. Its bared teeth glinted in the light as a huge net kept it pinned to the ground so tightly it could barely move.

The ropes and netting trapping it were obviously magical, or it would have broken loose or attacked with its claws and magic. A dozen mages didn't stand a chance against an enraged dragon unless it was completely out of magic, and judging by the subtle glow in the depths of its eyes, it had plenty to spare.