"We have a visitor," Kendra announced loudly, rising to her feet. She thought that the woman might be a dryad, but she had no intention of confronting the stranger alone.
"I mean you no harm," the woman called, her voice musical and gentle.
Kendra heard her companions stirring in their sleeping bags.
"Who are you?" Kendra asked.
"Let me handle this," Gavin grumbled, crawling out of his sleeping bag and pulling on a coat.
Trask had a hand on his crossbow.
The woman stopped a few paces from Kendra. In her flat sandals, she stood more than six feet tall. "Have you no guess? We've met before."
"Nafia?" Kendra whispered.
The woman blushed. "I go by Nyssa in human form. I'm here to help."
Gavin came up beside Kendra. "How might you help us?" he asked.
Nyssa's gaze became shrewder as she met his eyes. "I know the lay of the land."
"I'll b-b-believe that much," Gavin said.
"What an adorable stutter," Nyssa said, almost flirtatiously.
Gavin pressed his lips together. "Why would you want to help us?"
Nyssa smiled, perfect lips spreading wide. "I miss humans. Taking their form is a novelty I had nearly forgotten, until all of you showed up. Who knows when humans will come again? The closest thing we have at Wyrmroost is that old turncoat Agad."
"You're a dragon lonely for human company?" Gavin asked dubiously.
"Not just any humans," she said, stepping closer to Gavin. He was not quite as tall as she, so she was looking down. "A dragon brother." She glanced at Kendra. "And several dragon tamers. My kind of people."
Gavin glanced at Kendra. He looked disturbed. Kendra thought she understood. Their end destination was the Dragon Temple. No dragon would let them go there.
"You may not wish to come everywhere we mean to go," Gavin said weakly.
Nyssa laughed. "And where is it you humans mean to go that dragons would not be welcome? Perhaps you hope to make friends with Thronis the Terrible. Not a likely prospect. Yet you're heading into territory that he watches closely."
"We have a secret mission," Gavin said. "We can't accept your company."
Nyssa narrowed her eyes. "This is a peculiar troop of humans indeed, where the protection a dragon could offer is unwanted."
Gavin folded his arms. "I imagine that in dragon form you would not be half so accommodating to our needs."
Nyssa produced a humming response by laughing without parting her lips. "You have that right. As a dragon, I
see the world through less generous eyes. Shall we experiment?"
Gavin held out both hands. "N-n-n-no, please."
Nyssa wrinkled her nose. "I love that stutter."
"We mean no offense," Gavin said, a hint of pleading in his tone. "We just need to be careful and--"
"--and a dragon in your party is one dragon too many," Nyssa said, eyes sparkling. "I understand. I do not wish to force my society upon you. If it is your wish, I will leave you in peace so you can march to your deaths on the morrow. You will soon discover that not all the inhabitants of Wyrmroost are as... accommodating as I am. In fact, if the rumors are true, even I would not relish being caught in your company, regardless of my form."
"Rumors?" Kendra asked.
"She speaks!" Nyssa laughed. "Is that permissible, dragon brother? I can tell you prefer to do the talking. Yes, rumors. Word has it Navarog was sighted outside the gates of Wyrmroost."
"Navarog?" Gavin cried.
"You have heard of him, I trust," Nyssa said. "A dragon so evil they made him an honorary demon! He has a fearsome reputation. He was one of the few of us who avoided being herded into a dragon sanctuary. Visitots are normally a rarity here. Could his sudden interest in Wyrmroost have anything to do with my new human friends?"
"This is horrible news," Gavin admitted. "He wasn't seen inside the sanctuary?"
Nyssa gave a sly smile. "Not to my knowledge. If the demon prince is here for you, why not let me devour you instead? Less hassle. Less drama. I'll be gentle."
"Thanks for the offer," Gavin said. "I think we'll take our chances."
"The gates to Wyrmroost are strong," Nyssa said. "If he lacks a key, even Navarog will not get past them. Perhaps you should solicit Agad for employment. With Navarog at the only exit, you might wisely opt to stay longer than planned."
"W-w
-W
'we'll take that under advisement," Gavin said.
"The brave little stutterer," Nyssa replied lightly. "You have just been told your death is certain, yet you hang on to your composure. Maybe you actually deserve to be a dragon brother."
"I would like to think so," Gavin said, lowering his eyes.
Nyssa embraced Kendra. "Meeting you has been a delight," Nyssa said. She extended a hand to Gavin, who clasped it and then lightly kissed it. "How chivalrous. This has been nearly as diverting as I had hoped, albeit I would have preferred to partake of your company a while longer. So it goes. I will not intrude. Sorry to bear unhappy tidings. If it comes as any consolation, your demise was almost certain even without Navarog lurking about the gates. Enjoy the remainder of your visit."
Nyssa turned and strode away into the night without looking back.
Kendra grabbed Gavin's hand, squeezing it tightly. He squeezed back.
"Could she help protect us?" Kendra whispered.
Gavin shook his head. "Considering where we're headed, our surest death would have been to invite her to join us."
Trask came up beside them, crossbow in hand. "I had an easy shot."
Gavin snorted. "You could have done it. She was vulnerable. Of course, we would have died shortly thereafter. Nothing would dissuade the dragons who came to avenge her."
"That crossed my mind," Trask said. He sighed. "I'm not glad to hear Navarog is on our tail. I suppose it's no less than we expected."
"But it's a good deal less than we hoped," Gavin replied.
Nobody argued.
* * *
The next day Kendra awoke with a sense of foreboding. The news borne by Nyssa had left her unsettled. Kendra had a hard time recalling the details of her dreams, but they had involved beautiful women morphing into dragons, and lots of running. At least the first part of the day should be relatively safe. While they journeyed inside of Sidestep Cleft, no huge monsters would be able to reach them.
Kendra brought Warren his breakfast. He seemed in good spirits, although his breathing was shallow and labored, and whenever he shifted position his face showed reactions to twinges of pain. Together they drank hot chocolate. Kendra also ate an energy bar, but Warren passed, contenting himself with some slices of an orange.