Unlicensed Sorceress - Chapter Two
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Konigstadt - Interrogation Room
Davi Dracson
The gray-stone floor blurred as Davi tried to keep his eyes open. He straightened his shoulders and tried not to lean on Kayla, who was also exhausted. They had been questioned for hours, maybe days—seperately and together. Then abruptly, they had been left in the stark room with white walls, a bench, and a table.
The mage interrogator had taken the chair. Not that it would be an idea to break out of this room when they were in a mage stronghold. It might not have been a good idea to follow Hilda into the heart of the enemy. Kayla, his blacksmith, had been nervous about this place.
Of course, he hadn’t listened to her. The bond was new and he was a young dragon. So far he had been able to neutralize any threat. The most recent threat was the fight with the Dragur.
Kayla was magical in her own right as his bonded blacksmith, but she also had healing magic separate from their bond. The Dragon gods must have known that he needed her. Kalya was a dwarf a little taller than her kin. Her dark hair and dark brown eyes were easy to look at.
Stop it. Her voice in his head was dark choclate.
He had some regrets about how she was bonded. He had been dying in his dragon nest of gold and she climbed into it and stayed beside him. She had been running away, when she had been drawn back to him. She saved his life and he would be eternally grateful.
It hurt that she would never have children. Even though they were bonded, they were two different species. Usually bondmates were found after one or both of the bondmates were past childbearing age.
The wooden bench seemed to get harder as the minutes and then hours ticked by. It felt like the interrogator and his mage supervisors didn’t know what to do with them. He hoped with a burning need that the two of them hadn’t given away what they were.
He casually laid his head in her lap. She brushed the hair from his face. It was best if they thought the two of them were young lovers who had run away from home.
It had been hours since they had eaten. He could feel her hunger as his belly rumbled. Kayla was ususally stoic. Because he could hear her thoughts, he knew she was afraid. Her normally olive complexion had paled.
He meant to stay awake and guard her, but he was too exhausted. He fell asleep as she smoothed his hair.
When he woke up, his head was still in her lap. Davi wiped the drool from the side of his mouth with his sleeve. He hadn’t noticed before but the room smelled of disinfectant and he sneezed.
The bruises from his fight with the Dragur blossomed on his arms and his torso felt like a punching bag.
“Shhhh,” Kalya said. Someone is watching us came through the bond.
Davi yawned, and then casually sat up and stretched. While he stretched he looked for peepholes. When he didn’t find anything he sent back through the bond: They must be using magic.
Nothing ventured. Nothing gained.
He went to the door and tried to open it. It was then he noticed the doorknob was solid silver. They think we are shifters.
No, he wasn’t a normal shifter. If they even knew he was a dragon. He shivered.
Don’t break it. Kayla cautioned me.
She was right. Davi sat back down and pulled her into his chest. He whispered into her ear and she smiled.
While they were putting on a show for the mages, Davi heard footsteps in the corridor. He kept his head down until the door clicked open.
They pulled a part from each other quickly.
A guard in the king’s colors of red and blue stepped into the room.
“Follow me.” He ordered, and then did a abrupt about-face and marched out of the room. They followed.
Davi sensed two mages following behind them. Three mages to keep them from causing havoc. David was amused. He could feel Kayla’s non-amusement.
After a short walk, the weak light from the crescent moon revealed a two-story house. The cool air nipped at Davi’s ears as he looked for magic. It was elusive.
Another guard in a night uniform that blended with the shadows moved in front of them. The mages handed the guard some papers. The guard opened the door for them.
The light coming from the hosue was welcoming. An older man in a dark suit directed them to the small parlor. Kalya relaxed when she saw Hilda lounging on the couch with a book in hand. She looked up and smiled at them.
Davi slid around the butler-guard, grabbed Hilda and gave her a big hug. Kayla was more dignified, but still hugged Hilda tightly.
“Where have you been?” asked Hilda.
Davi looked around the room noting the rich furnishings and glanced at the twisted iron bars bolted to the windows. So this was a prison for important people.
“We got hung up,” Davi grinned. There would be peepholes and magic detectors in this house. There had to be a reason why the mages put them all in the same house.
We need to be careful.
And they would have to be real careful of their mind speech. Michael had mentioned once that the mages knew how to detect mind speech.
Hilda disentagled herself from them gently. “Let me show you your room.”
It wasn’t until they were in their room that Davi asked, “Where is Micheal.” He spoke quietly.
Hilda looked at the walls and then said, “He’s checking in with his mentor.”
Davi got the message. The entire house was bugged.
The room had two twin beds, light blue walls, and a window that was also barred like the parlor. The curtains were light blue with little white clouds on them. Davi sat on one of the twin beds, while Kayla wandered the room, looking for cubbyholes. It was pretty bare except for the bed, table, and washing basin. A pitcher of water was next to it.
Once Kayla was finished she bounced on her bed. Davi tapped his temple. He wasn’t sure if these mages knew when their were using their bond, so they needed to be more careful.
Kayla nodded at his signal, then bounced twice more on the bed. So there were two listening devices in the room. If he could smell the iron-magic combination, then as his blacksmith, she could too.
Hilda watched them indulgently. “Ready to eat?”
Davi’s stomach roared in protest. Hilda laughed.
In the kitchen was a wooden table filled with fresh baked bread, cheese, and cold meats. For a prison house, they sure fed them well. Hilda sawed off a chunk of bread and handed it to Davi. She cut a daintier piece for Kayla. Davi topped the bread with cheese and meat and began to eat.
It made him smile to hear Kayla hum in his head. He took another bite.
He ate until his stomach bulged. After drinking a glass of ale, he burped. Damn it had been so long since he had eaten this much. Kayla burped back at him. It wouldn’t take much to have a burping contest.
“Hollow leg,” Hila laughed.
She tried to give him the last of the bread. He refused. He groaned because his stomach was so full. Sassy, Hilda’s elemental, began dancing in the flames. For a minute it felt like they were home.
It would have been a perfect moment if he hadn’t looked out the small kitchen window. A face stared at them, then it ducked under the window sill. In the quick glance, Davi saw that the man had a bushy beard, long darky lanky hair, and had a sour expression on his face.
“A spy,” Davi whispered.
Hilda just nodded.
It had been a long long day. He yawned. They went back to the bedroom. He sank into the bed without taking off his boots and began snoring.
Kayla stayed awake until the sunlight touched the window.
Someone had to guard the dragon.