seemed to have sprung up overnight.
As I stood, temporarily stunned by the number of people milling about, Rio took the initiative and asked one of the shopkeepers if they had seen Levent. Luckily, as he predicted, the kin’s appearance was indeed memorable. The shopkeeper pointed us in the right direction.
We jogged for a few blocks until my body could no longer manage it. We slowed to a walk again. The half-blood at my side was being unusually quiet.
“What’s wrong?” I asked once I had finally caught my breath enough to speak.
“It’s nothing too important,” he muttered half to himself. “It’s just that we seem to be heading for Little Oenferia.”
“Wait. ‘Oenferia’?“
“The biggest city on the Delfaetha Steppe? Yes.” The half-blood grinned. “It’s what the locals call the part of town where most of the Delfaethan immigrants congregate. Not very original name, but not a bad place, actually. Quite good food.”
“Why would he head there, do you think?”
“I have no idea, m’lady. Humans in general aren’t fond of dragon-kin these days, but the Delfaethans have had a grudge against them for many more years than us. I can’t imagine our Mister Itzallion has a comrade among them.”
“When you say all that, I suppose not.”
I hoped we could find the dragon-kin before someone a little less forgiving than the soldiers at the port caught sight of him.
My heart leapt again just from thinking of the kin. I struggled to keep the feeling of frightened excitement down. It was affecting me, knowing what was hiding where wings should be. My curiosity was eating away at me to find out the cause of the scar. The hardest part was going to be resisting the urge to ask, and I know both the males would read that sort of curiosity on my face. I would have to push it out of my mind. I doubt either of them would approve of me spying on the kin’s naked torso, even if they did not really see me as being a woman.
“Are you alright, m’lady?” The half-blood leaned in to look at my face, which I quickly plastered with an apologetic smile.
“Sorry. It’s nothing. Let’s hurry.”
I put a little extra push into my legs. I hoped walking a just that much faster