Season of Bloom - 26. Belated Brumation

A pair of gauntlets sat on the counter, mithral blue shining through the filmy crust that tried to diminish their beauty. Faes stared at the metal gloves, silently admitting that they were a work of art, and that Lapis was right to track them down. They still needed to find the cuirass and the jaumbarts before the armour could be restored, but from what Lapis had told him, that was just a matter of returning the armour to a certain dwarf in Omestra.

All they needed to do was settle on a price.

“A hundred gold,” Druma said firmly.

Faes shook his head at the dwarf, sighing heavily. They’d already gone a round of haggling, and she was not budging at all. Damned stubbornness of dwarves. Faes prayed that Lapis knew what he was doing. But the answer to that prayer was an obvious no in his mind.

“A hundred gold won’t work. This isn’t even a full suit of armour,” he protested. “You want me to hand over a hundred gold for a pair of gauntlets that I will have to clean myself.”

“Hundred twenty five and I’ll spit shine them for you,” Druma added. “I trust you’re not about to argue metallurgy with a dwarf. These are expensive gauntlets, and I’m not letting them go for a copper less.”

“So you charge me twenty five extra to shine them?” Faes spluttered.

“It’s a lot of spit.”

“Fine. A hundred for the gauntlets and a night stay.”

“Hundred seven for a night’s stay. One room apiece.”

“Oh come on, surely you’re not counting the tiger as a person,” Faes snapped.

“No, I’m counting him as a person and a half. The kobold’s a half person. Halfling’s full priced. They eat a lot.”

“You realize he’s the baron of these lands, right?” Faes demanded, pointing toward the amurrun lapping at milk by the fire.

“Oh really? Oh my gods, that means the room rates are still seven gold a night,” Druma replied, folding her arms impatiently. “I’ll even set a log outside each door for a fire. Supper is whenever Gareth gets his ass back in the kitchen to cook.”

A sudden commotion from the kitchen cut off Faes’ reply, the dwarf and the half human looking over at the door with the rest of the lodge. A moment later, Kiba stepped through the door with blood splattered over his face, a half eaten potato in his hand, and a cat sized dragon curled up around his shoulders.

Faes blinked in surprise, his eyes darting between the kobold and the faerie dragon. Red scales spoke of a young beast, brilliant blue butterfly wings standing straight over its back at rest. Intelligence filled its eyes as it looked around the room, almost as though it was sizing up competition.

“Um… what have you got there Kiba?” Faes asked, his eyes fixing on the kobold.

Kiba held up his hand, showing the potato.

“Potatt… Po tay toe…” he said haltingly.

Faes bit back a groan.

“The dragon, you imbecile. Where did it come from?”

Kiba shrugged, and the dragon on his shoulders chirped angrily as it was jostled.

“Apsu comes for Kiba.”

“Great. That clarifies everything,” Faes sighed.

A tap on the counter drew his attention back to the dwarf.

“Hundred eight gold please,” she smiled.

Words ran through his mind in the predawn light. Kiba’s stomach roared as they left the hunter’s lodge. Apsu had killed the cook, and they had been forced to scavenge for their own food. The dwarf had not been happy about the bits of meat that lay scattered around the kitchen, but she couldn’t blame anyone.

She even gave them a bit of dried rations as an incentive to leave as soon as possible. Lapis had said something about Kiba not touching things unless they were given to him. It made no sense to the kobold. Why would people leave food around and then get upset at someone else eating it?

Apsu’s voice spoke in his mind as they walked. Taldane words filled his head, confusing him, forcing his mind to grow. It was an exhausting exercise, and by midday, Kiba found he had a splitting headache.

He was also able to say he had a splitting headache to Lapis, so the kobold supposed it was good. It just didn’t feel that good.

And to top it all off, there was frost on the ground. No matter how close he cuddled to Khemet, how tight Apsu covered his body, Kiba could not find the warmth to move. He was stuck on the tiger’s back, and the kobold prayed they’d get somewhere warm soon.

Still, it took most of the day, crossing bridges and fording rivers, before they arrived at Osiloth, the village in the outskirts of Ellesmera. There, Kiba was finally able to get indoors, listening to Apsu’s soothing voice all the while. It sent a thrill through his body. Finally his god was speaking to him, and he was helping Kiba learn. Apsu was happy with him as a servant.

But it wouldn’t last long. He was tiring, his body shutting down. Kiba couldn’t serve his god much longer, and he hoped the Great One understood he had failings. Kiba the Wyrm Slayer he may be, but even the killers of false dragons were only mortal.

They found beds in the Osiloth inn, another communal room provided for the baron and his group of adventurers. Lapis shared a bed with Kiba, the amurrun’s warmth giving him comfort as he slowly fell asleep.

“Kiba?”

A hand pressed against the kobold, his body cold and motionless. Lapis peered into Kiba’s face, even going so far as to lift one of the kobold’s eyelids. There was no response.

“Oh no, did the kobold finally die?” Faes scoffed. “Took him long enough.”

‘No, he’s sleeping.’

The voice pierced their minds, Lapis and Faes both flinching back at the mental contact. Kiba’s dragon jumped onto the bed, stepping protectively over the kobold’s body.

‘Dreaming of warm dens and cute kobold females. He’ll wake up eventually, just let him be. Actually, just keep him with you, unless you have a safe place to tuck him away for the next few months.’

“Who are you?” Lapis demanded. “How are you talking?”

“Faerie dragon,” Faes muttered.

‘Hey! Hot head got it right! I got sucked through a portal. No idea how or why, but I think I like it here. Mr. Kiba treats me like a god. No point in trying to get back home when I can have this kind of service.’

A draconic smirk crossed his face, the creature almost purring as he curled up on Kiba’s chest. Finally Lapis could see the effect of tiny breaths escaping the kobold, the dragon on his chest rising and falling in time with his breath.

“Great, he’s not dead. Can we get back to the capital now?” Faes muttered.

“What are we supposed to do about the dragon?” Lapis frowned.

‘I have a name, you know.’

“Oh, my apologies. What is your name?”

‘Guess,’ the dragon smirked.

The amurrun let out a sigh, starting to pack his bag as the rest of the room started to rouse.

“Yinvets,” Linzi said suddenly, startling Lapis.

The dragon snorted, a pink cloud coming from his nostril.

“Calling a dragon cute is probably not a healthy habit,” Faes noted.

“So you can understand Draconic,” the halfling frowned.

“Was that ever in doubt?”

“Well you certainly make Kiba work for things,” Lapis pointed out.

“Wieva,” Linzi guessed. “Like the fey.”

‘I’m not named after any description of me,’ the dragon scoffed. ‘Unless, of course, your name is Tiny.’

Lapis chuckled quietly, shaking his head. He let out a chuffing call to Khemet, and the tiger stared at the sleeping Kiba. Another chuff answered the amurrun’s question, and he sighed, pulling the sheets back from the bed. Pulling a spare cloak out of his bag, Lapis wrapped it around the kobold securely, before lifting him up in his arms.

“If we are all ready to go, let’s get Kiba back home,” he said.

“And the dragon, who has yet to tell us his name?” Faes demanded.

“You can stay with us, especially if you promise to keep Kiba safe,” Lapis said, looking at the dragon.

The dragon dipped his head, diving toward the staircase.

‘Cirrus,’ he said, flying to the ground floor. ‘But you can call me Apsu if you want.’

“Oh gods, Kiba inflated his ego already. First a catfolk with attitude and now a cat sized dragon. Who did I piss off to be stuck in this place?” Faes muttered.

“You’re free to leave any time you want,” Lapis shrugged, setting his bag on his back.

The amurrun left the hollowborn in silence, carrying Kiba downstairs as he would carry a sleeping child. Setting him on his horse, Lapis climbed up behind the kobold, holding onto him securely as he mounted. A minute later, the rest of his group joined him, Cirrus climbing up the walls of the trading post. The dragon took off, angling south, and Lapis followed, leading the group toward home.