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The dragon clearly became more nervous the closer we came to human civilization, looking around more frequently, standing up on his hind legs to peer out into the distance, and rustling his wings now and again. It reminded me a little of an annoyed cat twitching its tail back and forth.

I finally stopped and turned to him. “Teras, we’re getting closer to the town. I’m going to need you to keep yourself hidden and wait for me outside.”

He bobbed his head as was his habit and looked at me nervously. “You will be safe?”

“Yes, no one will bother a sister.”

“But you are helping me…”

I shook my head. “They don’t know that.”

He looked down. “You would be in trouble.”

“Yes, they would likely place me into a cloister for the rest of my days, if not put me to death.”

He took several steps back in surprise. “No!”

“It’s okay, Teras. They won’t find out.”

“You are risking your life!”

“I said I would help.”

A tremor ran through him. “Not like this. This is too big. Too much. You cannot risk.”

I hesitated for a moment, then finally said, “I don’t go back on my word, Teras.”

He whimpered and nudged my shoulder with his muzzle. “I don’t want you hurt.”

I awkwardly patted him on the head. “And I don’t want to be hurt! I’ll be careful, Teras. I promise.”

He nodded and I pet him a few more times, still feeling rather awkward about the whole thing, before we set off down the road.

We approached the town of Frostford and Teras, with one last long look in my direction, walked off the road and into the forest. He would meet me on the other side of the town sometime tomorrow afternoon, assuming that all went well and I was still free to do so.

I was reasonably sure that I would be fine. No one knew that I was keeping company with a dragon and there was no real way to detect that I was unless Teras were truly shadow touched. Having been with him for the last several days traces were possible.

But was sure he wasn’t.

I hoped he wasn’t.

Controlling my nervousness I walked towards the gates of the town and nodded to the two guards as I walked though, both of them putting two fingers to their foreheads in a gesture of respect. I nodded and smiled briefly in return, relieved.

The town was small enough that it didn’t really have a dedicated chapel as such, just a small building the town held meetings and entertainments in. I had attended a new moon festival here many years ago and hoped that Osine was still the resident sister. We got along well and she would give me any information on the men who took Teras’ son without suspicion.

I made my way to the building and the small home that sat behind it the town provided for the resident Sister or Brother as the case sometimes was, though the Brothers tended to roam more frequently, seldom taking up a residency for more than a few months.

The home was a simple cottage, like most sisters tended to live in, but was kept tidy with walls whitewashed and flowers, both growing and drying, providing a wonderfully relaxing scent as I made my way to the door. I rapped on the door a few times with my hand and waited.

It was only a moment before the door opened and a large, rather heavyset, sister opened the door and peered down at me for a moment, then her face lit up with a huge smile and she threw her arms around me squeezing me tightly. “Erin! It’s wonderful to see you!”

I omphed as the air rushed out of my lungs. “And you as well, Osine, but I do have to breath.”

She let go. “Heh. Sorry, sometimes I forget you’re smaller than I am.”

“Osine, every sister is small than you are.”

She let out a huge laugh. “True enough! Come on inside, I already have a pot of tea brewing and some left over pastries from breakfast. Was going to take them over to the rector but I’ll give them to you instead. I like you better.”

I sighed and shook my head as I walked in. “Now now, we’re supposed to treat everyone the same.”

“And I do! Just some of you more same than others!”

“I thought you two were getting along?”

She snorted as she picked up an iron hook and pulled the teapot away from the fire. “We are! I haven’t hit him upside the head in months.”

“Osine…”

“Oh bother, I didn’t hurt him much! He was being rude, as usual, and had started teaching the kids that the Sisters practiced all sorts of strange magic and rituals! Why, they were even nervous around me during their instruction!”

“Are you sure it’s not just you?” I asked in a wry voice.

She belted out a huge laugh “Little old me? Why’d anybody be scared of little old me? I’m as harmless as a dove!”

I crossed my arms. “Oh yes, a very large angry dove. I know the rector has issues with women being educated and having positions of power but that’s no reason to bait him and attack him.”

She handed me my tea and flopped down in her chair in a most unladylike fashion. “Oh, I suppose you’re right. Mostly I just stay away from him and he stays away from me. The kids come over to the chapel for instruction and avoid the school like plague unless someone gets hurt and needs first aid.”

I sighed and shook my head as I sipped my tea. “All those years in the cloister and in training and you still have rough edges.”

She grinned. “And you wouldn’t love me any other way! It’s not my fault the God’s called me to the sisterhood after I already had a successful tavern running! Old habits die hard.”

“I suppose you’re right,” I said and sipped my tea again and looked into the fire for a long moment before looking at Osine. “Seen anything odd here lately?”

“Odd?” she asked, looking puzzled. “Odd how?”

“Out of the ordinary. More people than usual walking through the town, unsavory types.”

She snorted. “Half this town is what most would call unsavory. Trappers and miners are noted for manners or high morality.”

“Yes but other than them.”

She pondered for a moment. “I’m assuming you’re on some sort of assignment from the Sisterhood?”

I managed not to start. “Yes,” I said and felt guilty for the lie.

She swirled the tea around in her cup for a moment, then looked at me with troubled expression. “In that case, yes, I did see something odd. I’d say most of the town did.”

Osine sat her cup down and leaned forward. “Some men came through about a week ago, maybe week and a half I don’t always pay much attention to the calendar despite that getting me in trouble a few times during my schooling, some men came through with a dragon locked up in a cart. Small dragon, I’d have to say it was a baby.”

She shook her head. “It looked scared,” she said softly. “I know they don’t have emotions, but it honestly looked frightened, Erin. I didn’t know what to make of it so I came back here and waited for them to be gone.”

She was quiet a moment then sighed “I suppose you’re going to report me for not ceasing a creature of darkness and having it destroyed?”

I shook my head. “No. No, Osine, I’m not going to report you. I’m tracking the creature myself for…reasons I can’t disclose to you. I would tell you if I could, you know that, but this is quiet business.”

She nodded slowly. “Well, I won’t ask any more questions, then. Best to keep my nose clear of such things. I only hope you’re in no danger, Erin.”

“No. No, I should not be, at least not any more than normal,” I said, forcing myself to laugh quietly and hating myself for lying to my friend. “Do you know which way they were headed? Any information along those lines?”

“No, once I saw it…” she trailed off. “I left, like I said. Didn’t feel comfortable staying around.”

“That’s fine, Osine; you did as you ought.”

She nodded again, then stood and went into her pantry and came back with a plate bearing a few pastries. “Well, enough of that business. Here! Eat! I made this myself just this morning!”

I took the pastries and we had a pleasant conversation though all the while my mind turned over what I had learned. Even Osine saw that the creatures had emotions, or at least Teras and his child did and she seemed as troubled as I about it.

I briefly though about telling her, but despite what I had told her, despite what I told Teras, I was in more than enough danger pursuing this. This could very well be my undoing but there was no way I could rest until I saw the thing though one way or another.