Temüjin was uncharacteristically silent on the way to Gladewood. He still stopped to point out various herbs and minerals that I could harvest to make some coin, but otherwise our conversation had dropped off considerably. When the walls of Gladewood finally came into sight on the last day of our trip I finally understood his anxiety.

“Where did all the people come from?” I asked. There were dozens of wagons outside the walls and enough people to double the population of Gladewood were milling around them tending to animals, campfires, and supplies.

“It’s caravan season,” came his terse reply, “The caravans will lose a few days to make it back to the pass, but this is the last point to pick up new goods before reaching Amadora so almost all of them stop here anyway.”

***

Luckily Yaromir, the beast-tamer in residing in Gladewood, didn’t actually live in town. His cabin was a half mile north of the wall and free from the press of people and animals around the walls. He was in a heated discussion with a richly dressed man as we walked up. Temüjin nudged me and nodded toward Yaromir before walking around the side of the house and outside the view of the two men before they noticed him.

“I told you already, Ioseph, I’m sold out,” Yaromir said in a gravelly voice. He was one of those people who had a voice that perfectly fit his face and body. Standing at just under six feet tall, he was bulging with muscle and sported the bushiest beard I had ever seen. He obviously wasn’t a stranger to hard labor either, his rough spun clothes were splattered with mud and other substances best left to the imagination, and his face and hands were weathered like old leather.

“Yaromir, old friend,” said Ioseph, “you have nothing in reserve? I’ll even accept a partially trained beast. Demand in Amadora has been high since the Lord Ruler -”

“Which is why I have no beasts left,” Yaromir said, cutting off Ioseph. “The first caravan of the season bought my entire stock. You know how I work. First come, first served.”

Leaning around the merchant, he looked at me and added, “That goes for you, too. Tell your caravan master that I’m sold out.”

“Not here to buy, actually,” I said, and motioned to Shunakhai. “I’m here for information.”

Yaromir stepped a bit closer and grunted, “Snowsquall hatchling. Either drugged or as tame as they get, judging by how it’s on your shoulder and not trying to eat your face.”

“Tamed, sort of,” I said, reaching up to rub Shunakhai’s head with a finger.

Yaromir winced when he saw me petting the drake, “You’re either insane or insanely confident. No chance I’d be that casual with a Snowsquall.”

“I’ll buy it! Name your price,” Ioseph exclaimed. I could see his eyes light up at the thought of a tamed drake.

“He’s not for sale, sorry,” I replied, “Just here to talk to Yaromir for a few minutes and compare notes.”

“She,” Yaromir interjected. At a questioning look from me he continued, “Your drake is a female. Her colors are too light to be a male, and she doesn’t have the dewlap anyway.”

I shrugged and gestured to Yaromir, “And that’s why I came to talk to him. The reference materials I have to work with don’t cover the Snowsquall in any detail.”

“Because anyone dumb or crazy enough to try to tame one ends up getting eaten,” Yaromir said.

“She doesn’t seem so bad,” Ioseph said, moving toward me and leaning in to get a closer look.

“Because she’s a hatchling. Even then I’ve never seen one so calm,” Yaromir answered, “Also, I wouldn’t get too close. They’re an air and water beast and faster than you are. Even a hatchling is fully capable of removing your nose.”

Ioseph straightened up but didn’t step away from Shunakhai and I.

“Do you have any other beasts for sale, young master?” he asked me.

“Call me Karlus. I’m not anyone’s master,” I said. “And no, I don’t. I’m not really a beast tamer. She found me, to be honest. Raising a Snowsquall hatchling wasn’t exactly something I had intended to do.”

I saw the recognition dawning on Yaromir’s face when I introduced myself. Tarkhan, Batuhan, Irma, or all three had apparently told the village that Temüjin had taken a student. Interesting to know, but not really unexpected. Growing up in a small town you learn very quickly that the only thing that travels faster than light is gossip.

“All the more reason to let me take her off your hands, Karlus,” Ioseph said.

“She’s not for sale, sir, so please stop asking,” I said, my temper rising slightly. Shunakhai must have felt through our bond that I was becoming upset with the merchant because she crouched on my shoulder and hissed at him. I still didn’t understand why an eighteen-inch-long lizard was so intimidating to a grown man, but Ioseph almost tripped over his feet in his haste to back away. Never breaking eye contact with him I reached up and removed Shunakhai from my shoulder, settling her on my right arm and stroking her back.

“Down girl, he’s not going to try to buy you again. No need to hiss at the nice man,” I said while staring at Ioseph and doing my best to not laugh. Shunakhai was radiating satisfaction across the bond, proud of herself for making the annoyance go away, and I tried to send the same emotion back across to her.

“Anyhow, Yaromir, when you’ve concluded your business with this fine gentleman would it be possible to have a few moments of your time?” I asked.

I remained silent and continued to stroke the drake nestled in my arms like some Dr. Evil knockoff while Yaromir escorted Ioseph to the edge of his property and concluded their deal. Within a few minutes he had walked back to his home and stopped a few paces away.

“So, you’re the Hermit’s student?” He asked.

I nodded, “I am. Sorry for the scene there, he was trying my patience.”

“Neat trick with the drake,” he said, “she really wasn’t going to attack him, was she?”

“Nah, Shunakhai is just a little protective. I think she’s adopted me,” I said.

“Well, make yourself comfortable,” he said, gesturing to a few chairs on his porch, “I’d be happy to answer any questions. Water? Tea? Beer?”

“I’d love a cup of tea, thanks,” I answered and settled into a chair.

Yaromir was back in a few minutes with a teapot and three cups. He poured the wonderfully fragrant tea, which thankfully didn’t contain butter, and settled himself into a chair with a groan of satisfaction.

“Long day?” I asked, taking a sip of the tea. It was a far better tea than Temüjin served, and I resolved to pick some up if I could stomach the traffic in town. Shunakhai nosed the cup and I felt her curiosity, so I held it down even with her head. She dipped her nose into the brew before drawing back with a jerk and sneezing. Her feeling of disgust made it clear that tea would likely not be on the menu of items a growing Snowsquall Drake would find appetizing.

Yaromir gazed at the exchange with wonder before answering, “Caravan season is always hectic. I live in Gladewood for the isolation, most of us do, but we’re not a self-sufficient community. The caravans offer us whatever necessities we lack in exchange for what resources we harvest from the valley. Dealing with so many pushy outsiders is draining.”

His gaze drifted to Shunakhai, who had migrated down to my pack and was trying to open it to get at the last of the jerky. I absentmindedly opened the pack and drew a piece out before handing it to her. She climbed back up into my lap and started to gnaw on her favorite chew toy.

“I’ll admit that I played up the dangers of a hatchling a bit for Ioseph to get rid of him, but she really shouldn’t be that docile. How are you doing that?” he asked hesitantly.

“Temüjin was taking me on a tour around the valley and I found her almost dead with an infected and mangled leg. I healed her and she’s been following me around ever since. She did bite me right after I healed her, but I guess she didn’t like the taste, because she hasn’t done it again. This is how she’s acted ever since,” I answered a bit disingenuously.

“Well, whatever you’re doing, keep it up. Hells, I’ve never seen any beast that was so young be that calm, much less a Snowsquall. Do you think she’d let me pet her?” he asked.

I approved of his phrasing. He was right that it wasn’t my decision to let him pet Shun. The fact that he recognized it was enough to at least make me attempt to tip the scales in his direction. I motioned him closer and projected calming thoughts of friendship. Shunakhai gave me a side-eye glance and a feeling of impatience before getting back to her gnawing. At my nod, he stroked her lightly down her back a few times before pulling his hand back.

“Absolutely amazing. How many beasts have you tamed before this one?” He asked.

“None. I don’t think tame really applies to her, either. I haven’t done any real work with her at all. Just food and a fire to lay next to at night,” I answered. Better to make him think that I was clueless than spout off some random animal training tricks from earth. Confucius had it right when he said that it’s “better to keep your mouth shut and have people think you’re ignorant than open it and remove all the doubt.”

“Well, maybe she’s imprinted on you. I’ve never heard of a Snowsquall doing that, but I suppose anything is possible. What was it that you wanted to know?” he answered.

“Everything. If she’s sticking with me I’d like to know how to raise her. Foods, likes, dislikes, what to expect as she grows…Whatever you can tell me, honestly. Temüjin didn’t know much more than adult Snowsqualls were crazy aggressive and smaller than other drakes,” I said.

“That’s all most people need to know about them and he’s right on both counts. They’re voracious eaters. Anything air or water aligned she’ll eat without hesitation; be it plant or animal. She’ll also eat fire and earth beasts even if they aren’t her preferred prey. Snowsqualls prefer colder temperatures and higher elevations, but when food is scarce they’ve been known to set up in the lowlands. They love water and hatchlings like her generally subsist on fish until they’re large enough to tackle big prey,” he explained. It was good information to have and explained why she couldn’t get enough of the Breeze Stag. It was an air beast and she’d been perfectly happy eating it three times a day for the past few days.

Yaromir took a sip of his tea before continuing, “Snowsquall drakes grow wings after they break into third rank, but she won’t be able to truly fly until Sage rank. If you’re extremely lucky she’ll stay as docile as she is now and stick around. If you’re not, she’ll likely try to fly away if you don’t keep her caged or chained. If you’re unlucky she’ll try to kill you, but that’s a risk you’re running trying to raise her even now.”

“Anything else?” I asked.

“She’ll develop her breath at third rank as well. It’s a freezing spray of liquid that leeches the heat out of anything she hits with it. Doesn’t sound too bad, but it’s viscous and clings to whatever she hits with it. Adults will use it on bigger prey and then force the prey to exert themselves to speed heat loss. Eventually the prey freezes to death. If she doesn’t manage to kill you with it try to bottle a little. It’s a pretty valuable reagent for alchemists,” he said and shrugged before he continued, “She’s going to stay this size until her first breakthrough. She’ll get moodier than normal and start to spend more time in the water as her breakthrough gets close. That’s the point where you’ll want to keep a very close eye on how you handle her. By her third stage she’ll be around six feet long. Snowsqualls stop growing at Sage rank, or so I’ve heard. Maybe about thirty feet from the tip of her snout to the tip of her tail. That’s decades away, though.”

“Thank you, that’s been very helpful,” I said to Yaromir, “Can I swing back by if I have any more questions? I should be able to make more frequent trips back into Gladewood in the future.”

“I’d be very interested in having you bring her back by whenever you do come to town. Like I said, she’s pretty much unique in her behavior. Not sure I’d take her into the town proper, though. At least not with all the caravans in town. You’d have every merchant looking to make a quick buck offering you their virgin daughters for her,” he said with a chuckle.

“Like Ioseph,” I asked with a grin.

“Exactly like Ioseph. The Lord Mayor of Amadora decided to take up beast taming as a hobby, so of course every noble shithead in town that wants to curry favor with him decided to follow suit. There’s been a run on tamed beasts in the past season. The first caravan through cleaned me out of everything at double what I’d have normally charged. Autumn Fur bears and Shadow Fang wolves are one thing, but a Snowsquall is exotic. They’d hound you until you had to kill a few to make them stop. That’d piss off Tarkhan. Just not worth the hassle. Feel free to leave her here for a bit if you need to do some trading, though. I figure between Temüjin and I we can keep a hatchling out of trouble for a few hours,” he said before pouring himself another cup of tea.

“Temüjin?” I asked.

“Saw him duck around the house to avoid Ioseph as you were walking up,” he said, nodding toward the third cup on the table, “Just didn’t know you were his apprentice until you introduced yourself.”

Placing Shunakhai on the table with her jerky, I stood, “That should hold her for a bit. I need to go talk to Batuhan.”

After shaking Yaromir’s hand and giving Temüjin a nod as he came back around the house and headed for the porch, I headed into the village.

***

Gladewood was overflowing with people. The inn was packed, and Irma was tending bar while a woman that I didn’t recognize was busy supplying the tables with food and drinks. I carefully picked my way through the crowd and past the packed tables until I was at the bar. Finding a free spot at the bar, I caught Irma’s eye and gave her a nod. She finished serving her customer and walked down to greet me.

“Karlus,” she said with a bright smile, “it’s good to see you back in town! Did Temüjin send you for supplies?”

“I do actually need a few things. I have some things to trade but I’m not sure exactly what they’re worth or what I could barter for with them. I was hoping that you or Batuhan could help me,” I answered.

She gave me a nod, “He’s in the kitchen. The lunch rush is almost over so he should have a few minutes.”

“Thanks,” I said with a smile and pushed back from the bar.

As promised, Batuhan was in the kitchen. I moved to the side of the doorway and watched as he put the finishing touches on an order, plated it, and popped it into the serving window with practiced motions.

Cleaning his hands off, he turned to me and spoke, “Karlus! It’s a pleasure to see you back in the village. Temüjin finally let you head off on your own?”

I grinned, “He’s talking with Yaromir, actually. Didn’t want to deal with the crowds while I picked a few things up. I need your assistance though. We took a little tour around the valley and I have a few goods to trade. Only problem is, I don’t know what they’re worth in relation to what I need. Irma said you might have a few minutes to give me some advice?”

Batuhan returned the grin and started to clear off some counter space, “Yeah, he hates caravan season. Let’s see what he had you collect.”

I laid out all the boxes I had in my pack. Even holding back the water and air aligned herbs for Shunakhai I was still able to present a respectable collection. Batuhan started to sort through them while I inspected his kitchen. I was in the middle of sniffing the spices he had jarred when he found the box stuffed with unicorn hair. It wasn’t hard to tell. My first clue was the sharp intake of breath. My second was his muttered, “Impossible!”

“Hrmm?” I asked.

“Do you know what this is?” He demanded, thrusting the box in my direction.

I calmly took it from him and closed it, “Yes, I do. Temüjin told me that they’re valuable.”

“Oh, they are. I’ve never seen so many in a single place. We normally only export a few per year. This is enough for you to buy out every caravan here,” he said, frowning.

He took a deep breath, and when he spoke his voice took on a serious tone, “You didn’t hurt them to get the hairs, did you?”

“Not a bit,” I said, “Those hairs are from their winter coats.”

“Good,” he replied, “they’re about the purest beast in the world. So, do you want to sell them?”

“Some of them,” I said, “I need a few sets of clothes, a carpenter to help with some roofing, and maybe some other sundry items. Think you can help with that?”

“Sure,” said Batuhan, “but it’s going to take a while. The carpenter I can have out by the end of the week when the caravans leave. I can send the clothes with him if you can go get your measurements done now. Anything else?”

“High quality air and water cultivation aids maybe?,” I asked.

Batuhan shook his head, “What you have here is already better than what the caravans are dragging through. They buy those things from us, not the other way around.”

I thought for a moment before adding, “Spices! Lots of spices. Temüjin has pretty much nothing in his larder, so an assortment would be nice. Eating something with actual flavor would be a welcome change of pace.”

He started to reply but was cut off by Irma poking her head through the serving window, “Order up!”

I chuckled, “No rest for the wicked, eh? I’ll get going, and thanks for the help.”

It took a few seconds to get my pack loaded back up, minus the box of hair, and then I was out of the kitchen. Irma gave me directions to the woman that served as a seamstress for the town and I made it to her home a few minutes later. After explaining the situation, and assuring her that Batuhan would be paying her, she whipped out a measuring cord and got to work.

I made my way back to Yaromir’s house less than an hour after leaving. Shunakhai was basking on the table between Yaromir and Temüjin as they drank tea. As I approached she perked up, causing Yaromir to tense up, before vaulting off of the table and scurrying to me. I was able to scoop her up and perch her on my shoulder before she could shred my pants with her claws, and she settled down with a sense of contentment.

“Have you concluded your business?” Temüjin asked as I approached the table.

“Yup, Batuhan said the carpenter would be out by the end of the week when the caravans leave. He’ll bring the rest of my purchases with him,” I answered.

“What else did you buy?” Temüjin asked with a frown.

“A few sets of clothes and some spices for the kitchen, nothing big,” I answered.

“Ah, wise purchases,” he said before turning to Yaromir and giving a slight bow, “Yaromir, your hospitality is appreciated. I believe my student has completed his business in Gladewood. It’s past time for us to return to his training.”

“I’m ready when you are, Teacher. Too many people in town for my tastes. Yaromir,” I said and stepped forward to offer him a handshake, “thank you for the assistance. I’ll keep you appraised on how Shunakhai behaves as she grows.”

“I would appreciate that, Karlus,” he said while giving me a firm handshake, “she’s a beautiful creature. If you bring her back to town I’d be most happy to watch her while you shop.”

***

Coming back to the cabin felt like coming home after a vacation. Shunakhai played in the stream while Temüjin and I used the rest of the evening to tend to the chores that had gone undone in our absence. Temüjin had come out of his taciturn mood as we had made the trek back to the cabin and was actually singing in a low growling voice as he carried new hay out for the cow. It was well into the evening before we were done, and as was our habit we sat on the porch and talked for a bit after eating our evening meal.

“I understand why you hate caravan season now,” I said as an opener.

Temüjin took a puff of his pipe, a vice he rarely indulged in, before replying, “And what makes you think I hate it?”

“You almost snapped at me a half-dozen times before we got to Gladewood, then you hid with Yaromir instead of going into town with me. Those were pretty good clues, I think,” I answered.

“Too many people,” he said, “the longer I’m out here in solitude the less tolerance I have for their love of profits at the expense of others.”

“I don’t think I’m tracking. Trade is a pretty essential part of every culture,” I said, confused.

“You didn’t look into the wagons when you went into town, did you?” he asked. After I shook my head no, he continued, “Ioseph? The overdressed popinjay that almost pissed himself when Shunakhai hissed? He trades in more than just beasts and furs. He’s a slave trader,” came the answer from Temüjin.

I was still digesting that revelation when Temüjin continued, “The free cities on the border of the Empire don’t officially sanction the buying and selling of slaves, of course. But when a border village disappears one day, and a new batch of slaves appears in the markets of Amadora the next who’s going to complain? The cities? They’re lucky that the Empire hasn’t expanded and razed them, and they know it. So, they turn a blind eye when a few hundred of their people disappear and merchants like Ioseph get rich in the process.”

“The Empire allows slavery?” I asked.

“Allows?,” Temüjin replied, “The Empire was built on the backs of slaves. The children are taken from their parents at a young age and sold to the sects or to the army. Those with talent in cultivation are raised and trained to have fanatical devotion to the Empire. Those that do not are worked until they die.”

“Now I wish I had let Shunakhai bite him,” I said, half-joking.

That got a belly laugh out of Temüjin and the black cloud that had covered our conversation lightened somewhat. We sat on the porch in silence for another fifteen minutes or so, enjoying the sounds of water running over the rocks and the general peace and quiet. Temüjin puffed away on his pipe while I worked on understanding the emotional flow between myself and Shunakhai. It was interesting, feeling her emotions press on my consciousness. I could feel her happiness at being able to play in the water, a sense of safety derived from both my and Temüjin’s proximity, and a hint of frustration that she hadn’t managed to catch any of the fish in the river.

Temüjin broke the silence, “You haven’t tried cultivation since you bonded your drake, have you?”

I shook my head, “No, I haven’t. I wanted to give her a few days to get used to the bond first.”

“You should,” he said, “It’s been a deceptively powerful minor boon so far, from what I’ve seen.”

He was right, and it was past time to see how the familiar bond was tied to my magic. And, as I watched Shunakhai diving in and out of the icy water, it seemed that she was quite comfortable with the situation.

“I’ll cultivate for a few hours tonight before sleeping. By the river, of course,” I said.

“Then I will get the lens. I’d like to see how the mana flows affect her,” he said, and stood to go in.

I made my way down to the river and took my usual spot along the bank. As soon as I settled in and slipped into my trance Shunakhai scrabbled up the rock next to me. I had previously had issues with drawing in an excess of energy. With Shun there, though, half of what I drew in was siphoned off to her. If a drake could purr with happiness, she would have been. Her excitement and contentment flooded our bond so strongly that I was knocked out of my meditative trance. As soon as the qi stopped flowing I could feel a profound sense of disappointment coming from her.

I chuckled and stroked her back, “Seems we found something you like more than jerky. Let’s try again little one.”

And we did.