“So how much does a wyvern cost?” Giselle asked. She was following Lara through town with no idea where she was being taken. Lara had come to get her at the nondescript tavern she was staying at and they had been walking for nearly half an hour now.

“A lot,” the librarian answered.

“I’m going to be honest with you, I have little to no money to my name. The only reason I have that shithole they call a room at that tavern is I used a little magic to scare off some local thugs, getting me in the owner's good graces. I don't know how long it'll last, but otherwise I’m broke.”

“I don't have a lot of money either. The library doesn't pay well unless you're putting out large amounts of volumes for them to tout and claim they are the best library in the continent.”

“So what's the plan? And where are you taking me? I figured wyverns would be on the outskirts of the town.” Lara had led them into the heart of the bustling city, near the river. It looked slightly familiar, but Giselle couldn't quite place it.

“We need some money first, and I know just the place to get it,” Lara said, steering the two of them off the main road and onto the riverfront. Ships sailed lazily along the river, laden with cargo destined for the ports here or just leaving, off to some other city with goods loaded up at the ports.

Finally it clicked, they were at the warehouse she had met Lara’s little cult in! It all looked so different during the day, surrounded by people.

“What are we doing here? Are you going to ask for money from the cult? Do you think they’d really fund an expedition? I don't think they have an entirely favorable view on me.”

“Something like that,” Lara said, walking up to the warehouse. She knocked on it and turned to the warlock. “Stay here, I will be back in a few moments. Don't wander too far, once we have the money we will need to move quickly to get a wyvern and head to the desert. The wyverns go fast, which is part of why I wanted to get this done so early.”

“Why only part?” Giselle asked, but the door opened and Lara slipped in. It shut behind her, leaving the gnome standing outside a large building, the river slowly moving along fifteen feet from her. People walked by, some giving her cursory glances, but most looking forward, lost in their own world and imaging whatever it is they did. Giselle sighed and walked to the river's edge.

She sat on the edge, kicking her legs out and letting them hang over the water below. It was only about a four or five foot drop to the water. Would that be considered running high? That didn't seem a lot of room if the rains or snows were really bad and the river swelled in size. She followed the river upstream, but only saw buildings and a hazy horizon.

Where was Gild in this city, and what was he working on? She was positive it was him she had seen, even after years of being in the Other Realm, she could recognize his dumb face. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. What she would give to be able to grab and kiss that dumb face. She could only hope he felt the same after all these years.

Who were those people he was with, anyways? The star elf she could understand, he'd always been drawn to those in less than fortunate positions with a chip on their shoulder. The fact she was walking about with him was a statement to any elves they would see. But the big man had an air of authority around him. That part she found confusing. Was Gild in trouble with the law? He didn't seem to be as they were walking but who knows?

“Dammit Amarth,” Giselle muttered, kicking her legs out a little. “What have I agreed to do for you?”

The river crawled slowly past, not a care in the world save emptying its massive amounts of water into the sea. Or lake. Or wherever this thing ended. She couldn't even remember the name of the damned town they were in, let alone where the river flowed to. Had she even been told it’s name?

A door scraped open and she glanced back, but it wasn't the one Lara had gone into. She gave a man exiting the warehouse a small nod and smile, and returned to watching the river. Could she hand over the Spear to the demon if they found it? That was a big assumption there, the fact that no one had found it yet made this task fairly daunting.

What would they do when they got to the desert anyways? The pillar Lara had mentioned seemed the obvious place to start looking, but what would they do once they were there? Sighing, she leaned back, propping herself up with her hands behind her. How long had she been out of the demon's hold? Only a few days? She was making fairly good progress on her mission, though she didn't know how Amarth would look at that.

Gods, she was so tired. After years of doing nothing, all this running around and decision making was exhausting. She had no energy for subtleties. She could only hope Lara was the same and not planning some ulterior things. What luck that would be, escape from a Demon Lord only to find herself killed in some gods forsaken desert. Well, at least that would be the end of it. If it happened that way, she could only hope Gild had moved on and never learned her fate.

Another door scraped behind her and she glanced back to see Lara running from the warehouse with two large bags.

“Let's go!” she called to Giselle. The gnome got to her feet, wondering what was going on, when the hunchback came flying out of the door, a scowl on his face, waving a large blade after Lara. She took off running down the waterfront.

Giselle swore and ran after her, thankful the hunchback didn't seem to be able to move too fast. Lara was weighed down by the bags and Giselle caught up with her soon.

“What are you doing?” she asked between breaths. That time in the Other had left her body out of shape and easily tired.

“We need money,” Lara panted. “And I got us some.”

“Did.. did you steal from your cult?” Giselle asked. They turned a corner and slowed to a jog, keeping along the building fronts to avoid the main crowds of people.

“Maybe a little,” Lara said, glancing down with a sheepish smile. “I feel they owe it to us. They were just collecting money and sitting on it, we are actually going to do something with it.”

Giselle shook her head, but couldn't keep from smiling either. “Dammit Lara, that was some quick thinking. Do they know it was you? I only saw the gimp following you.”

“Don't call him that, he's just doing his job. But he was the only one that saw me. I’m sure they will learn soon enough and try to track us down, but I plan to be long gone by then.”

“Any chance we can slow our pace? I don't think he will be able to catch us now.”

Lara nodded and they slowed to a walk after turning another corner. The two women worked to catch their breath as they strolled towards the northern end of town. Finally, after half an hour of walking, they found themselves on the outskirts of the city and facing the Wyvern post.

Giselle had to actively keep her mouth from dropping open. She had heard of such things before, but wyverns were the travel for the rich and powerful, the fact they could be purchased as a taxi service seemed absolutely absurd.

“You sure about this?” the gnome whispered to Lara. Lara just nodded.

“Follow me, I’ve ridden them before and know how to do this.”

They walked to a large building and Giselle couldn't help but gawk at the creatures. They were essentially dragons, though their wings functioned as their front legs when grounded. The wyverns were about twenty feet long, reptilian, with a crown of spikes behind their heads. They each had a saddle on their back, just behind where their wings met their bodies. A grey one watched them approach, and Giselle swore she could see the glimmer of intelligence in its dark eyes.

Lara pulled the door open and a small bell tinkled. They strode in and were greeted by a wiry man behind a counter. He had a crown of brown hair streaked with grey, leaving a shining bald top. The man offered a warm smile.

“How can I help you two today?”

“We need to requisition a wyvern ride,” Lara said. Giselle stood beside her and said nothing. It was best to leave this to someone who knew what they were doing. The room was richly decorated with wood and ornaments decorating the walls. All in all it was a cozy place.

“Well, you came to the right place,” the man chuckled softly. “None of my wyverns are strong enough to hold two people, even someone who is not the, ah, standard weight. No apologies intended ma’am.”

Giselle waved at him, “None taken, sir.”

He continued to beam at them. “Where will you be flying to?”

Lara frowned for a moment, glancing down at Giselle. They hadn't actually decided where they would get dropped off at. They didn't have supplies to traverse much of a desert, and depending how soon they could leave, they wouldn't have much time to get them. On the other hand, getting dropped off right next to the pillar would let anyone who was following them know where they were.

Giselle decided to take a risk. “We would like to get as close as possible to the pillar in the center of the Kaashi Desert.”

Lara nodded and looked back up. “And we will need a return flight.”

The man raised an eyebrow, but did not display any surprise at their destination. “I can do that for you. How soon were you looking to leave?”

“As soon as possible.”

“Now, I have to ask,” he said, leaning on the counter. “Per our own laws and travel codes, are you two fleeing anything? The law for instance?”

“No, sir,” they said in unison. He watched them before nodding.

“Sorry, something I have to ask when anyone says they need to leave immediately. As if anyone would actually tell me they were fleeing the law,” he let out another soft chuckle.

“I can get you two on wyverns in about an hour, the time it takes to get them saddled up and let them know where to go.”

“Thank you, sir,” Lara said. “How much will the payment be?”

“You are travelling over some difficult terrain that puts an extra bit of exertion on the wyverns, plus the need for an immediate flight and finally with the return costs,” he scratched out some figures on a sheet of paper, tongue sticking out from the corner of his mouth.

“Twelve thousand crowns.”

Giselle’s jaw nearly hit the floor. She had been gone for a couple of years, but that was more than most people made in their entire lives! A well to do middle class merchant could expect to spend that amount once in their life if they were lucky.

“Deal,” Lara said. Giselle's jaw felt like it might drop further.

Lara heaved one of the bags onto the counter. “Here’s fifteen thousand. I hope they extra will buy your silence on this.”

“We aren't doing anything illegal,” she hastily added, seeing both of his eyebrows rocket up this time. “We’re just part of a small research team on the trail of something big and don't want any of our competitors snooping around and trying to steal our findings from under our noses.”

The clerk smiled again, nodding. “Completely understood ma’am. You have my complete and utter silence.” He took the bag with a satisfied grunt and walked to a back room.

He poked his head from the door and said, “You're welcome to either hang out here or take care of some other business, but like I said. Your wyverns will be ready in about an hour.”

“Thanks,” Lara said, turning away from the counter. They strode back outside, the bell tinkling behind them.

“We should get some supplies, just in case,” Giselle said.

“I was thinking the same thing,” the librarian responded. She reached into one of the two remaining bags and pulled out a wad of paper notes. Handing it to Giselle, she said, “Grab anything we might need. I’ll go do the same. Food and water are the biggest things, plus maybe some packs with clothes or a small shelter. Meet back here in half an hour?”

Giselle took the cash eagerly. “See you then.”