The terrain we flew over was swampland with the occasional rocky outcrop and many stretches of water. Some of the trees were massive, reaching about two hundred feet into the air with buttressed roots holding them firm in the bog.
Xandros’s head swung slowly back andforth in the gloom, seeking the settlement. Then he banked again, and dropped until we were barely above the treetops. A moment later, the tempo of his wingbeats slowed, and I looked past his crown of spikes to see the buildings peeking through the forest.
Xandros circled first, looking for a spot big enough for him to land. The forest was slowly moving in on what had been a modest sized town, but the trees here were smaller, with gaps between them.
The dragon chose one, and folded his wings.
I think I might have yelped a bit as we dropped like a stone. But at the last second, he backwinged until his hind legs touched down. Smooth as silk, we were once again on the ground.
He lowered his head, and I slid off, still high on adrenaline.
“That was amazing,” I crowed. “You aresolucky to be able to fly like that!”
He tilted his head to examine me with one glowing sapphire eye. Then he snorted and shook water from his scales. My joy seemed to unsettle him, but at least he wasn’t still glaring at me.
The new growth of trees was a bit confining for his dragon self. As his form writhed its way to humanoid, I bent to pull something out of my pack.
“Here.” I surveyed the trees as I held the cloak toward him.
“You were thinking ahead.” His voice was still gruff as he took it.
“I am going to be handling a cutter capable of slicing through metal. Nude distractions are not the best plan.”
There was a rustle of stiff fabric. “Right.”
I risked a peek, to see that he was adequately concealed.
He avoided looking at me, and surveyed the area instead as he spoke in Primal. “We need large sheets of metal. This place has been deserted for a while. Might be a challenge.”
“Let’s split up and search,” I suggested.
He hesitated. “No. We stay together.”
“It’s the best use of our time,” I argued.
He finally matched gazes with me. I flinched at the continuinghostility within his, but he said, “Do not go too far from me. Dangers might be living in these buildings, now.”
I swallowed. “Okay. That makes sense.” I removed a flashlight from the pack and handed it to him.
He waved it away as he marched off. “I see fine.”
The light was fading fast as we moved into the town, but I could still see quite well—it wasn’t just my color perception that was enhanced. We stayed within sight of each other as we carefully poked our heads into the structures we came across.
Most were made of concrete, stone, or wood, but a few were metal. None of them were intact, most were partially collapsed or missing their roofs. After years of exposure to the elements, not much was in good enough shape to salvage.
Xandros wasn’t wrong about the locals moving in—I was startled several times by small creatures erupting from their shelters as I entered. It was so dark inside them that I didn’t entirely trust my new eyes, so I flicked on the flashlight.
Its narrow beam immediately confirmed my fears that anything worthwhile here had long since been removed. I backed out of what had been a small store and spotted a concrete structure behind it. The walls were still mostly standing, although the roof had collapsed sections.
Xandros had disappeared into the dilapidated old warehouse to my left, and I headed for the concrete building—a storage structure? It was hard to tell, but it had a large door at one end.
There were cracks in the walls, but I would have to bend low to use them. Instead, I went to the door. It was an overhead type, already up about two feet off the ground, and I leaned low to shove it higher.
It creaked and groaned, but it slid, sort of. When it was up about four feet, it stopped moving. I bent to shine my light inside.
Catching a glimpse of boxes and crates, my pulse accelerated at what sat amid them. Miracle of miracles, an ancient landhopper. Ithad been gutted of its engine, but the wings would be perfect for our needs.
And then, something growled. There was movement in the shadows—just a flash of fur and fang.
