After a week of prep, a small group set off for Corinth. While the others planned things out and packed. Ves & Nell used the new drones to begin clearing the path ahead. Aside from the need to make a few tweaks here and there, the drones were incredibly effective. In a pinch, they could also likely be used for battle. The pincers were strong enough to snap any tree six inches in one blow. She could only imagine what that would do to a person.

  The group comprised of Ves & Nell, who were still trying to get used to their new conjoined name of Ves’Nell. Ryuko and Hiroko as her appointed guards. Then all the collared slaves, including Alice and Xeeta, for obvious reasons. Then one other dragonewts woman Ves had hardly ever spoken to, Motoko. She was the mother of the one dragonewt child who had been contracted before help could arrive. Ostensibly, she was just there to take care of her child, but she was also assisting Alice with cooking and other mundane tasks for the group. In addition, Farren had come with his apprentice in order to get all the proper paperwork for trade in order . Farren was getting on in years, but his apprentice had a lot to learn before he could take over.

  Lastly, there was Taythes, who had come to handle the payments for the release of the slaves. As well as to ensure no one questioned Ves’Nell’s status as a draconic consort. Though as soon as all the bureaucratic work was in order, he planned to return straight home to their queen’s side. He was currently taking a human form like Senotraxia had. Though he did cut a handsome figure, he was also obviously exhausted and looked overworked. He also didn’t possess the more inhuman features like Sen did with her eyes and hair. Thankfully, the tension from a week ago was also resolved. The dragon understood it was an honest mistake. But just as Setsu did, he stressed never to make that mistake again. As it was an insult, most dragons would never let her live to make a second time.

  For the trip, Ves’Nell wore a custom outfit with a very long and wide sleeve over her right arm, which she could clasp shut to hide her claw. The outfit also came with a veil to conceal the brand. But between a heavy amount of make-up and intentionally growing out her bangs, the brand was not apparent at first glance.

  Needless to say, the outfit had been made by Alice, who had already shown Ves’Nell several other designs she had planned as soon as she could get more supplies. With an extensive list of cloth and dyes, she wanted to buy as soon as they reached a proper town.

  Xeeta had also been hired. Anytime the group stopped to rest, she should instantly begin sketching out designs for a proper town building off the already existing artificial caves she had built into the cliffside. She wanted to make everyone proper homes and a defensive wall around the area. Then convert their old stone fort into Ves’Nell’s palace. Ves had told her they didn’t need anything so grand, but the pleas fell on deaf ears. Ves hopped to find an ally in Tathyes in curbing Xeeta’s enthusiasm, instead, he took Xeeta’s side.

  “While I understand why you may think that you need to remember that you are no longer an escaped slave. You are Sen’s consort. Consort to the queen of the Verdantscale dragon flight. We need to establish a level of projected wealth and power. Quickly at that.”

  “Why is that? Don’t dragons mostly just live in caves? I’ve never heard of a dragon with a palace.”

  Taythes laughed, “A common misunderstanding, but one that won’t be shared by anyone knowledgeable on dragons. Yes, on a purely technical level, most dragons live in mountain caves. But that does the reality no justice. For one, these are caves on top of mountains with scenic views that only a handful of mortals could even dream of seeing. The sort a painter would travel their whole life to capture.”

  “Huh, I never thought about it like that,” Ves remarked.

  Taythes continued, “And while we may live in caves, you forget that these caves also store our hoards. For some of the more powerful dragons, their hoards are things of legend. Filled with countless artifacts that kingdoms would go to war over. Lastly, it’s not like we don’t renovate. Sen’s cave, for example, does resemble a palace from the inside. Just everything sized to be more appropriate for a dragon.”

  “Wonder if I will ever get to see it.” Ves mused.

  “More than likely, one day, I know our queen would love to show you. Unfortunately, that won’t be anytime soon. While the other dragons know of you, it’s not like they will accept you. It's best we wait until you have gained a degree of prestige and personal power before exposing you to a bunch of prideful dragons,” Taythes explained.

  “Would they really try something? I’m pretty sure Sen would murder them.” Ves asked.

  “Oh, she certainly would if she ever found out who did it. But many view her taking you as her consort, let alone her first, as an insult to our entire species. Many young males have been fighting for that position for decades. The fact that you are the one she granted that honor likely enrages them,” Taythes said with a strained sigh.

  “Is that an opinion you share?” Ves asked warily.

  Taythes donned a sad smile and shook his head, “Our Queen is family to me, more akin to a little sister. While I love her, it’s not romantic, so no, I never saw myself as the one to potentially stand at her side. To be honest, I advised her to take another dragon as her first consort and simply kidnap you. Then, if you ever showed signs of living up to your potential, we could have taken another look at a means to suppress the brand at the time.”

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  “That’s about the answer I expected,” Ves commented. It was a difficult question to ask, but she felt better knowing where Taythes stood.

  “Even still, while you being her consort may rankle my draconic pride, it was still the choice our queen made. So, as her advisor and oldest friend, I will do my best to help her plans and dreams come true. And to add credit in her defense.” Taythes gestured out towards the path before them, already cleared by the new drones. “I’m quickly seeing why she took the gamble she did.”

  The drones had been hard at work clearing the way. While they didn’t take the time to clear many of the larger trees, they had effectively been able to clear a path well enough to serve as a trail and guide for the future construction of the road. Nell had worried that following the drones slowed the group, but in the end, many of the group couldn't move that fast to begin with. Add in the drones being able to work through the night, and they managed to maintain a healthy lead on the group. Which was for the best, as Ves wasn’t sure how some of the group would react to what was essentially a giant centipede.

  Thankfully, the trip itself through the forest, even at their slow pace, only took a week. Nothing had attacked them, but they passed that off as Taythes’s presence scaring any potential beasts off. He may look like an overworked desk clerk, but anyone near him could tell there was more to him than appearances suggested. It was just a feeling, one that told a person on an instinctual level that he was dangerous.

  Before long, they reached the border of Kohdessia and their way onto a proper road. The road itself was deserted and poorly maintained as it was essentially a dead end leading to the forest and the border of Kohdessia itself.

  Soon enough, though they started to see farmland and several small hamlets off in the distance, up to this point, the drones were still carrying all the cargo meant for trade and had managed to stay hidden. A task that would be much easier said than done as they got closer to Corinth. What they really needed was a proper horse and wagon. So while the rest of the group settled in for an early day, Ryuko set off with a bag full of coin. By that evening, she returned with a cart pulled by an old mare. She had to pay many times over what the horse was likely worth, it didn’t help that the money she offered were some ancient coins that likely belonged in a private collection. Though at the end of the day, gold is gold, so she managed to strike a deal all the same.

  With a more normal transportation secured, they quickly loaded up the cart out of sight as Nell sent the drones back to clearing the trail for a future road. This drew odd looks from some in the group when the new cart suddenly pulled back into view, loaded to the brim, but thankfully, no one asked questions. Nell wondered why they had hidden the drones, but Ves pointed out to her that several in their current group would be leaving. So best to keep things a secret for now.

  Until they got all the proper documentation in place, they wanted to stay quiet and keep to themselves as much as possible. Especially seeing that half their group were technically runaway contracted. Unfortunately, to do that, they needed to reach a properly sized city with a branch of the laborers' guild.

  Two days later, they finally reached Corinth. It was the very town Ves had set out from well over two months ago, before the disastrous hunting trip that led to her escape. As they could see the city getting closer, Hiroko spoke up, “I hate to ask this at this point, but what do we plan to tell them if we are stopped at the gate? I can’t help but feel we are a suspicious-looking group.”

  Farren spoke up, “We simply state the truth that we are traders and looking to purchase materials and hire labor.”

  Hiroko shook his head, “That’s fine and all, but have you noticed, no other traders are using this road. There are no known settlements outside of a few small hamlets in the direction we came from. To any guard worth their salt that will set off alarm bells.”

  “Shit, you're right…” Ves agreed as she began to think.

  “Again, can’t we just state the truth, that we are settling down in the forest and establishing a new town?”, Farren asked.

  “One major problem with that, while hunting along the borders of the forest is allowed, logging or, gods forbid, starting a village is extremely illegal. As you know, not piss off the very dragons who raised several cities a few hundred years ago,” Ves explained.

  “Ah, I see the problem,” Farren said as he started deep in thought himself before asking, “Could we just turn around, approach from another gate?”

  Hiroko shook his head, “At this distance, they already saw us. It would be even more suspicious.”

  Finally, Ryuko asked, “Why is any of this an issue? We are establishing the settlement on the orders of said dragons. We have the Queen’s Consort and a real dragon with us.”

  Hiroko sighed, “Who would believe us? And what do you think would happen if Lord Taythes revealed himself? In a country where everyone was raised to fear them at that. There would be mass panic”.

  “I suppose it’s time to play the haughty noble card,” Ves sighed, looking dejected.

  “What do you mean?” Ryuko asked.

  “We make ourselves insufferable. We have enough goods and coin to come off as nobles or at least people of means. They may question our appearance, but that can be passed off as trying to travel in secret. Eventually, the City lord will need to step in to resolve the situation as the gate guards won’t want to risk pissing off the nobility.”

  “How does drawing more attention to ourselves help at all?” Hiroko asked.

  “If we can pull in the City Lord, we can at the very least have a private conversation. We want to establish trade so the truth will be revealed eventually. Better to break the news in a controlled setting.” Ves explained.

  “How do we know they will even be cooperative?” Farren asked.

  “As I said before, he and my old master don’t get along. Enemy of my enemy and all that. Just so happens getting married loosened my lips, and I know all of the senators' dirty secrets.” Ves added.

  “If they don’t get along, why did you ever pass through here in the first place?” Hiroko asked. Ves had to ponder that for a moment. Why did he bring her through here last time? While Corinth was a convenient spot to launch the expedition from, it was far from the only one. In the end, Ves could only respond with a shrug.

  “I really hope this works,” Hiroko said as he and Ryuko took flanking positions when they neared the gate. After a short time in line, as it seemed only local farmers used this entrance, they reached the front.

  The guards took one look at them, suspicion clear as day as they laid their hands on their weapons before they asked. “Newts? Out here? Where in the world are you from?”