Still trying to find some answers and to see if she could make any allegiances with the invisible masses that run the inner workings of the Boar's Tusk, Lynn told Starla that she was spending the day in the Homes and Apartments districts.

Which prompted a barrage of questions from the handmaiden. Lynn smiled patiently but tried to avoid the bulk of the questions and the advice she ignored outright. The girl seemed to think Lynn was a Lady off on a tour of the city.

The Homes in the city were set up for the married with children.  Unlike the poor district these living quarters are paid for out of workers wages when they get paid on moon Una's thinnest point in the night sky.

Not paying was not an option and taxes come out at the same time. Taxes and home pay were collected  by a team of heavily armed and spelled Collectors.

The Apartments had the same set up as the Homes but for the married workers they lived near the Homes, which were near the markets and a large park.  The Homes were three to four stories high but not very deep.

The park was a mix of open area and walking trails. Kids with their elders moved about the park and Lynn watched it all with fascination as she walked into the park.

As she walked into the park what struck Lynn was how much people went out of their way to avoid her. For a city built around Mages one would think they would be used to Mages walking amongst them. Then she looked around and could only see one very old Mage pair playing a game of King Stones together.

From out of a crowd a wandering vendor began to beeline toward her. Putting up a ward she waited for him to announce his intentions since he was the only human willing to come near to her. If he was a trap of some kind she would be ready.

"Excuse me Lady Mage but I notice your walking the park today without a pet." He asked in a surprisingly strong Upper accent of nobles. "I happen to have three pets left to sell. Would you like to see them?"

The definition of pet was vastly different depending on what country one found themselves in. A pet could be a harmless and cute Hand Monkey. Or it could be the poisonous lizard called a shorg, which only likes one human till it or them die.

Bored Lynn raised her eyebrows. This was a sign for him to proceed but be careful about it. She had seen upper Mages use this facial expression when buying goods and she tried to copy it whenever she could.

He produced from a large pouch at his side a little bronze with green markings dragite. The rare creatures looked like mythical dragons of stories but were a magicly derived copy.  Unable to breed they tended to go slightly mad as the years went on. The only ones she had ever seen had a red or green color to them.

From a second pouch he pulled out a wolfin. Also a magic produced creature the wolfin was loyal to a fault and could understand human speech. A hybrid of wolves, dire wolves, and a canine like beast known as a Inin.

Wolfin were easy to train but hard to keep from following you all over and they grew to three stone weight in three cycles.

Blowing on the dragite and putting it on his shoulder, he then produced a kearteal. This is a bird but it had four wings and it could understand human speech, even going so far as to repeat simple phrases.

"How much for the kearteal?" Lynn asked. She had no intention of buying anything but it was always best to start with something you did not really want and make it look like you wanted it.

"Only three silver crown for you Lady Mage." He said with a flourish.
She knew this was high and he was feeling her out as well. Raising only one eyebrow she tisked loudly. This she had learned from her Nanny.
He looked unabashed but the bird disappeared back into the large pouch.

"The wolfin is only a gold mark and he has not bonded yet." He said smoothly but with a hint of irritation that he had to lower his prices. "Came from the Master Mage Animus herself!"

"So, a silver crown and a half, for a puppy that I'm not sure is house broken or actually understands me."
Lynn figured this would chase the vendor off. She had never heard of a Mage Animus either so it could be made up.

Instead the wolfin went away. Taking the dragite off its perch he blew hard on the bronze skinned dragite. It's upper wings opened wide and it roared in a cute voice.

"You'd be wounding me but I'd give up this one for eight gold queens."
The roar had been so proud and majestic that Lynn found herself actually liking the cute dragite.

The price was less than one silver crown. She had that to spare. She had never dreamed of such a deal. She had not intended on buying a pet but at such low coin how could she not. Instead of saying she doubted the deal she furrowed her brow slightly at him.

"I swear it's a honest deal." He said quickly in fear. Then his accent dropped some as he whined out, "I have to get rid of the dragite's. Have too many! No one wants them in Farth!"

Pulling out a silver queen she held it up and waited. It amounted to seven gold queens.  Shrugging he took it gently from her and then handed over the light but tough looking creature.

"How do I work it?" Lynn asked.

With a chuckle he held up his hand, "That will cost you an extra gold queen, Lady Mage."

She felt a fool. Never purchase without getting all information and training in the negotiations.

Saying nothing she produced the queen. It all still amounted to less than the eight silver he had originally asked so she did not feel to badly on the deal.

"When you blow on it speak or think the words of command. Blowing hard and saying a command will get it to spread it's wings or attack." He explained slowly and concisely. Pulling a stone out he handed it to her. It was egg shaped and smooth with the colors of dark marble.

"Never lose this stone for it anchors the creature to you." Then he smiled his charming smile and added, "That's what I'm told. These are a new type so who knows for sure. Your a new Mage, Malady, make it work for you."

Lynn held the stone and the dragonite, thinking. What the vendor said hit her. "What do you mean, it's a new type?"

Trying to quickly walk away, without looking like he was quickly walking away, he called back to her, "Not sure how or why, but this batch of dragite was hatched naturally from a clutch of eggs. All sales final."

He rounded a bend and was gone in a crowd like a deer into the tall grass. The dragite chirped in her hand reminding her that she had just done something potentially stupid.

Looking into the creatures all yellow eye Lynn said aloud to it, "I know you dragite's are supposed to not know speech but I know that all creatures can sense intent. So, I'm not going to have any issues out of you and we are going to be a team. Not sure what possessed me to buy you anyway."

As she said it the dragite nuzzled into her hand and cooed a sound like cat with gravel in its mouth. Lynn's heart melted some so putting the stone away and rubbing it's head the two walked the paths together.

On its own it hopped up to her shoulder. Flipping it's new master's hair out of the way it took a seat there. Lynn had braced for the claws to dig in but instead it gripped only hard enough to hold on and not pierce her robe.

"Guess I should name you." Lynn said after some walking. "Thinking of you as 'it' or 'dragite' is getting annoying."
She got a low growl in response.

To herself she mused, I could call it brawny? The dragite let out a ugly bellow for some reason. "Hush!" Lynn said aloud. No. Not that. What is the right name for you?

The dragite gave out a roar away from her ear and gripped her harder. Lynn could swear that it was trying to get her attention. Then it roared again.  All it does is roar in the cute voice it has.

"How about Roar?" Lynn asked scratching it's head. Roar began to flap it's wings excitedly and gave out several little roars of joy.

"Guess that's your name now." She said laughingly. Roar settled down and the two kept walking. Up ahead several food vendors had set up along both sides of the path.

Roar playfully nipped Lynn's ear as they came near to a roast rabbit vendor. That rabbit does smell great! Lynn thought while walking toward the stall. The old women who owned the stall stood and began to get fidgety.

Lynn said nothing but held up a finger. The women nodded and held up two fingers of her own. Lynn laid two small round silver balls, called Bits in the wooden coin bowl on the counter.

The Bits were common currency and came in silver, gold, and at times platinum. Marked with a symbol of the city of origin and three dots, Bits passed around so much that they had to be collected once every five cycles. This was the reason for the three dots, for when two dots were rubbed off it was time to stop using it and get it traded for new.

Feeding Roar chunks of the rabbit she ate the flat bread and the peppers, that had come with the meat. "Your starving, huh? Did that silly vendor not feed you?"

Roar nipped her ear lobe once, gave a low-pleasant growl, and went back to scarfing down the roast meat. She took that to mean the dragite was in agreement.

Nearly passed the food stalls Lynn froze at the last vendor. The girl that had asked Lynn to help her mom was there and selling the meat pies that Lynn liked.

Thier eyes met but the girl looked away quickly. So Lynn went to her. "I need one please."

Still not recognizing Lynn the girl spooned out a large helping onto a large mustard leaf. Then she held up one thumb.

Setting the single silver Bits down, Lynn took the girls hand when she handed over the food.

"How is your mother, child?" Lynn asked the now struggling girl.

Looking up into Lynn's face the girl's eyes went wide. "Your the nice Mage that healed momma!"

Nodding and giving the girl a smile Lynn let go of her. "What are you doing here?" Lynn had to know.

"Father ran into trouble so we need all the Bits we can get." The girl began to look around to see if anyone was listening. "Some men came asking about you several moons ago and father refused to talk to them about you. So they came back with the city patrol and threatened to put father in jail."

Confused and angry Lynn quickly leaned closer to the child. Roar did not like that and jumped onto the table, it also snapped up a loose bit of pie when it did.

"He only told them that you healed momma and then left." The girl tried to comfort Lynn confusing her ire as anger toward her.

"I'm not upset with you, child. Just angry that anyone would come after your family so."

Calmed the girl noticed the dragite the let out squeal and scoped the creature up. Still trying to rationalize why men where asking about her, she did not see the girl picking up Roar.

When she did Lynn sucked in a breath. Calming quickly when she noticed that Roar was loving the attention and being held by the child.

"Be careful with that dragite, I call it Roar. So tell me who these men were?" Lynn asked. She was not trying to sound angry or forceful.

Still petting Roar the girl responded, "They never would say why they wanted to know but I followed them the last time they had come. They went into the royal district so I had to stop."

The royal district was what the commoners called the walled off area where only the Nobles and lower Royals live. With double the guard and walls that district was off limits to commoners unless they had a badge of some sort.  Even Mages had to check in at one of the five gates into the district.

Lynn would have thought that the men had been sent by Lady Flower. Who of the wealthy would want to know about her? Lynn thought to herself. She had to wonder if it still might be connected to Lady Flower.

"The men threatened to hurt father and take me." The girl added. "When they brought the patrol those men made father pay them all the Bits he had in his purse or go to jail."

Now her blood began to boil. If I can get ahold of whomever is bothering this family I will unleash magic like they have never seen.

As she thought this her hand fell on the satchel. The stone Mage Corla had given her bounced and hit her leg. Roar blew out a long stream of white steam at the same time.

Corla's words echoed in her head. Whispering dark and the sound of silence were the way of the Mage. Lynn would have to calm herself and think. Roar gave it's low-pleasant growl and playfully nipped at the girls hands and chin.

Calming herself she asked the girl, "What is your name, child? I will need to try to find you later."

"Father calls me Goldenrod, but momma always tells people I'm Renee, Jonkar's daughter. Guess that is father's name?"

"It should be, but what do I call you?" Lynn mused.

"The other kids call me Runner. Cause I'm real fast and my name sounds like it." She said in a whisper.

"Then my Little Runner it is!" Lynn took Roar from her, "Now, Runner, I have to go and talk to some people alot less fun than you. See ya!"

Lynn set three more Bits into Runner's bowl before waving and walking away.

"I hope to you soon, Lady Mage. Thanks again for helping my momma!"  Runner scoped the Bits up without taking her eyes off the pair leaving.

Roar let out a sad roar and watched Runner as they left.  Lynn petted it and thought about who else might want to be tangling themselves into her life.

Authors note:  thank you all who are sticking with me.  Sorry to take so long getting work out but the real world won't leave me alone.

My normal editor is busy so I tried it again (not my strong point!) But I think it turned out good.  Been trying to read others work on Wattpad and have found so many good writers out there. 
Keep it up ya all!!!