The weeks after our escape were difficult. Food was scarce and the hunters made movement at night the only possibility. Jaron was too big to hide anywhere but the forests and our pursuers knew it. Twice we skirted away from Father's spellcasters. Their incantations bouncing off of the protective shell created by my staff. But I knew it couldn't last. Jaron's size was nearly impossible to completely protect and his lack of skill with his fire breath left traces wherever we went. Burnt trees and scorched earth lay out a map for our opponents.

I tried scrying the mirrors of the castle, spying upon Father's chambers and even sneaking a peek at the forum where the dragons held council, but snatches of conversation weren't enough to keep us safe for long, and I suspected that his magicians largely reflected my spells away. I'd have to come up with another solution, and fast. The moon neared its monthly fullness, and my powers would soon ebb without an infusion of nightlock.

The sixth day of travel provided the first opportunity for our rescue. We'd flown clear of the northern part of Father's kingdom, beyond where his minions dared pass, and I felt certain that for the first time in days we weren't being hunted. Even let my staff rest its song, releasing my energy for greater consideration of a plan. It was then that I saw him. He marched right up the hillside opposite where we rested. Moved through the woods without a sound. If not for my wards, he would have eluded detection at all. His hat hid his eyes from me, but nothing could conceal his weapons. They hung from his waist, swinging as he walked. They were the only signal of his movements really.

I knew those weapons. Had seen images of them in many of the books in the castle, but it was impossible that he now carried them. They were the weapons of our past. Weapons from before the magical times. But there they were, being carried by a man very much like the men from before. The Gunslingers. A whole new plan too shape in my mind. I saddled up Jaron, and we flew down to greet our new friend.