Talk To Dragons

Engel and violet stood outside the room where the two eager and injured men were in bed. The zealous voice of the clergyman boomed, pouring out into the hallway. The little witch and dragon had stayed just out of sight so that they could listen.

"I will have you excommunicated for this!" the clergyman yelled. "You have brought sin and evil into a haven for the young and impressionable! Where is this book of hers? I must confiscate it immediately!"

"Where is the book?" Engel asked Violet.

"I hid it," she whispered.

"We don't know where the book is," Adam replied to the clergyman. "The witch has it."

"Please, there is so much we can learn from this book," Steven said, with some groaning. "This is purely an educational exercise. We wish to do no magic at all."

The clergyman continued to yell and threaten the two men. It had already become clear to the two hidden in the hall that they should no longer stay.

"At least we got to eat," Violet whispered.

"Make a run for it again?" Engel suggested.

"Yep," Violet replied.

"What if we meet that witch?"

"Then we'll figure it out."

Just as their watchful guard became less attentive for a moment, Engel and Violet bolted down the hall towards the main entrance yet again. Their guard called to them in desperate surprise and the clergyman could be heard fruitlessly trying to give chase as well, having noticed them go by. He yelled that the two little sinners must be captured.

"Stop those two villains!" he commanded into the air. "In the name of the church!"

Engel and Violet were sprinting as long and hard as they could. When they reached the entrance courtyard again, a handful of guards appeared from the buildings to join the pursuit. Students all cleared the pathway, fearful for what they had heard about the incident the little two had caused earlier. None were brave or foolish enough to try and aide the church in their chase.

The open gates were close. They would make themselves disappear in the busy streets just as the other witch had done, but Engel stopped them.

"Wait!" he exclaimed. "What about Becky?"

"Damn!" Violet replied.

The witch stumbled to a halt and pointed her finger at the nearest student watching them.

"Where are the university stables?" she demanded to know.

The frightened student pointed his hand to a cobblestone road that ran through the long building to their left and deeper into the campus. They didn't want to further trap themselves, but they had no choice. Engel and Violet took their new direction with as much force as they could gather, knowing that they lost precious seconds in their pause.

They found themselves running through a building tunnel and exiting into another open area that was cut into four giant grassy fields with crossing paths. More university structure of many floors and windows lined the yard like a fortress wall but ahead of them in the distance they could make out a sign with a horse on it. The road did not go through another tunnel and instead ended with the stables.

"We're almost there," Violet said, in between breaths.

"The sound of clanging armor is getting louder," Engel warned.

Completely exhausted from their mad dash, Engel and Violet closed in on the stables but were not able to reach their waiting companion. The two tiny fugitives were picked up and held still by armored guards that made them look like stuffed toys by comparison. Not even a second was given for their resistance and a dozen guards surrounded them in a small circle with their hands ready near weapon handles.

"I'll see to it… that you two burn… for your crimes," the exhausted clergyman said, catching up several minutes after the chase had ended.

"What crimes?" Violet questioned, trying to catch her breath. "You have nothing on us, you expired bag of dust."

"Oh, how I will enjoy watching you drift off to the underworld," the clergyman said with a disturbing smile.

"Unhand my guests!" a young woman's voice demanded.

Like frightened children the guards set Engel and Violet down quickly and stood at attention on the sides of the road, allowing full access to the captured. The clergyman bowed his head and waited as a young woman in a dirty green dress stormed up to them with fists clenched. She had messy brown hair in a bun atop a pale face of anger and scuffs on her cheeks. Behind her was Rodiger and his men, leading Violet to suspect she was someone very important.

"She's scary," Engel said. "I think I'd rather try fighting the guards."