The next thing Arthur knew, he, Brixaby, and Shadow stood somewhere else entirely.

Gone were the rolling, fertile fields that had been scattered with debris from the castle. Now, the ground was arid and scraped raw from the wind and blazing sun overhead. But not quite dead like the scourge-ravaged lands.

They were surrounded by dragons and hostile-looking people who pointed spears, bows, and swords at them.

"Welcome to Mesa Free Hive," drawled an ironic voice. “I am Chablis.”

A dark-skinned woman stood in front of the general crowd with crossed arms. Though she was dressed in common brown-gray homespun threads that were certainly not new, they were kept clean. There was an air about her that proclaimed her as the leader.

Shadow snarled in reply, and so did Brixaby who’d dropped to Arthur's shoulder.

Arthur looked around, his heart still beating fast with adrenaline from seeing Cressida and Joy disappear within the confines of a net. Though it felt like only a few moments ago, a deeper sense told him that much more time had passed.

The bright sun was high in the sky, though the portal might have transferred them across several time zones. They could be anywhere in the kingdom.

"Where is the other rider your people captured?" he said to Chablis, then looked at the other dragons for signs of nets in their claws.

"Rider?" she repeated.

"Yes,” he said with an edge in his voice. “Our training class was attacked by your dragons.” That last part was an assumption, but he hoped it was a reasonable one.

Someone called out from the audience. “How’d that kid link with two dragons?”

Shadow turned and snapped at the would-be heckler, showing teeth. "He is not my rider. He’s an idiot I’m trying to keep safe!”

Arthur pressed on, “Shadow is helping me and my dragon, Brixaby. We are from Wolf Moon Hive, still in training."

Arthur intentionally kept his rank as a Legendary quiet. It wasn't that he didn't expect anybody else to sense it – especially if any of these people were dragon riders – but he knew that throwing around his rank would not go well with people already unimpressed with him.

It only bred resentment, and as they were severely outnumbered, that would be a bad idea.

He looked around. "One of your dragons captured a pair: a pink and her rider. They are part of my retinue. Where are they?"

The woman's eyebrows shot up. "They’re safe."

"Then show them to me."

She chuckled and shook her head. "You are not in charge here, young master," this last part was said with the deepest sarcasm. "Now, what did you say your name was?"

He got the impression that she knew exactly who he was and this was an attempt to rile him up. Nobles hated it when commoners didn't automatically know them on sight.

Inwardly, Arthur activated his Charming Gentle-Person card, and checked his class stats to make sure the usual ones were equipped—Gambler and Cooking. He wanted every point of Luck and Charisma he could scrape up.

This would only become a battle of strength if he failed to talk himself out of this.

"My name is Arthur, and this is Brixaby," he said, "from Wolf Moon Hive."

"Hmm… Arthur and Brixaby.” She made a show of pretending to think. “You wouldn't happen to be the new legendary pair, would you?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw some people shift around uncomfortably.

"We are."

Chablis sighed. "Well, I’d hoped not. That will certainly stir up the hives more than they already have been." Then she looked over her shoulder. It must have been a signal because the red dragon he recognized earlier pushed through the crowd to stare down at Arthur.

The red inhaled, nostrils flaring. "Well, it does seem that some cubs grow up and develop teeth. Now you're a dragon rider. A stooge of the hives."

In a flash, Brixaby flew to a point right before the red dragon's nose. "Arthur is good and brave! If you don't watch your forked tongue, I'll pluck out your core card and give it to a Rare who will serve me."

The two dragons snarled at each other. It should have been ridiculous because Brixaby was about the length of one of the red's front teeth, but an indefinable sense of power rolled out from him. It was the strength of his Legendary core card, enhanced by the pair of Legendary cards he’d linked with Arthur.

Arthur suspected that sense of power was the reason why they had not been outright killed from the first moment.

No doubt, these people could manage it if they piled on them all at once, but caution had so far held them back. They probably didn't know the extent of Arthur and Brixaby's powers – that every card that was thrown at them would be used against them. But more than enough rumors about Brixaby had gone out to make most worry. Nobody wanted to lose their cards.

Arthur was more than happy to let Brixaby play the evil card-stealing dragon while he took on a more reasonable tone.

Stepping forward, Arthur held out open hands. “I think there’s been a… misunderstanding. Our training class was on a mission to protect a card library from the scourgelings. Nothing more.”

There were some scattered laughs throughout the crowd. Someone called out, “Yeah, the library was protected all right.”

That meant it had probably been looted.

Arthur kept his expression neutral. “If the cards were kept away from the scourgelings, then I'm satisfied. Meanwhile, my dragon and the rider pair you captured need to return to the eruption. We’re needed in case there’s a demi-scourge.”

Chablis held up her hand. “The eruption was three days ago.”

Three days?

A pit opened in his stomach. What if he and Brixaby had been needed? What if a Demi-scourge had erupted?

Immediately, Arthur checked the status of the countdown timer for the Shadow Teleport.

As Shadow was a Rare, the Siphon copy effect lasted for an hour. However, that timer had long since expired. From Brixaby's slightly unfocused expression, he was checking the same.

In fact, the only thing that had not expired yet was their quest to aid an ally. Likely because it no longer had a timer on it.

Noting that Arthur was caught completely flat-footed, Chablis’ lips twisted into a sarcastic smile.

“Our spies have reported back that teams were sent to your location. Not rescue team, mind you, but recovery teams with express orders to harvest cards.” She paused for a moment to let that sink in, then continued blithely, “Apparently, they've gone over the area with a fine-toothed comb. Several of the hives are already accusing one another of secretly holding your cards. What do you say to that, new Legendary Rider?”

Arthur thought for a moment. “I suppose most people suspect the Blood Moon Hive of looting our bodies?”

There was a distinct pause, then a couple of barked laughs from the crowd.

It took Arthur a moment to realize that they had expected him to be arrogant and incensed over the thought that the hives were already fighting over his heart cards. They expected him to be a high-handed noble.

It was all too easy to imagine somebody like his cousin, Penn, yelling at the woman, accusing her of lying. Other nobles would have no problem throwing their powers around.

They were, he realized, in an awkward stalemate.

This woman and her crowd could kill Arthur and Brixaby eventually and harvest their cards, but it would come at a ruinous cost. In addition, he felt there was some other power play going on.

He had learned a lot of dragon body language over the last few weeks since he had linked with Brixaby. When the red dragon had stepped forward, he had put himself between Arthur and the crowd.

The quest had said that Arthur was to aid an ally. Could that mean the red?

So Arthur pressed forward in the moment the surprise had given him, shrugging one shoulder. "I heard how Noble's Woodmours treats his people. I wasn't there to protect his interests, just the cards from getting swallowed up by our enemy."

Chablis’ gaze sharpened. "And I suppose you wouldn't mind helping yourself to some of the cards as payment?"

This was a trap. She was testing him to see if he was too virtuous. As an experienced liar, Arthur easily sidestepped. Again, he shrugged.

"There would be a certain…," what did Cressida call it? "carrying tax."

She relaxed very, very slightly. Admitting that he wasn't unbelievably honorable seemed to be the right move.

Shadow suddenly broke in, his tone full of wonder. "Is this… Did you say this is a Free Hive? You actually exist?"

"Who are you?" the red asked as if noticing him for the first time.

The dragon straightened. "Shadow, once linked to Rider Torres, one of Denny's retinue. Who are you?"

"You may call me Laird. And I suppose once you lost your rider, you were thrown out of your hive?" the red pressed.

"No," Shadow said with a low growl, "once I refused to link to a rider of their choosing, I was exiled to Wolf Moon Hive."

Arthur flinched. He hadn't known that. Of course, he hadn't exactly asked. It was wrong to demand that a dragon share their core with somebody not of their choosing… he hadn’t even thought it was possible until he met the King.

Nevertheless, he couldn't get too distracted. He looked back towards Chablis. “I need to see my people and ensure that they are safe.”

“You think that we are going to allow you your combat riders?”

Riders?

“How many did you take?” he asked, then added with worry making him desperate, “We haven't done anything to you. We were following orders and were no threat.”

“We couldn't be sure about that,” the red said. “And we took two pairs: the pink and the blue.”

“Laird!” the woman snapped. Apparently she felt he had given too much information.

The dragon tilted his head in a shrug.

Arthur's heart beat fast. “The pink is a meta, and the blue has powers over sea salt. They aren't combat riders.”

That caused a little bit of a stir through the watching crowd, and he wasn't sure why.

Arthur continued. “I'm not asking for them to protect me, I'm here to protect them. I was put in charge of the class, and I need to ensure they are safe.”

“How like a hive rider to demand from us.” But then the woman glanced back over her shoulder to exchange glances with a few others. They were actually considering it. She turned back, “The only way we would agree to your request is if you agreed to wear enchanted card locks.”

As if on cue, someone stepped forward with a pair of glowing bracelets etched with rune markings.

Including the nets, this was the second enchanted item he had seen from these people. This was no simple bandit camp. They had very high-level craftsmen here. Higher than he had seen in Wolf Moon Hive.

Arthur hesitated. Not because he was planning to pull a trick on them, but because he remembered very well what it felt like to be without his skills. That had been the Mythic Lung Bei’s specialty, and it had left Arthur entirely helpless.

“Brixaby will not be locked,” he said.

“We did not ask for the child to be locked,” she replied easily. “Only you, as a show of good faith.”

The child? That was odd phrasing.

Before he could open his mouth to respond, Brixaby moved. Quick as a blink, he dropped down from where he had been hovering at nose level with red Laird, and landed on Chablis’ shoulder.

“Then you won't mind being my mount,” Brixaby said darkly, his clawed forepaw falling to the base of her throat. “Nothing happens to Arthur while he is locked, and I don't start ripping cards out of hearts… starting with yours.”

There was a very, very ominous stillness.

With remarkable poise, Chablis said, “As long as the rider is locked, we have no quarrel.”

“Of course we do,” Brixaby said. “You kidnapped us.”

Time to take the more reasonable position. He and Brixaby were a good team. “If I agree, you bring back my riders and we talk,” Arthur said.

“Agreed,” was Chablis’ quick answer.

Arthur very much did not want to lose access to his cards, but if this was what it took to ensure Cressida and the other pair were okay.. he held out his hands.

“Then bring out my people.”

The two bracelets clicked on, the designs on them glowing but unfathomable at first glance. Arthur steeled himself against the sense of weakness as even his bodily attributes were locked away from him.

However, it did not seem to interfere with the basic link between himself and Brixaby. Small mercies.

Meanwhile, two more nets with rune markings covering the weavings were brought out. Arthur didn't know much about what went into an enchanted item because Wolf Moon Hive was too small to attract ultra-high-quality crafters. From the little he understood, enchanted items were different from card anchors which were directly tied back to the caster's card. A properly enchanted item took on power of its own.

He also saw that there was a difference between the nets coming out now, and the net he, Brixaby, and Shadow had been held in. That net lay off to the side, limp, with the rune markings dead or flickering. Much of the weaving looked burned. He suspected that these were not Legendary-level enchantments and had been strained almost to the breaking point by holding himself and Brixaby.

That was likely the true reason why they were here now. Chablis had to let them out before the enchantment failed and they were forced out.

Laird himself took one of the new nets. And even though it looked empty inside, he plunged his clawed hand in. Things started rattling around, and Arthur heard bleating sheep, annoyed chickens, and horses inside.

Had those dragons completely ransacked the Woodmours estate?

That would explain why there hadn't seemed to be much livestock around.

Or people, he thought, with the start of a sick feeling. Somehow, he’d have to find the leverage to get those people back… assuming they wanted to return, having been abused by their noble.

Finally, Laird found what he needed and yanked his claws out. Through a twist of space that didn't track correctly to any of Arthur's senses, Joy and Cressida were suddenly standing in front of them, blinking and looking confused.

Joy's wings were half-spread as if she were about to flap. She paused and looked around. “It's so bright out here.”

Cressida’s reaction was much sharper. “What's going on? Who are you people?”

Laird's answer was to pull out the blue Len and his rider, Tamya. Honestly, Arthur didn't know that pair very well. He didn't think that they had spoken more than a couple of sentences in his presence over the last couple of months.

Both Len and Tamya recoiled, finding themselves in front of so many people, identical frightened looks on their faces.

“It's going to be okay,” Arthur said, for the benefit of all of them. “This is Laird, and this is Chablis. We've been taken from the Woodmours Estate.”

“Yes, you are our guests,” Laird said with a dragon smile full of sharp teeth. “You’re in our Free Mesa Hive now.”

Cressida swelled in indignation, and Arthur could practically see a "How dare you" forming on her lips, which was not going to be helpful. They did not need any noble attitude at this moment.

“They've agreed to let you out of the nets, and now we're going to talk,” he said.

Upon hearing this, Cressida snapped, “Fine. What is a Free Hive?”

Arthur couldn't help it. He grinned.

She caught his look and leveled a stern one in return. “What?”

“It's just...I'm glad not to be the only one in the dark for once.”

“Our free hive is located on the underside of this mesa,” Chablis said, “Congratulations, you are no longer in the kingdom.”

Cressida whirled around to stare at her. “What do you mean?” She looked down at her feed. “Are we in the scourge-killed lands?”

“Not anymore.” Chablis gave probably the truest smile he had seen so far. “You see, what you have been told about the deadened lands beyond your kingdom is a lie.”