Keep it, and not really

"It must be a plea for help, concealed by some sort of code." You muse aloud, "but why address it to Prince Anochises when it is his father and his council that must be convinced?" Your thoughts wander as you ride in silence. Unless the King has already turned down their pleas for aide. Could this be an attempt to get the prince to lobby the king for the sake of Athenapolis? Vaguely you remember hearing that the crown prince was a hotheaded fool and that he had been offended when the United Armies of Heliopolis had declined his offer to lead the attack on Athenapolis. Perhaps the elite of the besieged city think he might be sympathetic to their appeals. This was clearly a **** measure on the part of Athenapolis, but it costs them little to try, and if successful in fracturing the alliance, their stratagem would put more pressure on the United armies to make a quick deal.

The feel of Reilia's soft body pressed against your reminds you that you should be stopping soon for the night. "We're not going to make it to Heliopolis today." You tell her as if she has a voice in this decision, "I hope you don't mind roughing it." She likely will have a rough night too, because you intend to enjoy her ass again several times and maybe even her tight little cunt.

As you speak, your eyes scan the high peaks and cliffs below you, looking for a good spot to spend the night. There are a number of inns several hours of flight further up the coast, but you would rather not fly into the night if you can avoid it. Drakes can see even less in the dark than their Riders and are much more comfortable flying during daylight hours. Besides, you'll have to turn North and leave the coastline soon in order to get to Heliopolis.

Swift has picked up on your interest in the terrain below and has gradually lost some of his height picking up speed as he drops to the heights of the tallest peaks. You hope to spot a prepared Rider's rest. Enterprising peasants sometimes built simple shelters in likely cliff tops. They would spend hours hauling building supplies to likely locations, assembling shelters with beds, firewood and water. If a Rider was pleased they would often reward the owner by leaving a gold coin or two in the shack more than making the effort worth the time, but you see none of these welcome but isolated rests.

Below to your left, creeping along the coast road, a lone caravan of wagons is heading towards the fallen city of Athenapolis, from this height it is impossible to tell what the wagons contain, but if that bold merchant is cunning he will ride into Athenapolis with a load of foodstuffs and leave the city with wagons piled high with loot taken from the city. Trade goods pillaged from looted warehouses, fine furniture and artwork lifted from the sacked houses of the aristocracy and wagonloads of chained beauties - freshly captured young women bought cheap from the glutted **** markets of Athenapolis and transported to some far city to be sold as raw slaves for brothels and trainers. Like you, the caravan will be stopping soon for the night; no merchant would travel these mountain roads in the dark, they would be happy to put you up in a camp-bed for the night and share their food in exchange for news from Athenapolis.

A caravan camp however, would be a noisy crowded place, and you are looking for somewhere more private where you could continue your exploration of Lady Relia. You want to hear her unrestrained response to your demands as you break her, and suspect that an audience of guards and teamsters would inhibit the noble lady too much.

Ahead you see a likely spot to spend the night - a shallow cave with a ledge large enough for Swift to lay out on at its mouth sits high on a cliff face. This location has all the privacy of a Rider's rest, but it would be lacking the comfort of walls a hearth and a bed to lie on. However, higher up the cliff are several fallen trees that would provide plenty of food for a fire and you have an idea hw you might be able to get enough blankets to make a crude bed.

Do you fly on looking for a prepared Rider's rest, land at the cave or join the Caravan camp for the night?