Not really

You feel Relia stiffen in your arms as you remind her of the message. For a moment you thought she would defy you, but with a long slow sigh she begins telling what she knows.

"It's a message for Prince Anchises," she tells you what you already know. "It was given to me by Haderus Galitia-"

"Who's he?" You interrupt.

"He's a rising star in Athenapolis, he works primarily for Marcus Tendarus of the slaver's guild, but he has contacts in all the High Merchant houses of Athenapolis."

"What is the message?" You ask and she her eyes widen in fear.

"I don't know." Relia is either a superb actress or she is telling the truth, you could perhaps get more information out of the once proud Lady of Athenapolis, but you had neither the patience or skill needed to separate the morsels of truth from the piles of crap that a tortured captive will say to stop the pain.

"What else can you tell me about this message?" You ask after several breaths of silence.

"Nothing," she pauses for just a second "Well maybe something. Haderus knew about you and your drake, he sent me to see you and gave me the bag of gems to help pay for my escape." If this greedy noblewoman had followed this strange man's plan you would never have found this mysterious letter; you for one are not complaining, how could you not be delighted with how things turned out as you listened to your fresh captive continue. "He leered at me in a most unseemly way and warned me that if I did not personally deliver this message to Prince Anochises' hand that I'd find myself in a very dangerous predicament." She pauses to make sure you are paying attention. "As he was leaving Haderus added something about seeing me again when Anochises had finished his magic."

After a few minutes of silent thought as you play with Relia's puckered nipples, you climb out from under the blanket. Now that the two of you are not rutting like animals, the cool mountain air is more noticeable, and you turn your attention to getting a fire started. It doesn't go well. The old tinder in your firebox refuses to take the spark in this damp weather; after months of living in the comfort of a tower apartment starting a fire in the wilds is proving more difficult than you had expected. Relia peeks from under the blanket watching your efforts silently.

The sight of the former freewoman reminds you of the heavy envelope with the message to Crown Prince Anochises. After only a heartbeat of hesitation you determine that the envelope at least could be used to keep you warm. Taking the outer envelope, you slice a strip the width two fingers from the margin of the folded paper and with your knife shave about half the paper into wispy strips until you had a nest the size of an egg resting on the rest of the strip. Carefully refolding the message into the envelope, you return it to your belt and in just a minute or two an ember from the flint settles on the shredded paper and you blow it into life.

You transfer the nest of burning paper into the kindling and in less than a minute the shallow cavern is lit and warmed by the light and heat of a small fire. It is only as you put away your fire-starting kit that you notice that the scrap of paper that you had held the nest of embers on was now covered with faint writing.

"Drake's eggs!" You swear in surprise unable to hide the urgency in your tone and Relia watches wide-eyed as you hold the outer envelope to the flames and words gradually appear on the plain white paper.