Tense

You are directed to land on a field West of the main camp. With a wry grin and shrug of resignation you urge Swift onto the flattened wheat. It takes every bit of your experience to convince your drake to land in a location that will effectively ground him; baring winds strong enough to knock down small trees the only way a Drake can take flight from a field like this is to hop three or four arrow flights to the city walls.

You settle on the ground and turn your attention to releasing the fighting straps from Relia's legs, all around you spearmen are cautiously closing on your location but you ignore the heavy thrusting points of their spears as if they are on the other side of the river. Relia is not so sanguine and perhaps it is just as well because it is her gasp of surprise that alerts you to the attack.

It is not one of the hoplites, but a slender man wearing Rider's leathers who has charged past the line of careful spearmen and whose fist misses your ear only because of Relia's warning.

"You Fucking piece of shit!" He yells as he throws two more punches that you partially deflect. "I'll teach you the price of planting an arrow in Terror's breast." Luckily before you aggravate the situation by coming to blows with the enraged Rider, he is pulled off by two of his friends, but not before he throws down a final challenge.

"I'll meet you any time and any place you like free-Rider, and after I cut off your prick I'll help myself to that lovely cunt you so kindly brought back to Athenapolis." He leers at Relia even as he is dragged away by two other Riders. There is something familiar about him, and as he is turned away you recognize his hawk-nosed profile. This was the Rider you had managed to elude on your flight from the city, a hot-head to be sure but not someone that was likely to cause trouble. You hope.

"Don't worry about him, Lady Relia, he's more bark than bite I'm guessing." Her pretty breasts are rising and falling rapidly, but whether because she had been riding your cock just minutes ago or because of the excitement with the other Rider and his crude threat to take her for his own. "Look, here's our welcoming committee." An officer resplendent in a gilded breastplate and crimson cape is accompanied by a clerk wearing a tunic and carrying a collection of scrolls and pen cases on his belt where a man should wear a sword. The two men step forward through the ring of shieldmen and stop a few paces from where you are waiting.

"Let me do the talking." You mouth quietly before stepping forward calmly to meet the officer with a polite bow.

"What is the meaning of this?" The officer asks in a bored voice as though Riders regularly fly into the heart of the forces that they escaped from just the day before.

"I have information about a threat to the United Alliance forces." The officer barely takes the time to shrug before motioning with his hand for you to go on. "The Athenian High-Council has a plan to break the alliance. Take us to the Lord Commander's headquarters before it is too late."

"Tell me what you know," The young officer sighs, "if it warrants the attention of headquarters I'll be sure to send a runner." It was clear from his reaction that he had doubts that there was anything an unaffiliated Rider could possibly know that was worth wasting his time not to mention the attention of his superior officers in the commander's tent.