A mystery for later, it is growing dark

"It must be a plea for help, concealed by some sort of code." You answer cautiously, "but why address it to Prince Anochises when it is his father and his council that must be convinced?" Unless the King has already turned down their requests. Your thoughts wander as you ride in silence. This could 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 thought 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 would put more pressure on the United armies to make a quick deal.

The feel of Relia'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 Apollopol today." You tell her, "I hope you don't mind roughing it."

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 well in the dark than their Riders and are much more comfortable flying during daylight hours. Swift has picked up on your interest in the terrain below and has gradually lost some of his height picking up even more 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 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 the 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 wagon-loads of 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, 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, higher up the cliff are several fallen trees that would provide plenty of food for a fire. This location has all the privacy in the world, all you would be missing is a bed to lie on.

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