*poke*

Seven days later, Adri and the others were over Scotland's border. Braeden pulled his horse to a halt at dawn and dismounted. "A good week's work. We'll stop a little early today, get a long sleep, and make it to Cesan's village tomorrow."
Adri broke in here. "His castle is half a mile from the village, and we can stop at McGruver's tavern. We're traders, come to see if Cesan has extra grain, as there's a shortage in the south."
Damien spoke up. "Why go into town at all? We can stay in the woods just as well, and a lot more inconspicuously."
Braeden sighed and nodded to Adri. They had argued it out more than once, and Adri, as usual on matters of strategy, had been victorious every time. "Because we would be seen, would have to be seen. We may have to ask questions. We will have to watch Cesan, find out what his habits are. We won't be able to stay invisible, not if we're going to find anything useful. And if we're seen lurking around, someone will get suspicious. Cesan will be on his guard. Maybe a search, and we'll be lucky if we aren't caught. Our best chance is to be open, say 'Here we are! Nothing to be afraid of!' And if we have an identity, it'll be case closed. People with a label - traders from the south. No one will get inquisitive, because there's nothing to be inquisitive about." She wrinkled her nose. "And we'd best pretend we're married. There probably aren't two female traders in the whole of Scotland. One of you lucky ducks will get to stay single. We'll have to get three rooms this way, which will give us one for you, one for Brenna and me, and one for, well, any questionable activities we may have."
No one said anything, although there were a few sighs. Braeden took over again. "All right, let's get some sleep. Damien, first watch. Brenna, second. I'll take third. Keegan, get wood and water. Adri, you - as always - are cook." After trying to eat Brenna's cooking one evening and Damien's the next, Braeden had settled the role of camp cook on Adri, just as she had predicted. An hour later, sand was thrown on the fire, and everyone but Damien was asleep. He yawned, waiting for his watch to be over.

((If anyone ever had a week that just about killed them, I did this last week. And, by the looks of it, this next one won't be a whole lot better. Hence my delay.
Anywho, it's high time for the dragons to enter. Here are my ideas for getting them to join up with our luverly Assassins. a) Big argument - maybe between Damien and Brenna. Noise alerts the dragons, who are nearby or flying overhead, and all our luverly Assassins get themselves captured. b) Dragons are sneaking around and capture the Assassins. c) The old story of "they-find-an-injured-______-and-heal-it-and-it-helps-them-forever." d) The half-million things I haven't thought of. Help yourself to any of those, or continue the plotline and let me introduce our fiery friends.
Cheers,
lavendershy))

"You know, Ron, sometimes it's not so bad. Yes, we have to hide behind rock like stinking rats, but every now and then. . . . You don't see younglings like this often. Not tough yet. And five of them. . . . What luck! Isn't often we get so many to ourselves."
"Think we can take them?" Go figure, Selena thought. The most intimidating of them all, dark-blue Torron, was the most timid.
Berril ((Bur-ILL)) laughed at him, a deep grumble that set the trees below trembling. "Take them? Take them? Take five miserable humans, who have never in their lives so much as given a whiff of fire, who have ears and noses as dull as boulders, who sleep at night, of all things? And you ask if we can take them? We should turn you out on your own, Torron. A rabbit is more like a dragon than you are." Selena chuckled with him, and Torron looked away in a huff. A dragon in a huff is not a pleasant thing, unless you are a fiercer dragon, and Selena and Berril did not mind much.
Most people wouldn't think that something as large as a dragon can be stealthy, but Torron, Berril, and Selena landed twenty feet away from the sleeping Damien, and he hardly twitched. Suddenly Selena whispered something in a his of flame. Berril leaned toward her. "What was that?"
"I said, listen and be quiet. More humans."
"She's right," murmured Torron. "We won't have time to kill them, eat, and get out."
"We could just take them with us to the caves," suggested Selena.
"Not if you make pets of them like the last ones," objected Berril.
"I won't, promise. Bring the gear, too. They may have something interresting."
Berril nodded, spurred to action by the sound of horses' hooves. "Torron and I will take two each. Selena, get the last and the gear. And we've not much time."

((One thing that I just realized: the humans can't be picked up in the dragon's mouths. A sneeze, and poof! Roasted. It'll have to be talons instead of the mouth.))

*poke*