Half an hour after take off, Nathan was relieved when Griffin finally set down. With trembling legs he forced himself to dismount the large dragon and proceeded to collapse as soon as his feet touched the ground.
Griffin shifted back, kneeling next to the wolf heaped on the ground.
"You okay, Nate?" he asked.
Nathan took a shaky breath as he relished the solid ground under him. "Fine. Don't get me wrong, flying was awesome, but…"
Griffin laughed as he trailed off, unsure of how to word the fear he felt without sounding rude.
"Yeah, it takes some getting used to. We made decent time though if you want to take a few minutes to rest."
"Yes," Nathan whimpered. He crawled forward until his head was resting in Griffin's lap as he curled up, trying to settle his upset stomach.
Griffin let him rest in silence, gently running his fingers through his hair.
They stayed there in companionable silence for almost an hour before Nathan was able to sit up again.
Rising to his feet, Griffin held out his hand, offering Nathan help. Once they were both up, Griffin continued to hold Nathan's hand, leading the way out of the small forest they'd landed in toward town.
As they cleared the last of the trees, the first thing that hit them was the noise. Peddlars selling their wares, bards singing songs of great heroes, the hawkers shouting their stories and the relentless rattling of carriages and wagons on cobblestone paths.
Nathan pressed closer to Griffin, almost hiding behind him, at the auditory assault.
Griffin soothed him, "It's okay. We'll wait here for a moment, let you get used to the noise." Griffin gave him several minutes before forcing him to move forward with a tug on the hand he held captive. "Come on, the sooner we get what we need, the sooner we can go home."
As they got closer to the gates, the different smells of the market hit them. Fresh bread straight from the oven, mounds of spices for sale from southern traders, grilled meat from food stalls, and, unfortunately, manure from all the livestock.
As they lined up with the people awaiting entry into town, Nathan pressed himself as close to Griffin as he could. The dragon looked down at the small wolf that was trying to merge with him before letting go of his hand and wrapping his arm securely around his shoulders, pulling Nathan even closer.
Reaching the front the guard looked bored as he asked monotonously, "Purpose of your visit?"
Griffin squeezed Nathan's shoulder as he replied, "Just some shopping. We're running out of supplies at home."
The guard looked up from his clipboard, "Names?"
"Griffin DeLuca and Nathan Esmeray."
"And how long do you plan on staying?"
"We should be done and gone before nightfall."
The guard noted the necessary information. "Proceed," sighing as the next group walked up.
"Thank you," Griffin said as he led Nathan past the guard and through the gates.
"Why was he asking all those questions?" Nathan asked through the bond.
Griffin suppressed a sigh, "I should have mentioned it sooner, but after the werewolf purge, every town and village that could afford it built walls around their homes and got guards with truth crystals posted at any entrance."
Nathan gnawed on his lip as he asked, "What are truth crystals?"
"Another fairy artifact. They glow certain colors based on how truthful people are."
"And why does everyone use them at gates?"
"It's their way of trying to prevent people who mean harm from entering the town. They're trying to prevent another tragedy like what happened to your people."
Nathan stiffened at the reminder. Griffin, sensing his unease, scooped up the small wolf and brought him to an area that was quiet and away from prying eyes.