Samira

The Devil is in the details...




"It's hot," Humbolt complains, dodging a playful swipe from his mistress's long tail.

"Welcome to the desert," she retorts with neither glancing back nor slowing her pace.

The basalt vent hop groans. "Still. Why are we out here when we could be kicking back next to the pool at that oasis? It's too hot for this. I grew up in the Volcanic Vents so I know what I'm talking abou--ARE YOUR FEET ON FIRE?!"

"Calm down. It means we're getting close--"

"YOUR FEET ARE ON FIRE."

"It happens. Doesn't hurt."

"F-I-R-E, SAMIRA."

"Yes, thank you for that. It's just up ahead. I'm sure of it."

Humbolt huffs and forcibly shrugs off the fact that there is a set of blazing dragon feet in his line of sight. "What is just up ahead?"

"The runes, of course. The ones we heard about from the gem trader in--"

"And you trust some stranger, huh?"

"Well, it doesn't hurt to investigate."

"Evidence to the contrary." He points at the flames engulfing her claws.

"For the last time, it doesn't hurt."

"And if you find these runes?" he presses. "What then? You'll be able to read them, that's a given. You can read anything. What if they're some kind of curse? Cause a world-wide drought or summon the Shade or--"

"I'm not going to read them aloud if that's what's bothering you."

"Maybe these runes were abandoned out here for a reason. That's all I'm saying."

Samira rolls her eyes. Humbolt can practically hear it. "The runes will stay here."

"Yeah, but they'll be in you. In your head. So, technically, they won't be abandoned anymore."

Samira stops. The halt is so sudden that Humbolt smacks into her tail, nearly taking out an eye in the process. Over his indignant squawking, she says, "It's true that I can read anything -- unused, abandoned, forgotten. It doesn't matter. Whoever wrote it, whatever they were trying to say, I'll know it. I'll be careful."

"Yeah. Uh-huh. Sure." Humbolt isn't convinced, but he knows his mistress is too stubborn to change her mind now. While it's true that no written or carved image remains a mystery to Samira, Humbolt fears that there's a catch. There's always a catch. Not all things left to rest in the past should be woken, should they?