The fireball burned low over the heads of the Barizians, and the gunshots paused. The galley began to slowly alter it's course to run away from the [i]Borealis,[/i] then fled as quickly as they could. They must have had another set of men to row the oars, because a normal crew would have been exhausted. The galley beat it's way south by southwest, running as fast as a sail ship sailing in the wind.

The dragon continued to beat it's great wings, and the rider holding the gun took a half step closer to Rio. She wasn't particularly tall, but the way she held herself with the control of a hunting beast. Her quilted jacket was buttoned against the cold, and her chin length blonde hair was covered with a leather cap. The tentacles grew from her upper back and latched onto the rough nubs of bone that protruded up and down the dragon.

Her eyes were the color of the sky on hanging day, a flinty blue grey that stared Rio down before she spoke. She lowered the gun so it wasn't pointing directly into Rio's face and called, "It seems we are not enemies, Shifter. Return to your ship, tell them to let the galley live for a while longer. We'll speak with you, stranger."

Two men watched the exchange, one fore and one aft. They were dressed like the woman in a quilted jacket and trousers, but were too far away for Rio to make out any detail. 

There was a pause, and the only sound was the wind, tearing past the wings and ripping at the riders clothes. It made sense they dressed so warmly, being up this high got cold quickly. 

---

Wheel lowered the cannon, taking aim against the galley. Firing, he watched the ball arc harmlessly into the water near where the ship had once been. Preparing the cannon again, he took mental note of the range, estimating how long until they would come into range. The [i]Borealis[/i] was lucky and had the wind, they would soon be on the slavers. "Hana," he said, "Is there anything that we could use to hide or escape? If that dragon turns on us, I want you to be ready." He looked away before he saw Hana's nod, but he heard her descend to her room to gather supplies.