While Elain walked away from Willow River, Rafelius remained in the pavilion.
A few minutes later, there was a thud on the pavilion's roof, and a creature the size of a cat leapt down. It had dragon-like features – black skin covered in scales, red eyes, two feet, a pair of wings, and a tail tipped with a stinger.
"A coachman, huh?" the little wyvern said in a gruff male voice, perching on the backrest of the chair across from Rafelius. "How dare you reduce me to a lowly servant! And only able to make a little fire? Hah! I could burn this whole city if I wanted to! You humiliated me!"
The creature continued his lament, "How can you be so foolish around a woman? Surely she has reasons for pretending to be in poor health, and yet you had to rub it in her face."
"If I hadn't mentioned it, she wouldn't have stayed longer," Rafelius said, picking up a dried apricot. He stared at the piece of fruit for a moment before bringing it to his lips. "I was also curious."
