The Dragonpit

He made his way into the Pit and paused just inside. There were enough torches that a dim light was cast over most of the interior, and every now and then a dragon would let out a gout of flame, illuminating their cave before fading to blackness again. Maekar looked to the massive shelves where the dragon saddles were kept. He did not move toward them yet, instead casting his eye over the entire Dragonpit. He was looking for the presence of attendants, which dragons if any were nearby (especially the Queen's Amethyst), and at the saddles specifically, trying to determine which of them was the Queen's.

Maekar pulled Vira close, and pressed her against the wall between the Queen's saddle and the one that hung to its left. "Moan, as if this was the last time we were here together," he whispered, kissing her ear. He kissed a trail down her neck, pulling her dress off her shoulders as he did so. As he leaned over her, however, he drew the dagger from his belt, and made a series of short slashes on several key straps with the sharp blade. He was careful not to cut all the way through the leather, and to cut the under-side, so the scores would not be visible except by the most careful of inspections.

Each strap was scored four times about halfway through the leather as best as Maekar could figure in the dim light. The scores were very close to each other, and the straps he had selected were ones that he had deemed important to the saddle's integrity and yet not the ones that would wear out quickly so they would be less likely to be checked on a regular basis. Watching the Maestro repair and re-fit Cyrax's on Dragonstone several days earlier had been greatly helpful in determining where he needed to place the cuts.

He sheathed the dagger when he was finished and pressed himself against Vira again, as she writhed and moaned beneath him.