"So," Matthias said, looking up at the slightly straining Farrago, "How do we get to Larkin?"
"I'm not really sure," she replied. "I heard of something called the Sink that he doesn't like."
Matthias blinked. "Larkin doesn't like sinks?"
"No, THE Sink. I heard rumors from the scientist a long time ago... they're an underground rebellion against the government."
"Is Larkin a governor?"
Farrago nodded silently. Matthias hmm'd, then looked down. He was a few hundred feet up... if he were afraid of heights, he'd probably have shat himself by now.
"So... where do we find this Sink?"
"I don't know."
He looked down again, and spotted three little dots moving on the empty path toward The Shrike's castle. He frowned.
"Hey... li'l people down there. Maybe they'd know about the Sink?"
Farrago shrugged her shoulders, throwing herself off balance for a second. "We could try."
They swooped down and landed on the dirt road. Or, more descriptively, Farrago dropped down and landed, letting go of Matthias roughly 10 feet before they hit the ground. He crumbled into a heap.
The people they'd spotted were three young girls. The one leading looked to be about sixteen, and her hair was a rather frightening pink color not found in nature. Matthias wondered how it got that way, this place was obviously way too primitive to have invented hair dye yet. On her left and slightly behind was another girl, looking to be about the same age, maybe a year older, her hair a more natural reddish blonde color. But then, it's not hard to get more natural than bright pink hair. The third, on her right, was the youngest of the three, that much was obvious. Her hair was jet black.
The pink-haired girl raised an eyebrow as Farrago gracefully settled on the ground. "What the Hell?"
Matthias scrambled to his feet in an almost anime-esque way. "Hallo!" he said, grinning. "Would you happen to know anything about the Sink?"
"Who're you?" the youngest asked, perking a brow.
"Me? I'm Matthias Davidius Holmes."
He waited for Farrago to introduce herself. She was busy talking to Merlin.
"Oh. And she's Farrago. We just busted outta Larkin's dungeon and now we're looking for the Sink. Who are you, and do you know anything about them?"