Dragon Clan #5: Tanner's Story

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Carrion listened to Tanner’s explanations, insights, suspicions, and guesses. In the end, he simply sat and nodded that he agreed with all or nearly all that Tanner said. When the known information was combined, it provided the needed basis to extend the thinking to fill in the missing pieces. In the end, Carrion didn’t disagree with anything.

Carrion sat and thought, much like Tanner had until he put it all together into one cohesive summary. He said in a sour sounding tone, “I guess it’s my job to confirm your guesswork.”

“Guesswork? I prefer to believe it is my critical thinking you’re defaming,” Tanner smirked.

Carrion shrugged, then in all seriousness, he said, “Now you are beginning to understand why the family council appointed you to be in charge. You’re the smart one. Don’t get all impressed with yourself from what I just said. I’m going back to join with my dragon while I think about this.”

Later in the day, Carrion again sat up and rubbed his eyes. “You were right, my friend. Three more military encampments, one in each city, and ships lined up on the shore. My dragon was not seen, and it’s now perched on the side of a hillside eating two deer that were too slow to escape.”

“Two?”

“Flying increases the appetite.”

Tanner said, “You know your dragon could attack and destroy the ships in all five cities, right?”

“And you know that if their king wants to invade our lands, he will simply seize merchant ships and sail on time. He can also wait while the others are repaired or replaced, but it’s like burning Shrewsbury. It’s an inconvenience that delays, but it prevents nothing. It would also get my red killed when they realize what happened. There would be plenty of witnesses. He might not even get to the second one before a dozen green dragons would tear him apart.”

“Slowing the invasion down isn’t enough. We have to look for a way to stop it.”

Carrion said, “If you’ve guessed right about Breslau wanting to destroy the Dragon Clan, we do have to look for more evidence. Invading Princeton and the Northlands is one thing, but if they have been behind the murders and near extinction of our families, it becomes personal.”

“And survival for our families.”

“Survival,” Carrion repeated as if the word was a threat or a promise.

The following day there were too few clouds for flying safely without being seen, and the same the day after. However, the third day was overcast with low clouds that allowed the red to fly north along the coastline. A few small fishing villages were near equally small streams, but the lack of flowing water kept most of the coastline devoid of villages, town, or cities.

For most of the flight, there were very few small trees, shrubs, or even dried grass. There were small patches of cacti and similar desert plants, but even they were shriveled, brownish, and desperate for water.

Carrion said he would keep the red hidden in the clouds until he reached the city. He would fly upriver and find a place to water and feed the dragon. If the clouds remained low, he would attempt to fly over the city at night. They had agreed that there was probably not a lot to be found out from flying over, but it was worth the effort.

They also agreed that setting foot in the city was risky, but it needed to be done for several reasons. That brought up the possibility that they might be killed or captured. What of the information they’d gathered if they didn’t return? What was the best way to make sure it reached the right hands?

They stood at their usual place on the rail and watched the water slip by as they talked. The Captain was the obvious choice to deliver a message. But neither felt he would risk his life for a letter he carried. He was a merchant sailor, not someone who could slip through the countryside and avoid thieves and highwaymen.

Devlin could do all those things and more. He was used to skulking around, unnoticed, and he knew how to move about while avoiding drawing attention. Most of all, he was dedicated to Carrion and Tanner in a way only the three of them could understand. If there was anyone who would risk his life to deliver the information, it was he.

They agreed that Tanner would write a complete report before they departed the ship and ask the Captain to hold it safely for Devlin for when the ship returned to Racine. They would find a time to discuss the plan privately with Devlin, telling him how to locate their family and to display his tattooed arms to them as a sort of passkey that would be mentioned in the letter. The family would understand and forgive them for sharing the hidden location with someone who was not Dragon Clan.

Tanner relaxed for the first time in days. Rescuing Devlin had been one of the bright spots on the venture. Neither doubted his honesty or dedication to them. The information he carried might prevent, or win a war. But they would not handicap him by telling him that. They would stress the importance, and both believed he would either deliver the papers or die in the attempt. What more could they ask?

The dark cabin became Tanner’s dwelling for two full days as he penned the letter in tiny, neat block letters on both sides of the paper. He told the entire story, from the first of the trip to all they had found and suspected. He suggested sending the same information to all families, but also to King Ember, and copies to the Earl of Princeton, and the Earl of Castle Warrington. Both were old friends and supporters of the Dragon Clan.

Tanner completed the letter on the eve of the second day, sealed all five pages with wax, and inserted it into a waterproof pouch that fit on a thin belt worn around the waist. The Captain had been more than helpful in providing the writing materials, the pouch, and promising to hold it for Devlin. He also vowed to hold a position open on the crew for him—in fact, he insisted on it. Devlin had become one of the hardest working sailors on the ship.

The night flights over Breslau City revealed little new information. However, while resting on a craggy cliff above the head of the small river that flowed through the city, several green dragons were seen overhead. They seemed to be patrolling as they circled the city time after time. They often flew out to sea, which worried all, but it also warned the Captain to sail far from land instead of staying just over the horizon, as had been the original plan.

Then came five days of waiting and sailing. Five long, miserable, hot, days. It seemed the closer they sailed to Breslau the hotter it became. The sweat evaporated from their skin before it could make them wet. The weathered skin of many sailors turned pink, some even a fearsome red. It was as if the sun in Breslau shined down brighter.

The crewmen found the shade of the sails to work under and still it was hot. Their movements became sluggish, and their work ragged. However, when darkness fell, so did the temperature. Shortly after dark, a shirt or blanket around the shoulders was required. Before dawn, the watches huddled under layers of blankets. By the time they finished breakfast the next morning they were shedding blankets and shirts.

Tanner kept his eyes on the horizon. He waited for the first sign of land. He admitted he was not a sailor and felt confined. The ship was too small for an ocean as large as that they sailed. But the first sign of land didn’t come from spotting it on the horizon. It was with a small, white bird that the crew pointed out. There were smiles all around.

Tanner leaned closer to Carrion so nobody heard him. He asked, “Why are they excited.”

“Those birds roost in rookeries on land. They return there every night.”

The smiles the crew displayed was duplicated by Tanner until a lookout called, “Sail ho!” He pointed to the starboard side of the ship.

The ship immediately heeled over, the sails shifting to catch the wind from the new direction as it sailed away, out of sight. Tanner watched the horizon from one side of the ship then shifted to the other. He never did find the other ship.

The situation was repeated later in the day, and again the Captain made a turn that moved them away from the other ship. But they had been only two ships spotted in the entire crossing of the Endless Sea, which indicated how few ships sailed across it. The two spotted were close to land. Close to Breslau, and without a doubt sailing from one of their ports to another.

Tanner’s heart beat faster. For him, those two ships were more of an indication that the next phase of the venture was about to begin—and it was the most dangerous. He took a bite of raisins and realized that as his boredom grew he ate more. Now, as his excitement increased, he ate more. Somewhere in those confused and tangled thoughts was a lesson, but he was too nervous to see it.

He caught himself jumping at unexpected sounds. A touch to his shoulder by Carrion found his hand on the knife at his waist.

They sent word to Devlin to meet with them after dark in their cabin. He appeared, a concerned smile on his face, but eager to talk. They explained the letter.

“I want to go with you to Breslau. I have the tattoos on my arms. I can help.”

“No, we need you to be here in case we don’t return. Our families need to know what happened.”

The argument lasted only a short while. When Devlin understood that the directions they gave to him were never shared, that he was becoming trusted by people who seldom gave trust to outsiders, he agreed. Then he promised to obey as they convinced him of the importance.

After he had left the cabin, Tanner said, “I don’t think we could have found a better person to help us.”

“The family will be interested in his tattoos. It marks him as a Crab, the lowest of humans. Much like our backs mark us.”

Tanner said, “If we do nothing else in Breslau, I want to examine the back of a Royal.”