Dragon Clan #6: Anna's Story

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

When they joined Thief at the edge of the bogs, there were two figured slogging through the muck in their direction. Thief had found a slight rise where his feet were dry, and he waited as if knowing the men were coming.

Anna and Raymer stood beside him, weapons sheathed. It seemed odd, but the two men slogging through the muck could be anyone, even enemies or highwaymen, but she didn’t believe it. They were her family. People she hadn’t met yet, but family.

Their progress across the soggy ground was slow and indirect. They followed the contours of the land, staying on the higher mounds and rises while avoiding the dark pools that could be deeper than they appeared. Many were deeper than a man she knew, but the water stained darker than any tea revealed little of what lay below.

The two eventually stood in front of them, one darker skinned and the other taller. They were dressed in heavy material colored the same drab tan as the land, probably from washing it in the local water. The darker skinned one was older, but he turned to the younger and motioned with his palm.

“I’m called Cloud. This is Danner.” He had spoken politely, firmly, and as he quit he waited for their response.

Raymer nudged Anna with a jab. She introduced them, failing to mention Thief was not Dragon Clan. At the end of the brief introductions, she turned as was customary, and lifted the back of her shirt. Raymer did the same.

Cloud and Danner waited for Thief. Anna said, “He is not one of us, but you may identify yourselves, nonetheless.”

Cloud did not turn. “You speak for the three of you?”

“I do,” her voice sounded more confident than she felt.

Puzzlement crossed Cloud’s face. He looked at Raymer.

“She does,” he confirmed shortly.

“In our family, we do not display with outsiders present,” Cloud stated, more a challenge than a statement.

Anna heard the disrespect in his tone. The man facing her was hardly older than she was, perhaps a little over twenty, so a difference of five or six years, but he was making a point or several of them. She said, “In my family, we are taught to adapt to present circumstances and not offend visiting relatives, but it is not my place to teach you good manners.”

Cloud took a tentative step closer to her, but Danner’s outstretched arm held him back. “She is right, Cloud. Besides, unless I’m mistaken, this is one you do not wish to brace. She will turn you over her little knee and spank you. Make no mistake about it.”

Finished speaking, the older man slowly turned and pulled up his shirt to display a fierce blue dragon with eyes as red as coals in a fire on a dark night. Cloud turned and casually pulled his shirt part of the way up his back, and then released it in an insolent and disrespectful manner that would have her grandmother’s ire raised and ready to administer a beating.

The action was also one of defiance and disrespect. She wouldn’t let it pass. Looking at Danner, she spoke to Cloud. “We would talk as we travel, if that is acceptable to you, however, the young one who has no manners should run on ahead like a child and announce our arrival. Running messages is good for the ill-mannered the people of our clan too young and immature to act like adults in front of guests.”

Without turning to him, Danner said, “You heard her. Move.”

Cloud’s face turned red with anger, but he turned and stalked away slowly. Anna was going to call and tell him to run, when Danner said loudly, “If you don’t get a move on, we’ll beat you there.”

Danner waited until Cloud was almost out of sight before speaking again, “He’s a good boy, just young and impulsive. Maybe also headstrong, but that can develop into something useful. Please do not hold our greeting against him.”

“Why was he speaking for you?” Anna asked.

“I thought a little responsibility would be a chance for him to learn. Perhaps it still will. I assume that you are the ‘Anna’ from the Drylands Family? The girl who traveled with Gray?”

“I am.” They started walking, Danner gently leading the way.

“Are you as fierce as I’ve heard? Was I right in warning Cloud?” Danner asked, his voice almost crackling with humor.

Raymer quickly broke in. “You saved his life, without a doubt. That girl there is the toughest, meanest, most spiteful clan member I’ve ever met. Do you have time to hear some of the terrible things she’s forced on Thief and me?”

Even Thief grinned as Anna sputtered.

Danner waited for her to calm before asking, “And you must be Raymer. That was your red we spotted last night.”

“Yes. Will there be a council waiting for us when we arrive?” Raymer asked.

“There will. Like the Drylands, we get few visitors, so we assume you come with news. While I would like to know what it is, I prefer to wait until we meet as a unit. However, there are a hundred other questions I’d like to ask for myself. I’ve only left the Highlands twice in my lifetime and have a natural curiosity about other lands and places.”

“Ask all you want,” Anna said, trying to establish her authority after shooting a fierce look in Raymer’s direction.

“Well, first of all,” Danner said, turning his head to Thief, “I’d like to apologize to you, but I wish to know how and why you are travelling with these two.”

“Her.” Thief said, his voice strong and unoffended.

“I don’t understand,” Danner said.

Raymer said, “It’s a long story, but the short version is that he protects her. It’s his job.”

“Very unusual. Later, if we have time I might wish to hear the long version, and so will others. You know the rules and our fears about outsiders.”

Danner had just broached the subject Anna struggled with most. One slip in a conversation with normals endangered an entire family. That was the reason most Dragon Clan only knew the locations of two other villages, at most. If they were captured, they could not tell where other families were, but each family had messengers that could fan out and spread the word of an attack, if only to others. Those two would send out more messengers, and all branches of the family would soon receive warnings.

Bringing an outsider into the location of a family would require her to answer for the infraction—and worse, if the council refused to allow his passage, he would never leave. She had felt confident, but now that they were near, apprehension filled her. But it was already too late. Danner had been kind enough to warn her in advance so she would be ready. He had handled this exactly as Grandma Emma would have. He had not told her what to do, or how to do it, but all the same, she understood.

Anna said, “Walking in this mud makes my legs tired. How much farther?”

“Not long. I’m sure you have questions of me? Please feel free to ask.”

“Tanner and Carrion are from this family. Will they greet us?” Anna asked.

“They will be there. Raymer, do you see those hills ahead?”

“The rocky ones?” Raymer asked.

“Yes. They are taller than you would think when looking at them from here. It’s a bit of an illusion. If you’d like to have your beautiful red dragon fly there, he will find Carrion’s red expecting him.”

Raymer said, “You go on, I’ll catch up.” He closed his eyes.

The morning quickly warmed and fog lifted from the cold ground, swirling and shifting. Danner walked as if he could see right through it, but try as she might, Anna could discern no path or trail that he followed. She glanced behind so they didn’t lose Raymer and found him running as if in slow motion as the muck pulled at his feet.

Every step disturbed the rotting plants and soil. Old smells, not unpleasant, rose and assaulted her nose. The sun looked weak through the mists, and she saw no sign of animals, green plants, or living anything that was not an insect. The squish of feet, pulling from the black soil was a constant.

Danner had told her to ask questions. “Why in the world would your family settle here, if it is not too rude to ask?”

He said, “After others had settled in the harsh, dry desert to our north there were no other paradises for us to occupy safely.”

Raymer laughed, and when finished, said, “Anna, you have to admit that was clever of him to turn the location of your family against you like that.”

Before she could respond, her eyes picked out regular lines ahead. Some appeared straight, and few places in nature, have straight lines, and these also seemed parallel. “Have we been walking that long?”

Danner raised his eyes to the sun, nearly overhead. Words were not required. As they approached the buildings, the ground became less soggy as it rose slightly. By the time they arrived, she could see green spread out in front of her, seeming to reach to the peaks where Raymer had sent his red. They hadn’t seen the dragon fly over, but he’d made the announcement that it had landed and was getting acquainted with Carrion’s red and both seemed happy.

Along with the low buildings, Anna saw a central opening, a square of green grass, and people milling around tables laden with food. Her stomach churned. She halted about ten steps away, while Danner continued on to join the others. When the attention of everyone had turned to her, she formally turned her back to them and pulled her shirt high to expose the dragon she’d been born with.

Raymer did the same, providing a long look for all to see before allowing his shirt to fall back into place. Then Thief turned his back and pulled his shirt high. Anna started to reach out and stop him, but the deed was done.

One man, older than most stood in front of the rest. He asked Thief, “Why did you do that?”

“Respect,” Thief replied and said no more.

“Thank you,” the old man said as if that was the perfect answer. “Allow me to pay my respects to you.” He turned his back and displayed his dragon. The entire gathering followed suit.

Introductions of individuals were made, and names were quickly forgotten. The food was served, or people helped themselves. Knowing visitors were arriving meant a feast laid out, as in all Dragon Clans. It was usually a day of new stories, rumors, gossip, and often music and few chores.

As always, the children held back from the strangers, but as soon as one felt comfortable and approached the visitors, the dam broke, and the children surrounded the three strangers, to the laughter of the others. There was always one that stood out in every family, but Anna felt hardly older than some of them and instead of enjoying and playing with them as she normally would, she maintained a polite distance. Raymer did the opposite, but oddly enough, most of them were drawn to Thief.

They talked, and he listened. Thief didn’t play so much as he got down to their level by sitting on the ground and listening to them. Anna realized that most adults tried to monopolize the children’s thoughts and words, but Thief let them do the speaking while he occasionally grunted or nodded. Soon he had nearly all the children at his feet competing for his attention. It didn’t go unnoticed by the adults.

A tall, thin woman with almost regal bearing sat on a chair beside Anna and introduced herself as Hanna. She said, “For the last few years we have not felt the need to have a formal leader of our family and the council is sort of comprised of who is available. Many of us travel and work elsewhere because this small parcel of ground we can farm won’t support us all. For now, I’m our leader.”

“We need to talk,” Anna made it short and to the point. The army from Breslau could arrive any day, and if it did, all the rules would change. She felt it was like the times in the summer when you knew a thunderstorm was coming. Not exactly when, but the electricity in the air, the moist stillness, and then the first puffs of breeze. It was not far off.

Hanna said, “Allow me to gather a few people together and we’ll talk.”

She stood and calmly strode to a pair of men. Anna caught her attention. “Tanner and Carrion? Please?”

The woman circulated and spoke to several people before returning. “Everyone’s curious, and we sense this is more than a neighborly visit, so I’ve taken it upon myself to modify your request. First, we will climb onto the roof of that small storage building over there,” she motioned with a hand in the general direction. “It used to be our speaker’s stage for councils and entertainment, but years ago someone got the brilliant idea to enclose the lower portion and make use of the space. The roof is very strong, and chairs are now being carried there so all may hear.”

Anna was initially upset, but realized her family would have done much the same. First, a public meeting and then another, more private. Still, she would have to speak in front of a large group again and the last time only her grandma Emma had saved her and allowed her to win her points. Drawing a deep breath to calm herself, she said, “Very well.”

“Relax,” the woman said. “They have a right to know the general idea of why you’ve come here. Besides, they are your family.”

In less time than Anna wished, the stately woman named Hanna, Raymer, and she were sitting beside each other on the roof of the building. In front of them, also in chairs were all the adult residents of the Highlands and some of the older children, who were still living at home. All were quiet, some perched on the edges of their seats in anticipation, and from Anna’s viewpoint, it was as she imagined a king holding court with commoners.

But she didn’t feel like a king. She felt like a child trying hard to act like an adult and failing. Hanna stood, gazed out over her people and raised her palms to quiet the few still talking or whispering. Her voice was chilled, authoritative, and commanding. “You have requested a short meeting before our council meeting, and so it shall be. Raymer’s deeds are known to all, as are those of Anna’s. Raymer tells me that he is along to do the bidding of Anna, and that she’s the leader of the expedition so it will be her who address us. Anna, if you please?”

The wave of her arm required Anna to stand and face the awed faces in the crowd. The idea that she was the leader of a powerful and famous man would take some explanations she didn’t wish to share. Beside her, Raymer stayed seated in his chair, a smirk on his face at how he’d managed to thrust Anna into the limelight. She saw the smirk and refused to acknowledge it. For now. But she had no words planned, and her tongue felt thick and slow.

Honesty above all, Grandma Emma had often stressed when public speaking. She’d repeated that phrase to Anna since she was three or four. She said honestly, “Thank you for the meal. We’ve been living on next to nothing for days, so we appreciate it.”

Smiles greeted those words. Her confidence grew. “You have all heard the stories from the family messengers about Breslau. Tanner and Carrion have more information I want and will gather after this meeting, but from all I’ve gathered, and from what others have, we are already at war, but nobody knows it, or what to do about it.”

She now had their attention. All of it. “Breslau expects to take us by surprise and by force. From what I see and know, they should have few problems in conquering us. King Ember is weak, knows little of battle strategy, but thinks he knows all. We of the Dragon Clan cannot defeat these invaders once they land here. There are not enough of us. We can fight, but we’ll lose.”

The agreement in the faces of all adults was easy to read. “We have no plans. Part of that is because we lack accurate information. Most of us didn’t even know Breslau existed across the Endless Sea a year ago. My quest here today is simple. I want to gather more information.”

Again, there were nods and smiles all around, but as Grandma Emma said, if a stubborn mule does not do what you wish, there are times when you must get its attention by hitting it between the eyes with a stick of firewood. After you have its attention, ask it again. She raised her voice to ensure all could hear. “Instead of waiting for Breslau to attack and kill us, I am going to start a war.”