by LeRoy Clary
She sat, still unsure of what to do. Moon strode in, nodded once to indicate all was well and said he would stand guard on the small balcony upstairs. Rake said, “Hold on a moment. Come over here.”
He didn’t hesitate.
Rake glanced at the other members of the Dragon Clan, all three women. Then he turned his attention back to Moon. Without preamble or mincing words, he asked, “Who are we?”
Moon shrugged. “Your names?”
“No, more. Who are we?”
“Dragon Clan.”
“Who told you that?” Rake demanded.
“It was not difficult to figure out. I don’t know it for sure and didn’t care.”
“Why not?”
Moon chewed on his lower lip before answering. “I guess in a way, you’re like me. I’m a Crab, a person worth less than nothing. You’re maybe below me as far as Breslau is concerned.”
“Interesting,” Cinder said.
“Why is it interesting?” Rake didn’t appreciate her interrupting again, but she seemed to have a point to make.
She said, “If what he says is true, it has me thinking. The rulers of Breslau don’t like us, and the dragons from Knavesmire kill ours, so we can assume they don’t like us either. We have always been alone—but perhaps there is an ally we didn’t know about.”
“Crabs?” Rake asked, catching on to her train of thought.
She smiled and held up a palm to stop his objections. “Forget they are uneducated and all that. They want to live just as badly as us, I’m sure. Together, we might do what neither group can alone.”
“Together?” Rake asked. His confusion almost sounded like anger as he said the word and tried to ease the impact by adding, “Explain.”
The second word sounded like an order given by an officer in an army.
Fran entered the conversation in a voice barely above a whisper, “If they can help us, and we can help them, why not?”
“What can they do to help us? They’re uneducated, kept in compounds or cages, and have no organization.” Rake glanced at Moon fearing he’d offended him. “Sorry, but that’s how I feel.”
“Me too,” Moon said. “But there are a couple of other things to consider. If you excuse the appearance of my recent haircut and the looks of my beard and let some of these sores heal, I’m as much a person as anyone here. I want to live, as someone said. So do the rest of my people.”
“You said a couple of things,” Rake reminded him.
“Well, there are almost as many Crabs as there are Breslau citizens. More, if you include the descendants of Princeton freemen who are treated barely a step above us. Right now, they and the Crabs make up most of the Breslau army. They may also work with us.”
“Meaning?” Rake asked, growing weary of the conversation that didn’t seem to have a point or an end.
Moon gave a lopsided smile. “What if all those people left the army at the same time? And my people left the compounds? It is not like we’re in cages. We can walk away and face the patrols on the streets, but those patrols are the old Princeton people. What if they join us?”
Fran said, “I’ve heard about Crabs, but never one that speaks like you.”
Rake turned his attention to Fran. “How old are you?”
“Fifteen.”
Cinder chuckled and said, “That explains a lot. Didn’t your family have anyone older to send?”
Fran shrugged. “My older sister has a baby to care for. My big brother isn’t very smart, but don’t ever tell him I said that. He’s good around the farm. Great around the farm, I should have said. That left me.”
Her confession, if that was the right description, made it seem like Fran was not prepared for the investigation in the same manner as Sadie, and certainly not Cinder. Fran was elected by default. She was young. It seemed like her family hadn’t taught her survival methods most Dragon Clan learned. Not that all became efficient in the forests or combat ready, but at fifteen, she was more a child than an adult.
That worried him, and in the interactions of the others, he found they shared his concerns. One mistake due to ignorance might cost them all their lives—and perhaps the lives of their immediate families. Her reluctance and inexperience in fighting could cost any one of them to lose an encounter, especially if she required rescue as they risked their lives for her.
It had nothing to do with dislike or distrust, or even bravery. She might face the fiercest opponent while doing her best and not backing down a step. However, he suspected she didn’t have the skills to protect herself against a poor soldier, let alone others they would surely face. He might also be wrong about her.
Rake reached to the table and picked up a blunt knife used for spreading butter on bread. Without warning, he tossed it to Fran and yelled as he leaped to his feet startling her, “Defend yourself!”
Before she recovered, he was already on his feet and rushing the few steps to her. She fumbled the knife and it clattered on the floor as she held her hands in front of her face and peeked between them. Rake pulled up and muttered, “Sorry, I had to know.”
“Know what?” she shouted, her face red with embarrassment and anger.
Rake sat and hung his head quietly.
Cinder said, “If he had done that same thing to me, he’d be on the floor with my foot on his neck while he begged for mercy. Sadie?”
“I’m not as good a fighter as Cinder, but he would have had my knee in his groin, my boot would stomp his instep, and my feet would be carrying me away so fast he couldn’t catch me as I pulled my knife.”
Fran started to cry.
Cinder cast a pleading look Rake’s way, silently telling him to make amends. He said, “Nothing personal, Fran. We are talking about going to war and all of us need to know how prepared you are and what we can use you for.”
She cried harder.
He hadn’t improved things. He may have made them worse. Rake refused to meet the glares from both Sadie and Cinder. He finally said, “Fighting is not the only valuable skill. You have a good mind. We can use that, and Moon can help you learn to defend yourself when we’re not around. From now on, the two of you do everything together. Moon, it’s your job to keep her out of trouble. You know how to survive in this city on next to nothing. Teach her to move unnoticed about the city and how to use her ears and eyes.”
All eyes turned to Moon. He was as thin and dirty as a new shoot in a poor garden, his skin covered in sores and the bites of insects, as well as cuts, scrapes, and discolored bruises. However, there was a glint in his eyes. He said, “Agreed.”
Rake continued speaking to him, “You will defend her but more importantly, keep her out of trouble where she needs to defend herself. Always choose running instead of fighting. Understand what I’m saying?”
Moon gave a curt nod. Both Cinder and Sadie gave Moon reassuring smiles. Rake felt better, knowing that if Fran was with Moon, they were both safer. With Moon’s background in Breslau, his education, and his abilities to fend for himself in a city that despised Crabs, he had knowledge the younger woman could learn and make use of.
Looking around the room gave Rake a feeling of confidence that hadn’t been there two days ago. The idea of him and Cinder entering a city and learning how to help the Dragon Clan was not only daunting but unbelievable. He’d gone along with it because of Cinder pushing him forward.
Looking back, the meeting with Carver, the bow maker, had revealed a lot about both of them, as had their first encounter where she had tossed acorns at him. Then the encounter with the dog had cemented their relations in odd ways. Cinder seemed to admire him for how he threatened the entire village for the abuse of the dog, while he had admonished himself for reacting too harshly. After that, he’d suspected Frog’s family were Dragon Clan while Cinder had no idea of their connection. But Cinder had correctly placed them in the position of rescuing Maggie, and she took the lead in the attack on the camp of highwaymen. Without speaking about it or deciding anything out loud, both
had acted at times as both leaders and followers.
Then he mentally tried to replace Cinder with Fran in his memories of the trip. The result was disastrous. He wouldn’t be as effective, and she couldn’t do what Cinder did.
Rake turned his attention back to Fran and kept his voice even, not insulting nor apologetic. “I know you want to help, and we appreciate that, but you were sent here by your family to learn of danger, not to confront it. Right now, you can best do what you were tasked with by accepting Moon and his decisions. It is the one thing you can do to help your family.”
She had stiffened at his words. “I didn’t come all this way to stand aside and watch.”
Rake said in a softer tone, “There are times when that is all we need you to do. We cannot do what we may have to if we are constantly worried about what you can or cannot do. It’s not your fault.”
“You tricked me with the knife.”
With a heavy sigh, Rake said, “I may have and if I made a mistake, I’m sorry. You might be a better fighter than I believed. If so, prove it. Right now. Fight any of the three of us. If you win, I will apologize, and we will change our plans.”
She started to stand.
Rake continued talking evenly, “Understand that whichever one of us you choose to fight has no choice but to hurt you as they defend themselves with as much cruelty as our enemies would use in a similar attack. This is not a gentle process and may result in broken bones, stab wounds, or worse.”
She sat.
“That choice shows a maturity I didn’t expect,” Rake said. “Listen, we all contribute in different ways.”
She snapped, “Moon isn’t one of us. Do you realize the power he now holds over us? He can turn us in and collect a reward. I think you’re stupid for admitting to him who we are.”
Cinder tossed her head back and laughed along with Sadie. Moon didn’t. When the laughter slowed, Rake said to Cinder, “Explain to her.”
She said, “Fran, we did nothing of the sort. Moon, when did you first suspect who we were?”
“When Rake took me upstairs, let me wash, and gave me his only other set of clothes to wear. I asked him to cut my hair. He did, and my beard.”
“So what?” Fran blurted out.
Moon lowered his voice to just above a whisper. “I fled Breslau almost a year ago. In that time, can you guess how many people so much as tossed me a crust of old bread? Not one. Nobody in Breslau, I almost died crossing the Brownlands because of lack of water, and after arriving in Oakhaven and now Mercippio, not a single citizen has fed me or offered clothing. Nobody has spoken to me with a kind word or treated me with respect.”
“I’m sorry for you, but don’t see the point,” Fran said.
“Simple,” Moon said. “While Rake fed me, treated me as a person, and cut my hair, I asked myself, why? Just that one word. Who would do such a thing for me? Not the people of Breslau or Oakhaven, at least none had in a year. So, Rake and the others here were not like others. That means they must be different. Rake and Cinder were in hiding, of course, using their robes to hide from the city, any fool could see that. The Dragon Clan was the only answer that came to mind.”
“Well, if you look at it like that, you might have guessed. But they said it out loud. That is against our rules.” Fran crossed her arms over her chest in defiance.
Moon settled back in his chair and smiled. “Rake only asked who you were. He never said it out loud. Because of him, I wear sturdy clothing. If it rains, I’ll be dry. My belly is full for the first time in a year and I feel safe with these people near me. I was willing to protect this inn with Rake’s bow today—and tomorrow. I pledge my life to protect the Dragon Clan.”
Demi stepped into the room with more food. She said, “I only heard part of that, but I agree with Moon. He has a place to stay as long as I own this inn, without charge. He can eat all he wants. And I will also fight for the Dragon Clan.”
“You also knew?” Fran asked.
“Suspected is a better choice of words, but who am I to question the only guests I have or am likely to have?”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
They sat and talked beside the fireplace while planning what to do next. Demi carried bowls of rabbit stew to them. Nobody asked where the rabbit had come from, but to Rake, it didn’t look or taste like any rabbit he’d ever seen or eaten. Moon seemed to grow healthier each time he ate.
Demi touched up Moon’s sores on his legs, chest, and back, with her healing cream, and he answered a hundred questions about Breslau, Oakhaven, the Brownlands, and more. He had useful information as few others did, as well as his personal insights.
When presented the idea of Breslau invading Oakhaven, he agreed that had been the plan or was whispered to be. He’d heard about it several times before fleeing. He knew nothing of invaders from the north. That fit the timeline from when he’d escaped. The information on the fort Knavesmire workers had built had happed about the same time he’d run away, so he had little information.
Rake asked, “How do you account for the decrease in the number of Crabs? I mean, do you have any ideas of why?”
“I’ve thought about that for over a year. Here’s what makes sense. First, Breslau is using the peasants who already lived in old Princeton to continue doing what they were before. Farmers still farm. Shoemakers still make shoes. Builders build. The traditional use for Crabs was to do many of those things and there is little need for us. But our numbers kept growing.”
“More mouths to feed,” Rake said. “More expenses.”
“That’s one thing. About twenty years ago, small girls were sent to be workers in the palaces and homes of the wealthy, as always before. I think more of them were recently “removed” from the compounds where Crabs live than can be accounted for. Eventually, so many females were taken that there were fewer young woman Crabs to have babies. The population grew smaller.”
“So, as a smaller group, they needed fewer supplies and you noticed that discrepancy and investigated,” Cinder said. “And you either found out something or they caught you checking up on them.”
“There’s more to the story,” Moon said agreeably. “They also started to remove young, strong men. The story was that they were needed at other locations for projects, but I think they were sent to be trained to fight. There were rumors of that before I left, only now it makes sense with the news of Knavesmire.”
“Again, they needed fewer and fewer Crabs in compounds and therefore fewer supplies for you to order.”
“Perhaps half as many supplies as twenty years ago,” Moon agreed. “This is not a new concept.”
Fran wore an expression of puzzlement. She said, “Why did they need all those young girls as servants? Didn’t they already have enough?”
Moon hung his head and looked at the floor in front of his toes. He sighed. “I don’t think those girls ever went to serve in the homes of the wealthy.”
“Then where did they go?” Fran asked.
Cinder looked at Moon’s dejected posture and said, “Fran, wake up. They were killed so they couldn’t reproduce. Male Crabs were too. The Princeton peasants were doing what Crabs had been doing in old Breslau, and more. They became a liability. Too costly to feed. Cheaper to kill as long as nobody notices, like our friend Moon, here.”
“Oh,” Fran’s voice was hardly loud enough to hear. “What happens if other Crabs find out?”
“Riots?” Moon said. “The rulers of Breslau would either have to kill all Crabs or the Crabs would kill them.”
Rake said as he stood, “Listen, I can hardly stay awake. I’m going to bed. It’s been a long day.”
The others agreed, Fran had a room beside Sadie, and Demi assigned one to Moon on the front side of the Inn where he could watch the street from another small balcony. Rake and Cinder walked up the stairs together, neither thinking about asking for separate rooms until entering.
Rake seated himself on the chair watching outside as Cinder prepared herself for bed. He s
trung the bow and pulled it a few times before losing interest. He positioned it and a few arrows in easy reach near the balcony door.
Cinder blew out the candle. He remained in the chair, thinking. What had begun as the two of them in a desperate search for information had become a group of six. More, if Frog’s family counted. But seven in the Rocking Chair Inn were intimately concerned with the safety of the Dragon Clan and Oakhaven in general.
Six people who had been strangers three days earlier were now trusting each other with their lives. Somehow, Rake had become the unspoken leader. Cinder his second. Sometimes that order was reversed, and Rake found himself perfectly comfortable with that. He didn’t know how the situation sat with Cinder, but she hadn’t mentioned it. Not yet. If she had concerns, she would, he had no doubt.
He didn’t hear the soft, regular breathing of Cinder when she was asleep, so assumed she was awake. “Anything bothering you?”
“There’s a lot to think about. When are you coming to bed?”
“About that. The inn has other vacant rooms.”
“Am I scaring you?”
“No. I’m just saying that if you’d rather be alone, I can sleep in a different room.”
“Do you want to sleep in another room?”
“No.”
“Then get in bed and shut up.” Cinder moved slightly closer to one side of the bed to give him more room. “I’m used to sleeping with my sister and would feel odd sleeping alone.”
Rake peeled off his boots, robe and other outerwear, then gingerly sat on the lip of the platform and lifted the edge of the covers. He moved under and remained still, his mind racing on the events of the day.
The mental images of the small black dragons were haunting him. The Red that had appeared and rescued him had been lost in the evening’s conversations. Again, when in danger, the Red had appeared. The pattern was clear. He hadn’t bonded, but it certainly felt like they had. Maybe he needed to find out more about bonding.