by LeRoy Clary
“I know.”
“You do? How?”
“You’ve been out of touch with the Dragon Clan. You didn't hear the last stories, but I thought you knew. Tanner and Carrion, the two from the Highlands Family, came here.”
“Our people burned it?” Raymer looked horrified.
Anna said, “Wait here for just a minute.” She ran to the deck and told the Captain to sail for the opening to the harbor. Then she was back at Raymer’s side. “This whole town had been taken over by Breslau. They staged weapons here and build barracks and the seawall. This is where the troop ships were to land. I’m sorry, I thought you knew all this.”
Raymer sat and wiped his eyes clear. “No, I knew little or nothing.”
“There’s more. A lot more.”
“These two from the Highlands thought it right to burn the whole town? Were they right to do it?”
“They were right.”
“What about the people?” he demanded.
“The story tells of the town almost empty of people because Breslau bought and closed all the businesses. Carrion set the piers on fire first. All the people left ran out to watch the fire, then he started burning it from one end. The people were herded to the road. We don’t think anyone died in the fires.”
Raymer reached out and took her by her shoulders. “We need to talk. Just the two of us.”
Her head was spinning. Raymer’s lack of knowledge had been taken by surprise, but he hadn’t expressed an interest in talking about some things earlier. Of course, he had no idea of what had happened. Now she was planning ahead again, finding a weakness in her earlier plans.
She said, “Listen to me, Raymer. I think you and I need to make a change in plans. There is too much you don’t know, and some I don’t. We need more information.”
“And where do you propose we get that?”
“The story you don’t seem to know is that Tanner and Carrion actually went to Breslau and found where they are staging their army for the invasion. They purchased a ship that can cross the Endless Sea. They can tell us far more than the stories I have heard third-hand.”
“The Highlands are nearby.” He now was sitting and paying attention as he spoke.
“Yes, between Shrewsbury and Racine, where the ship is now. Where we are.”
Raymer said, “We’ll leave this boat here and walk there. While we do, you will tell me all you know, and then we will meet with Tanner and Carrion and spend enough time, so we know what we’re getting into.”
Anna said, “Why are you just now getting so angry?”
“Well, it seems that until now I knew less than half the story and suspected no more. I thought we were simply chasing down a few renegades who had come into our lands, despite your efforts to educate me. Remember, while you talked, I may have emptied too many wine bottles instead of listening.”
It hadn’t occurred to Anna that Raymer was so out of touch, but she should have known. She said, “In that case, there is more I need to tell you. There are green dragons they brought with them. We can’t sense them.”
“We?”
“Dragon Clan. None of us. Worse, those greens have already killed two of our dragons and injured two others. When the greens see any of ours, even one of our greens, they attack, usually in pairs. Tanner and Carrion located where they roost, and it is part way between here and Racine.”
“If those dragons see mine, they will attack and kill it?”
“I believe so. You will have to fly your red only at night, and well inland. They roost near the coast.”
“What other surprises are in that pretty young head?”
“First, we need to go onto the deck and watch as we pull into the harbor. Keep your dragon nearby. We must also tell the Captain to sail well out to sea when we leave, and hopefully avoid being seen by that other fishing boat.”
Raymer said, “Thief? What will you tell him?”
She sighed. “I want him to go back and learn to fish with the Captain, especially if the Captain will hire him. I think he would like another on the boat, but the only time Thief has disobeyed me was when I tried to send him away. He won’t leave.”
“Maybe you can convince him to stay with Captain Blaise. He likes the boat.”
“I can try.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The fishing boat rounded the end of the stone breakwater with all eyes looking and imagining the incredible amount of human labor it had taken to construct. They had not told the Captain what they would find inside.
However, he pointed out a burned group of three buildings at the end of the breakwater and the underbrush and green grass that was already covering them. “Didn’t happen too long ago.” Then the Captain looked down into the water and said with a look at Anna, “Freshwater plants.”
Rounding a point of land, the location of the former town came into sight. The docks were burned, only a few pilings still in place. The town was a blackened mass of charcoal, not a single building still standing. Fresh sprigs of green already grew here and there.
Nobody came to the shore to greet them. Not one sign of people. All on the boat were quiet as if they were tiptoeing through a graveyard.
Raymer finally said, “What burned it?”
“Dragon fire. Spit.” Anna said.
“Tanner did this?”
“No, Carrion is the bonded one of the pair.”
“He used his dragon for this destruction?”
Raymer seemed almost insulted, but Anna said, “Calm down, you don’t know the story. First, we talk to them, and then we’ll see what happens.”
Captain Blaise said, “A few days here would be good for the hull, but even a single day will help. Racine our next port of call?”
Turning her eyes to Thief, she said, “We need to talk, Captain. In private.”
The Captain nodded. He moved to the bow where he could watch for shallow water ahead, although he knew larger ships had used the bay so the water should be deep enough. He said, “Tell me.”
“Raymer and I are leaving here. We will walk to Racine because we have some things to take care of along the way. I notice that Thief has been at the wheel for almost the whole trip, and he seems to know what is needed on the boat before you do.”
“That’s all very true.”
“Well, I picked him up in the desert after he followed me and saved my life. I never intended for him to be with me and where we’re going is dangerous. Would you consider having him as one of your crew? You’d have to watch over him, but he could sleep on the boat in port and watch over it. I can pay you.”
The Captain said, “I’ve seldom seen a person take to the sea like that young man, and I’d gladly take him under my wing and thank you for it. But unless I’m totally mistaken, he’ll have no part of staying, danger or not. He sees you as the only person in his life that has ever cared for him or cares what happens to him. Nope, where you go, he will follow.”
“How do you know all this?”
“Working a fishing boat by yourself is hard work, but most crewmen are drunks or worse. I asked him about it already, offered him a job. Of course, I’d have cleared it with you, but only if he was interested. He was not.”
“Oh,” She said.
Captain Blaise’s eye twinkled, “He did say that after the two of you finished your work he would come find me if the offer was still good.”
“He said all that?”
“Well, in a manner of speaking, and mostly one word at a time.”
They both laughed. She said, “I won’t insult him by trying to get him to stay, but assuming we survive, I will deliver him to you if you really want him.”
“He works hard, doesn’t talk my head off, and I’d be pleased to have him here. Anytime. He’s a good boy.”
The conversation made Anna feel warm inside, but she knew danger was coming her way. She couldn’t do any more than try to protect Thief and herself. Raymer would take care of himself, and look after them, but not in the same w
ay.
She lifted her head and looked at the burned town without a trace of activity. The few people who had lived there when Gray and she had been here must have moved on. Even the Breslau were missing. Nobody had tried to rebuild anything. The port was still good for troops to debark, the only real change was the element of surprise was gone. Breslau knew they faced opposition at Shrewsbury, and that might be the reason. They didn’t want to land their troops and be trapped. If King Ember watched the port and held troops in reserve nearby, he could contain them easily.
The Captain pointed to three pilings standing in a row at the end of the blackened ruins. “I should be able to put you ashore there.”
“That’d be good. We won’t have to walk through the burned area so much.”
The Captain asked, “The people who were here planned to have an army arrive? They were going to fight King Ember?”
“It was only two months ago. Yes, all of that, and more.”
Captain Blaise called to Thief and pointed where he wanted the boat to land. Thief shifted their course, and the Captain asked, “You dragon people are fighting for us? I mean regular people?”
Anna snorted. “We are regular people too. Some of you are tall or strong. Some sing or dance better than us, and we hold no grudge. We have a talent, but in reality, we are no different than any of you.”
“The posters the King puts up says he will pay handsomely for the heads of any of you. About what I earn in a year, last time I looked.”
“Want to hear the short story of why he does that?”
“I do.”
“His father hated us. He almost wiped us out, killing every adult, child, and baby he found. Then one day he cornered almost all of the Dragon Clan left alive and had thousands of troops ready to attack. But a dragon swooped down from the sky and grabbed him and flew him almost to the clouds. Then it dropped the old king to the ground right in the middle of his troops. They say he landed so hard that after a rain you can still see the imprint on the place. Ever since then King Ember has been scared that he might face the same fate.”
“He won’t?”
“Not if he would leave us alone,” Anna readied herself to leap off the bow onto land, a rope in her hand to pull the boat closer.
Captain Blaise called as she jumped, “You should tell that story to people. Spread it around. It has the ring of truth.”
“We sure wouldn’t mind if you spread it around, and your friends, too.” She leaped off the boat with a splash, rope in hand. She pulled the rope tight, and the boat slowly eased up to the beach. She happened to look over the bow and found Thief standing there wearing a grin almost as wide as the one Raymer wore. They had let her do the wet work, but instead of getting upset, she felt a wash of pride. Besides, she’d have the chance to remind them who did the work of landing the boat when it came time to gather firewood tonight. She might find herself too tired to pitch in and help. She answered their smiles with one of her own.
Raymer came forward and tossed her their backpacks, but when he came to Thief’s Anna held up her palm to stop him. Thief was near the bow, ready to join her. She said, “Captain Blaise needs a deckhand and told me he would like to hire you. A permanent job and a snug place to sleep. Sound good?”
Thief said, “Yes.”
Then he jumped from the boat and landed lightly on his toes beside her. She said, “Hey, I thought you said it sounded good.”
“It does.”
“But you’re not going to do it.”
“No.”
“Raymer can protect me if that’s what you’re worried about. It will be fine if you stay with the boat and work for the Captain.”
“No.”
“Why? It’s what you need. A good job on a boat will give you a lifetime of worth.”
He slung his pack over one shoulder and started walking up the bank. “We go.”
Anna looked to the Captain and said, “We may be back your way. Please keep the job offer open.”
“Anytime, and that goes for all of you. Good luck.”
Raymer joined them on the shore and then gave the boat a firm push. It floated out into deeper water, and Captain Blaise raised the sail half way, catching enough of the breeze to let it and the current from the river move the boat down to the breakwater. They watched as he raised the sail the rest of the way and the boat took on what little speed it was capable of.
Raymer said, “I hear he’s going to well out to sea and circle well around that other boat. He’ll be back in Warrington fishing before they know it. I told him to tell them where he let us off, so there are no lies to get trapped in.”
“He’s a good man. I’ll tell you more about it, later. Right now, we need to move. The road is that way,” she pointed.
It was both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. The fire had burned the building and nearby trees and shrubs, but the main road through the town managed to remind her her of the trip with Gray. As they left the town, the forest was familiar, as was the road. She looked up at the hillside to her right where there had been a guard placed on the watch to keep track of visitors arriving on the road and wondered how long it had been since anyone watched from up there.
She led them past the stream where they had camped the first night, although they had chosen a place further in the woods. She didn’t want to stay there for some reason, perhaps because she felt it somehow intruded on her last trip, and she wanted to keep thing separate.
They had plenty of time left in the day, but hurried anyhow. Raymer and Thief hustled to maintain the pace she set. Later, when there was little of the day remaining, they came to a stream with a small road angling off to the left. Anna instantly knew what it was.
She said, “Let’s move off the main road and stay down there.”
Raymer scrunched his eyebrows together in question. He said, “Why the hell have we been busting our butts walking so fast if we’re going to stop when there’s still light?”
“I know this place. Tanner said it’s the way to the Monastery where Breslau stored their weapons.”
Raymer said, “That might be worth seeing. I suppose you want to go there in the morning when you have good light and all day to run for your life if you have to. You’d make a good general.”
Thief nodded his approval.
They followed the stream that ran alongside the smaller road and found a place to make camp far enough from the main road where nobody would see their fire. They ate the last of the goat and sat around the fire until Raymer admitted he was sleepy.
Anna still felt the ground sway under her, as it had on the boat for the last several days. It was as if the ground was no longer solid, but not wishing the two men to tease her, she kept quiet about it. She spread her blanket and rested, letting them gather the wood. Soon, both of them were also resting on their blankets. It was not long after the last splashes of red faded from the sky, all three were to sleep.
“Wake up!” An angry voice demanded, shattering her dreams.
Anna didn’t recognize the voice as she sat, reaching for her knife. The fire still burned, but barely. The wood was nearly consumed, so it must be shy of the middle of the night. A man was kneeling in the flickering light, one knee in the center of Raymer’s back and one hand grasping a fistful of hair pulling Raymer’s head back.
Anna could sympathize with Raymer. Her head had hurt for a day after the highwayman had held her up by her hair. She gathered her knees under her.
The stranger held a knife to Raymer’s throat with his other hand. Anna’s hand moved to the slim blade strapped to her thigh. She said softly, “I’m awake.”
“Nobody moves,” the voice snarled, but sounded familiar.
Thief ignored him as he reached out and found a few pieces of firewood. He tossed them onto the fire, his eyes never leaving those of the newcomer. Anna noticed that in the process, he’d shifted the hip with his knife away from the intruder, but nearer his hand. Almost as if by accident, but Anna didn’t believe i
t. Thief was about to attack.
She said, “Who are you? What do you want?”
“What? You don’t remember me?”
Anna did. It came to her as he asked the question. “You’re the sheriff or whatever you called yourself in Shrewsbury.” She changed the tone of her voice to what she had used before with him, making herself sound younger and obnoxious. She curled her lip. “You work for Breslau, and that makes you a traitor.”
“I see you haven’t tamed that wild tongue of yours, any. I saw you from the lookout and followed, thinking it was you and that my turn to get even had come.” He pulled back on Raymer’s hair more and whispered in his ear. “You’re a big one, ain’t you?”
“There’s no need for this Sheriff, or constable, or outlaw or whatever you want to be known as. We don’t have any money, and we’re just passing through, so just let us go.”
“I don’t want money. I want you.”
“No, you don’t,” Anna said softly. “You really don’t want me.”
“Oh, yes I do. I am going to slit your throat after making you beg for death. You and that other you were with are the cause for Shrewsbury burning.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We were just travelers. A dragon burned it, we heard,” She said, getting to her knees, but keeping the blanket over her right hand where she held the little knife from her thigh. It was made for stabbing, sharp on two edges that went to a needle point. At the moment, she’d rather have the knife at her hip. It was larger and would slice. Stabbing didn’t even slow a determined man, they said. But one slice across his gut would stop him where he stood, as his insides spewed out.
The problem was that the sheriff could slice Raymer’s throat before she could stab the sheriff five or six times if she managed to do it. Thief carefully placed a few more logs on the fire, under the watchful eye of the sheriff. He shifted the firewood, and the fire leaped and provided more light.
The sheriff looked like he had not bathed since she had seen him last. His hair hung long and limp, greasy and filled with leaves and twigs. His face was soot-black, as was his clothing. But it was the eyes that held Anna. They were wild and crazy. The same as she’d seen on a sick coyote one time. They locked onto hers, and he smiled.