"Affirmative sir?" the officer saluted again. "Will that be all sir?"
"Yes, yes. Now go. Time is of the essence."
And the olive-coloured suited officer marched off into the corridor to prepare Gerhaun's treasure chamber for the all essential briefing.
Ratter with his projection device and the screen were already set up in Gerhaun's trove when we arrived. Gerhaun had shuffled over to the side a little to make space for the lieutenants, captains, corporals and admiral who comprised Fortress Gerhaun's leaders. Admiral Sandao was also present, as we’d no doubt need the fleet to help us get out some of the way.
We sat in rows, much like we had for the briefing in the courtyard. Although this time the regular troops weren’t allowed — there would be a more official briefing later I was sure.
I sat at the front, next to General Sako on one side and Wiggea on the other. Faso stood in front of the screen, with a retractable pointer that he leant on as he waited for Asinal Winda to get Ratter working at the back.
Soon enough, Ratter powered up and projected images of East Cadigan Island onto the screen. It was a jungle there, and there was some yellow text on the screen instructing us to 'wear insect repellent', and that there was 'danger of dengue fever'. Wide trunked trees rose out of the brown ground in the pictures, leading up to a canopy of palm and massive umbrella shaped leaves. A muddy river ran into the distance and a monkey with a funny face sat in one of the branches of the tree, looking at the camera as if wondering what the wellies it was doing there.
East Cadigan island was part of the much larger continent of Cadigan that lay to the west and spanned from the world's northern icecaps to those in the south. Though Cadigan had plenty of coal, it lacked saltpetre. This had caused the continent to fall behind in its development of guns and other weaponry, which made it easy for King Cini II’s forces to colonise the land during his early reign.
But while Cadigan mainland had miles upon miles of fertile plains that Towese forces could build attractive cities around, East Cadigan Island was made up of impenetrable jungle terrain. Whenever man tried to plant a farm there, the jungle would grow over it, meaning it remained largely inhabited, or at least so I had thought.
“Why the dragonheats would Captain Colas want to take Taka to East Cadigan island?” I asked.
Faso, who stood by the projector, had something to say about this. “A jungle would be the perfect place to hide anyone. It’s discreet, and King Cini would never even think about looking for him there.”
“But no one lives there.” I said.
“Apparently so,” General Sako from behind me. “The old man’s taken my boy to be adopted by monkeys.”
“Actually,” Faso cut in. “There are indigenous tribes that live in East Cadigan island. A fascinating race of people indeed, although quite primitive. I’ve visited there myself, and they have quite some rituals. Plus, there’s artifacts there that date back to the beginning of mankind.”
I smiled. According to myth, life had been forged by The Gods Themselves. But Faso would never believe any of that. I’d had the discussion with him many times before. Faso believed that we all came from monkeys, and that dragons had evolved from sharks. Any suggestions to the contrary, he’d dismiss as ‘magic and nonsense’. Oh, and in Faso’s mind the Empress Finesia could never have existed.
General Sako harrumphed from besides me, then he stood up, walked to the front of the room, and turned to face us. “So, it appears our course of action is clear. Given that the East Cadigan rainforest is virtually uninhabitable, then there’s no way that Colas of all people can have any forces there. Plus, given our troops have been trained to operate in a secicao jungle, they should be able to stay concealed within another kind of jungle. We’ll send ten of my commandos and ten of Sandao’s marines into there to support the rescue operation. A cloak and dagger operation. Admiral Sandao, are you with me?”
“Hang on a minute,” I said, and I stood up. “From what I’ve heard of this old man, he has riches enough to buy an entire continent. Which means he can afford mercenaries, and no doubt a host of automatons. If we don’t do as he says, we might put Taka in jeopardy.”
I looked up to Gerhaun who was watching the situation passively from high above us. Her wise eyes watched every move I made. She was taking a backseat again, testing how I would manage this situation. And I could see in the expression of her face that she approved.
Meanwhile, my bravado against General Sako had shocked the room into silence. Even the old general seemed quite taken aback by it. It was Faso who decided to finally speak out and support me. “Pontopa’s right this time, I’m afraid to say,” he said. “Captain Colas is quite an accomplished scientist. He’s published hundreds of journals under different pen names in his lifetime and I’ve read them all. And through his trove of wealth and incredible resourcefulness, he’ll be able to see your covert troops coming before they even put foot on land.”
“Blunders and dragonheats, Gordoni,” General Sako said. “You know full well that means Taka can be at even greater risk. We’ll be sending our only dragonseer right into the firepit.”
“That’s why we need Admiral Sandao’s help,” I nodded to the meek looking well-mannered man sitting a few seats away. “He can keep a couple of dragon carriers a hundred or so leagues away, so I can call them out if we have any trouble.”
I knew enough about geography to realise that there was a shallow reef known as Paradise Reef just south of East Cadigan island. Probably, Sandao’s fleets wouldn’t be able to get any further than that. But it should be close enough for me to call for help if I need it.
“And how do you know he won’t shoot the dragons down?” General Sako said.
“How do you know he won’t zap your troops on first sight of them,” I reply. “If it wasn’t for Charth, his mercenaries might have stumbled right across Fortress Gerhaun and killed us all before taking Taka.”
“Charth…” General Sako twitched his moustache. “Please don’t tell me you want him to be your third escort.”
“No. Colas’ orders were clear and Charth stays.” I nodded up to Gerhaun. The more I thought about what Alsie had said and Charth’s recent behaviour, the more I doubted we could trust the dragonman.
“You really think you can control him,” General Sako said.
“He cares about Taka; he won’t do anything.” Then I bit my tongue, realising what I’d just said. But he had looked after Taka in Cini’s palace for most of the duration of the boy’s life.
“Blunders and dragonheats. That fool doesn’t care about anyone but himself. Admiral Sandao, I want to have a handful troops on each of your ships. My best shooters. Then, if we see Charth flying anywhere nearby, we’ll shoot him down on sight. If we get him in the throat, I believe that will be enough.”
Sandao nodded. “Very well,” he said.
“And one more thing, I’m coming too. If anything goes wrong, I’ll march in to East Cadigan and I’ll take Colas down myself.”
I looked up at Gerhaun. Is that okay? I asked in the collective unconscious. You’re remarkably quiet up there, Gerhaun.
She looked at me and then she craned her head lower towards us. I could feel her warm breath washing over us. Instead of replying in the collective unconscious, Gerhaun Forsi chose to speak out loud.
“So it’s decided,” she said. “Which is good because, I finally need some rest. Admiral Sandao, take two hundred and fifty Greys on five carriers and whatever cruisers, destroyers and battleships you feel you might need. And send back regular reports by Hummingbird. Because if anything goes wrong, I’ll need to rally the dragon queens.”
Admiral Sandao stood up, raised his head to Gerhaun and saluted. “Affirmative,” he said.
“Good,” Gerhaun said. “And General Sako. Yes, I understand your concerns. But please keep your troops off land until you’re sure it’s absolutely necessary to send them in. We can’t afford to lose Taka and Dragonseer Wells here, and I think Mr Gordo
ni is right about the risk.”
General Sako looked up at Gerhaun but didn’t salute like the admiral. “I’ll do what is necessary,” he said.
“And I’ll always trust you to make the right choices, General,” Gerhaun said. “Now, if you excuse me, this meeting is adjourned.”
The officers at the back stood up first, and they left in single file. Sandao and the remaining rows followed them out. Asinal Winda then walked up to Ratter, turned off the beam, unscrewed the projection device, glanced once at Faso, and walked out the door.
Faso didn’t notice Winda leave, but instead stood staring at the screen with his hands on his hips, as if ruminating over last of the images burned into his head. Ratter scurried off the table and then climbed up onto Faso’s shoulder, watching everyone leave with caution. Dragonheats, I could never trust that automaton, particularly the way its red crystal eyes glowed.
Gerhaun had already turned her head away from us, and now rested it out of sight behind a pile of gems on the floor. She’d be asleep soon; I could feel her spirit drifting out of the collective unconscious. She’d been awfully tired the last few days — more than usual. I hoped everything was alright.
So, I also thought it best to set an example as it was now only me, Faso and General Sako left in the room. “Come on you two,” I said. “Gerhaun needs her sleep and we should leave.”
At that, Faso snorted. “Why does she get to sleep while we do all the work around here? I’ve never understood it.”
“I would have thought you’d become quite an expert on the behavioural patterns of dragons right now.”
“Exactly,” Faso said. “But always in science there’ll be many things that will remain unexplained. This one completely bewilders me.”
I shook my head. “Faso, she’s the strongest source of the collective unconscious here. I’m sure having all the thoughts of every man and dragon pass through you must be quite a tiring thing.”
“But she only understands you.”
“That’s what you think,” I said. “Just because Gerhaun doesn’t talk to you doesn’t mean she can’t hear your thoughts.”
Faso looked at me in bemusement. “No, you’re pulling my leg…”
“Maybe,” I said. “Although Gerhaun has secrets beyond what even I know, I’m sure. She’s much, much smarter than you’ll ever understand.” Although, I did wonder. If there was a strong enough source of the collective unconscious, maybe regular folks would be able to hear too.
Why, Pontopa, Gerhaun said in my head. Thank you kindly for the compliment. Now, when are those two men, going to leave me in peace?
I nodded. “Look Faso, Gerhaun has requested to be left alone. It’s time to make your leave.”
Faso glanced over at the treasure trove, then back at me. He had a look of defiance in him, as if he wanted to test Gerhaun’s authority. But I held his gaze, and eventually he backed down. “Very well. I better be making preparations for the mission, anyway. You know, checking the good old cannon’s in good working order.” He gave me a sly smile and left the room.
General Sako was the only one left. He stood there, his arms folded behind his back, gazing into space, seemingly in a trance. I considered clicking my fingers in front of his face to snap him out of it, but then thought better of it.
“General Sako,” I said instead.
He said nothing.
“General Sako?”
He turned his head slowly towards me. “Yes Sukina… I mean, yes Dragonseer Wells?”
“Gerhaun wants us to leave now.”
“So soon?” He gazed off into the darkness.
“We need to prepare for our mission, General.”
“Well, we better get cracking then.” He made towards the doorway. Before he left, he turned back to me. “Pontopa?” he said.
“Yes?”
“I um… Blunders and dragonheats. You won’t let anything happen to Taka, will you?”
I smiled. “General Sako, I know your grandson means a lot to you. And believe me, he’s like a second son to me too. I’d die before letting anything happen to Taka. I promise you that. And Colas has a lot to answer for.”
I saw General Sako’s fists clench by his sides. “He does,” he said. “It’s time for that man to finally get what’s coming to him.”
“We’ll show him, General,” I said. “So now, come on, let’s let Gerhaun rest.” And I followed him out. Behind me the two dragonelite swung the heavy oak doors slowly shut.
I decided I needed a breath of fresh air — or at least fresh as you could get when surrounded by a secicao jungle. Plus, in all honesty, I wanted a bit of alone time, away from the military, and dragons, and worried parents, and Faso Gordoni, and even (I hate to say it) Sukina. Of course, being stuck in a military base, there weren’t many places a lady could get some hard-earned peace and quiet. But the courtyard was usually empty around this time and, although General Sako and Admiral Sandao would no doubt be setting it up for another briefing soon, I should have got least have fifteen minutes or so of respite while everyone sorted themselves out.
As expected, there was no one in the courtyard when I got there. All the troops would have been rushing around Fortress Gerhaun’s musty corridors relaying orders from room to room that they needed to get their acts together and coordinate the briefing. Meanwhile, Faso and Winda were probably making whatever last-minute modifications they could to the technology they deemed necessary for the mission, and the only traces of them was the discarded skeleton of a dragon-automaton-in-progress lying in one corner of the courtyard floor.
I sat down on the mosaic of Gerhaun Forsi, right where her chest was. I folded one leg over the other and began to meditate. Simply letting my worries drift by, as Sukina had advised. Focusing only on what I could control. I couldn’t worry this moment about how I’d failed Taka, even though I felt absolutely awful about missing his birthday and being so cruel to him. And I had to accept all the changes taking place, like Velos now sporting a huge cannon from his chest into battle and all of us having to cross the ocean to hunt down a madman I’d never before met.
I closed my eyes and watched each thought from a distance as it flickered through my mind like a firefly. Then, amidst all of it, I started to get the sense that I wasn’t alone.
You’re getting better at the whole controlling your mind thing. I guess Sukina taught you well.
I opened my eyes and swung my head around to see Charth’s oily dragon form sitting on the ramparts in the distance in front of me. He was in exactly the same place I’d seen him sitting just after Sukina’s funeral.
Charth… I replied in the collective unconscious. I thought you said you’d stay away from this place. If General Sako or any troops see you, there’ll be trouble.
Oh, I know well enough how to stay out of their way. You know, this is the first time in a long time you’ve actually noticed me sitting here.
Except I didn’t notice you. I replied.
That’s true. I guess it was I who alerted you to my presence. But it’s also inconsequential. I just thought I’d inform you that I’ll accompany you as the second escort to face off against my father.
I gritted my teeth. You’ll do no such thing, I said. General Sako has ordered that if anyone sees you anywhere near Gerhaun’s fleets, you’re to be shot on sight.
How unbecoming of him, Charth said. But I can keep my distance. Don’t worry. I’ve crossed the Pallandi Ocean many times before.
I took a deep breath. I wasn’t going to stop Charth through threatening him. And, somehow, I believed Captain Colas would act upon his threats if he saw too many of us coming inland.
Charth, please, I said. If you care about Taka, take seriously what your father said. He’s claimed he’ll kill the boy if he sees any less than three of us on East Cadigan Island. And we can’t put Taka in danger… Please, if not for me, do it for Sukina…
And I felt a tear emerge in the corner of my eye.
Charth hesitated before giving
me his response. You know he’s my father. You’d think he wouldn’t mind me popping in for a visit.
From what you’ve told me, I don’t think he cares.
Probably not, Charth said and he raised his forelegs for a very brief moment. Very well, I guess I had better make the best use of my time in the Southlands.
I breathed a sigh of relief. I’d thought Charth was going to be a lot harder to convince to stay behind. My alternative would have been trying to convince the rest General Sako and the troops that only Faso, Velos and I would embark on the mission. But I think that would have been even harder to pull off, as I would at least need a personal guard.
Charth, perhaps you could make yourself useful and track Alsie. Do you think that would be possible? I know it might be risky, but I don’t trust her and would like to know what she’s up to.
Then a sudden thought came to my head which caused me to shudder. All this could be Alsie’s work. If she coerced us to vacate Fortress Gerhaun, then that would leave enough for her to destroy the place while we were away. But no, it didn’t make any sense. Alsie would have destroyed us, anyway, given the number of automatons she had at her disposal before. Something else was going on and whatever it was, I had a feeling I wouldn’t like it one bit.
Now I can hear your anxious thoughts again, Charth said. You better stop it, as you might wake up Gerhaun.
You’re right, I said. So it’s settled then. Faso, Wiggea and I will go and rescue Taka. While you will keep an eye on Alsie, check she’s not up to anything. And please, do whatever you can to wake Gerhaun up if the fortress comes under any danger.
Very well, Charth said. I’ll do my best.
Promise me.
Sorry, Dragonseer Wells. I don’t make promises anymore. Not since—
His thoughts were cut off from a commotion coming from the back of the courtyard. Two guards rushed out of the double doors there, carrying the projector screen ready for the next briefing.
I turned my head back to Charth. But, like a fleeting bird, he was already up in the air and, very shortly afterwards, out of sight.
Dragonseers and Bloodlines: The Steampunk Fantasy Adventure Continues (Secicao Blight Book 2) Page 8
