by Gail Daley
In the Prow, Drusilla and the other Talker staggered and clung frantically to their station when the wave swamped them. Lucas had been standing behind Drusilla and he stepped up into the area and steadied her with an arm around her back, gripping the rail with his free hand. As he did so, he felt Drusilla reaching to the herd of infuriated Dragons. Instinctively his mind melded with hers. The anger and deadly intent being broadcast by the Nessies nearly sent him to his knees as Drusilla’s mind connected with his own.
Suddenly he realized that he could feel the Dragons, more than her and instinctively pushed Drusilla! as he desperately tried to find HER in the massive outpouring of Nessie feelings swamping him.
Without warning, he could see her in his mind holding out her hand. He reached for her and was flooded by her mind blending with his own.
A sharp pinch on his hand jerked him back to awareness of his surroundings. "Hold her," Katherine said, "Or you will both be lost! You must stay in this plane."
"I’ve got you," he gasped to Drusilla. "Stay with me."
She didn’t answer, but he could feel her clinging to him as she turned her focus onto the angry Dragons, pushing them away from the boats.
Katherine let go of Lucas and gripped the back of Roderick’s shirt before he slid over the rail just as another wave of water washed over the deck. She could see that Zack had one of Jayne’s boys while the nanny dog had the other by the strap on the back of his shirt. Genevieve was hanging onto Violet and Rupert who clutched the basket holding a heavily pregnant Sooka and Divit. Juliette and Lucinda clung to each other and Vernal as they slid around the slippery deck. Gideon was gripping the rail with one hand and Jayla with the other.
Corrine had stepped up behind the other Talker to anchor her, as Lucas was doing for Drusilla. As the side of the boat dipped dangerously toward the water, Katherine got a close-up view of the three-way battle raging between the Patrol, the Dragons and the fleeing watersleds. Wild shots were fired. One of the fleeing watersleds came close enough to the Riverwitch for Katherine to recognize the driver’s eyes. Darla Lister!
Three of the sleds escaped by slipping around the infuriated Dragon herd and headed out to sea. The remaining riders in the residual sled were still shooting at the Nessies although their wildly rocking craft made aiming practically impossible. Just then, the Patrol shot a net over the last sled, trapping it.
In the meantime, the cows had moved the Nessie calves over to the safety of a small island. One of them let out a mournful bellow, calling the defenders back to them. Drusilla and Macon, the other Talker, could finally push hard enough at the two remaining Bull Nessies that they slowly shifted back toward their herd, still hissing.
Once it was over, Drusilla and the other Talker both collapsed, falling ungracefully back on their anchors who sat down hard on the deck, trying to keep either one from hitting her head on the hardwood railing. When Lucas rose from the deck with Drusilla in his arms, he asked Katherine curtly to clear a path to the Wheelhouse. Once inside, he laid his fair burden down on a wide padded bench and ordered the boat captain to bring a glass of water.
Katherine exchanged a bemused glance with Corrine. She nodded at the previously almost painfully polite boy. "Well," she remarked to Zack, "he’s certainly taking charge."
Zack snorted. "Uh-huh. It’s wonderful what love will do for a guy."
"What? When? They’ve known each other less than a week—"
He grinned at her. "Doesn’t matter. When it’s the right one you go down like a Mech Tank hit you. I ought to know."
Overhearing, Genevieve protested, "She’s only sixteen!"
"So is he," Gideon, the voice of reason, said. "Maybe we shouldn’t get ourselves all het up over what may prove to be a case of puppy love? She could do a lot worse though."
In the meantime, the Captain had brought restoratives for both Talkers. She was answering questions from the Patrol leader who boarded the boat as cleanup and rescue squads restored order to all five ships. Riverwitch, as the lead boat, had taken the brunt of the damage, but the others had all had to contend falls and bruising due to the waves of water making their decks slippery.
The Patrol Captain informed Genevieve that the watersleds had been stolen in Port Recovery two days ago and the thieves had been creating trouble all along the channel. The Patrol had been chasing them since the sleds had been reported stolen. He had fewer officers than when he started because he had left officers behind to render aid and take reports whenever they found a place where the thieves had raided.
"They don't have any clan affiliation, I can find, My Lady," Patrol leader Esther informed Genevieve. "Perhaps lord Gideon or Lord Zack could look at the ones we caught to see if they recognize them?"
"I don't remember seeing any of them before," Zack told Gideon. "Do you know them?"
"No, I'm pretty sure they didn't come out on the Dancing Gryphon."
"I thought I saw Darla Lister on one of the sleds that escaped," Katherine offered.
Two days later, the boats reached Glass Harbor. The first O’Teague had called it that in honor of the enormous glass-like boulder stretching almost the length of the outside edge of bay that sheltered the harbor from the ocean.
"Isn’t it beautiful?" asked Genevieve proudly, turning to Gideon as they coasted gently through the mouth of the port into the natural bay and caught their first sight of Glass Castle.
The great stone had been worn smooth by years of erosion from the fierce winds coming in off the sea during the storms. Today, under the brilliant sunlight it glowed green and blue reflecting the sea and sky. The harbor itself was shaped almost in a complete circle with a narrow opening at its mouth that provided a gateway into a cove probably twenty miles across. Dockyards and marinas lined the waterfronts in front of the Glass rock, which had been hollowed out on the side away from the ocean to provide living quarters for the Laird and immediate retainers. Colorful Domes for warehouses and shops crowded each other along the shore. Others that were obviously residences led away from the docks back into the town proper. Behind the town, farmlands could be seen rising up into the hills. In the misty distance rose high snowcapped peaks.
Taming A Sand Dragon
THE NEXT morning, Katherine, Zack and the children set off for Veiled Isle on a Fisher. Corrine's great grandfather had named it Veiled Isle because of the translucent half crescent of Glasslike stone hanging partway over most of the largest cove that served as a seaport for the small fleet of fishers attached to the Lodge. He called the port Hooded Beach because two-thirds of the bay was underneath a shelf that rose high above sea level. The water in the cove was deep enough below the hood to accept a four-masted sailing ship at its wharf.
Corrine’s main seat was a large island a half days journey from Glass Isle. Corrine and Vernal expected to follow Katherine, Zack and the children with the rest of the new immigrants and the Lodge’s share of the imported goods and building materials. The Clan used the open areas of golden sand to the west of the docks for recreation. The left side of the wharf was used to process the catch from Fishers affiliated with O’Teague. A series of steps led from the dock to the top of the cliffs and the family landing where a small dome held carts for transporting people or goods to the main house and barns, about a half mile inland. In the back of the dome were three rooms set into the cliff itself. These led into the access to the tunnel to a heated underground lake and caves. The lake and caves were used for shelter during the Swarm and Storm seasons.
Further along the recreational side of the wharf was a wide-open space the clans used for recreation. This area occasionally drew Sand Dragons in the birthing season. Sand Dragons were a smaller variety of Vensoog Dragons and spent a larger portion of their time upon land than did the Nessies.
Katherine had just directed the waiting retainers to take their luggage on up to the house, when she noticed that Violet had taken off toward the open side of the beach.
"Wow, what’s that?" asked Rupert, pointing toward
s what Katherine identified as a Sand Dragon. The creature was about the size of a large horse. It had a thick round body and four short legs. It stood upon webbed feet, the talons on its five toes digging into the sand. Rudimentary webbed flippers that might once have served as wings appeared about midway up its shoulders. Large wide set eyes appeared above a short, blunt snout and small flaps covered its ears. The neck and shoulders, shorter than the Nessies, fit smoothly together. The dragon was covered from head to toe with shinny scales. The scales looked hard, but were quite smooth like the tops of fingernails.
"A Sand Dragon", Katherine said. Touching her crystal pendant, she reached out with her talent and felt both hope/pain/fear from the beast.
"It’s all right," she murmured, stopping Zack from reaching for his weapon. "Everyone, that is a cow Sand Dragon, and she wants our help. We’re going to all walk slowly towards her, Okay?"
The dragon was a pretty creature, and despite the obvious signs of exhaustion, she watched them carefully. Like the Quirkas, Sand Dragons were chameleons and usually appeared the same color as the sand or water around them. Each iridescent scale grew out over the top of the one under it. Just now, the cow turned her side to them and made a hopeful purring noise.
"Why did she do that?" asked Zack, puzzled.
"I think she’s been infested with sand ticks," Katherine answered, "and she wants us to get rid of them for her."
"Er—sand ticks?" he asked. "I hope that’s not like the blood sucking ticks found at home—"
"Probably pretty close," Katherine remarked. "Every planet seems to have something similar. Watch closely, children. I about to show you how to make friends with a Sand Dragon."
She unhooked her Force Wand and held it out so the children could see it. "To remove the tick and kill it, you need to set your wand at about a five. This will make the tick uncomfortable enough to back out of the dragon. If it dies with the head still attached, the wound can become infected." Carefully, she lifted a hard skin plate that wasn’t resting flat on the one below it. A red-looking lump showed. Katherine put the end of the wand on the highest part of the bump. After a few minutes, it shivered and fell out onto the ground on its back, revealing a pointed head with nasty sharp teeth.
"Once it hits the ground, you up the setting to about eight, and kill it," Katherine directed, touching the wand to its rear, watching as the tick shriveled up into a black smoking block about the size of a fist on the ground. She turned the wand to off.
"Boys, there’s a jar of salve in that blue jar in my pack, can you get it for me?"
Katherine opened the lid and using the applicator, carefully smeared it onto the irritated skin under the scale. The Dragon gave an almost human sigh of relief. She then made a chirring noise, and two baby dragons about the size of large dogs staggered out of hiding in the nearby rocks.
"Don’t come between her and the babies," Katherine warned. "Let them come to us."
Both calves also showed signs of the ticks. Under the Mother Dragon’s careful supervision, Katherine instructed Juliette and Roderick how to remove the ticks. Lucinda and Rupert applied the salve. After which, the Dragon and her calves slid off the beach and into the warm waters of the ocean almost disappearing as their scales changed to mimic the ocean colors.
As they turned to go back to the dock, Zack noticed Violet was still staring off into the rocks. "What is it, honey?" he asked her.
"There’s another one there," she said.
"Katherine," he called, "I think we still have a problem." He motioned towards Violet.
Just then, a much smaller Sand Dragon calf tottered out into the open towards Violet, who dropped to her knees beside it. "Why did she leave her behind?" Violet demanded.
Katherine and Zack inspected the new arrival, and then Zack went over to where the dragon had come from. "I don’t think this one was hers," he said. "There’s a dead one over here."
"Well, while they share nesting grounds, they’re not especially herd oriented," Katherine observed. "If this calf isn’t hers, I doubt if our Dragon would have cared for it unless she and the mother were closely related, especially if the calif is weak for some reason. Remind me to send a crew down her to clean up the body and do a cleansing of the beach for ticks."
"Does she have ticks, Violet," asked Rupert, eager to denude another one.
Violet had been carefully running her hands over the scales, which were still soft. "No, she’s just hungry," Violet said, fishing out a part of her sandwich leftover from lunch and holding it out to the calf who took it delicately and then swallowed it whole.
"How do you know Violet?" Katherine asked quietly.
"I feel it when I touch her," Violet said absently. "I’m going to name her Jelli." She rose to her feet, picked up the dragon somewhat awkwardly as it was the size of a small dog, and started back towards the wharf.
Zack looked at Katherine. "Are we taking it home with us?"
She looked at him. "You have a better idea?"
He snorted, "You mean ‘Hey Mom it followed me home, can I keep it?’ How big do they get?"
"Uh-huh. The cow we saw earlier was about average size for a Sandie." She touched her com and contacted the house to request that Mistress Leona meet them in the hall when they arrived.
"Who’s she?" Zack asked.
"Mistress Leona is a retired Dragon Talker who lives with us. She will know the best way to handle this. She was my teacher when I was smaller." Katherine added ruefully, "I guess we won’t have to worry about a career path for Violet."
"What’s a Dragon Talker?" asked Juliette.
"Well, you remember on the way down the river, when Drusilla kept the Nessie Channel Dragons from attacking the riverboat caravan?" Katherine responded. "That’s what a Dragon Talker does. They have to have special training with different types of Dragons to handle them. Sometimes, like now, if the Dragon is young enough, it imprints on a human and a special relationship develops between them. I think this one has done that with Violet."
On the way to the Lodge, they passed through a small village of domes for houses and shops with views of the sea. Within easy walking distance was an even larger dome for housing animals during the storms.
"How do you reach it during a storm?" Zack asked.
"It's connected to the house by an underground walkway," she replied. Pointing to several smaller domed residences, she continued, "Those belong to clan families who work on the estate."
The lodge itself was massive with several interconnected domes. Although Katherine explained that the Family had separate quarters, much of the huge house was given over to a dormitory for single clan members and a recreation/dining area open to visitors, all the staff and their families.
They were met in the Hall by Mistress Leona, a tall, well-built woman in her seventieth decade with iron-grey hair and blue eyes. She took one look at Violet, staggering under the weight of her new pet and told her sternly to put the calf on its own feet. "You will damage its dignity, carrying it around," she informed her.
Violet glared right back at her, clutching the calf. "She’s too weak to do it by herself. She’s starving."
Mistress Leona’s eyebrows rose. "And how do you know that?"
"I can just tell. Mother says you know about Dragons. Do you know what she’s supposed to eat?"
Mistress Leona looked over at Katherine. "You’re sure she’s not related by blood? I could swear that’s you standing there."
Katherine grinned back at her. "That’s my girl."
"I was planning on all the children having rooms on the second story with us, but I think Violet and Jelli had better have a room with ground access so Jelli can go outside to use the bathroom," Katherine told Mrs. Grayson, the housekeeper who was watching the show along with several other upper servants.
"I’ll prepare the blue room next to Mistress Leona’s," the housekeeper replied.
"Have someone bring ground bean curd, meat and milk mixed with about a quarter pound of butterfat
to the room, also," ordered Leona, "so we can feed this calf. We will also need several old blankets and a bale of hay for bedding. Well, come on girl, bring her along." Leona turned and went down the hall toward her rooms, followed by Violet, still lugging the calf.
As soon as everyone had settled into their rooms, Katherine had summoned all clan members who worked the estate and formally presented Zack and the children to the Clan.
Resting her hand on Zacks shoulder, she announced, "We now have an experienced military commander to handle our security. When the rest of our new members arrive, we will also gain several experienced soldiers to assist during raids by the Wilders up in the hills. Since Zack will accompany me when I travel to Parliament, he will name a deputy to work in his place." She beckoned a short older woman forward. "Zack, this is Lolli, who has been handling security until now. I’m sure she will be glad to explain what has worked in the past."
Zack nodded to Lolli. "I hope we can get together tomorrow to go over what steps have already been taken. I need not tell you I will be depending heavily on your expertise while I learn the ropes."
The woman nodded. "I usually take night reports after breakfast. Will that work for you, Lord Zack?"
"Yes, that will be fine."
Katherine had then shown her new family around the living spaces; even Violet who had reluctantly left her sleeping pet to join them for dinner.
Afterwards all the children went upstairs or into the recreation rooms. Katherine and Zack had a meeting with Leona in the family parlor about Violet and Jelli. The argument began as soon as the door closed on the children. Leona wanted Violet and Jelli to go to the training center for Dragon Talkers as soon as possible but she ran into opposition from Katherine.
"No, not until she is at least twelve," Katherine stated flatly.
"She has to begin the training as soon as possible," Leona countered. "The child has enormous potential; she must learn to discipline her gift or the consequences might be dangerous to her and everyone around her!"
