Hermes arrived as they finished eating. He politely declined their offer of food, and informed them of a minor change in their status. “You are free to travel anywhere in our home, aside from the guarded places. You will be escorted, and if you attempt to escape you will be returned and confined here.” William noted that the Ambassador’s English had improved dramatically. Not only could he make himself understood, he had also mastered the art of unspoken meaning.
“So the Elder has not decided,” said William.
“The Elder hopes this new liberty will make up for his delay.”
William nodded. “Please express our thanks to the Elder.”
The Ambassador left, leaving behind five large guard dragons. The Ambassador was taking no chances that the group might split and evade their chaperones.
“Why did you thank him?” asked Rachel. “We’re still prisoners.”
William shrugged. “I don’t know. It seemed like the right thing to say.” Now he doubted himself. Should he have argued with Hermes instead and made a show of standing up for their rights? He had no illusions that it would have worked, but maybe he had shown weakness in not even trying.
“Who’s up for exploring?” asked Jack as he tossed William’s crutch to him.
“Me, I guess,” said William.
“Will, your leg,” said Maya.
“My leg is fine. Well, better anyway.”
“I’ll decide that. Let me look.” After a brief examination she pronounced it fit enough to walk on, so long as he took it easy. “I must have done even better work than I thought. You boys be back before dinner.” It was good to hear her laughing; perhaps it was a sign everyone’s spirits were rising, despite their imprisonment.
As they left, two black dragons followed them, the other three remaining behind to watch the others. “Where do you want to go?” asked William.
“How should I know? I don’t know what’s here any better than you do. I just want to see what I can see.”
“I meant which direction, but whatever. Just so long as we don’t get lost.”
“I have a perfect sense of direction, I’ll have you know. Now, where’s the exit from this chamber again? Oh, there it is.”
They recognized all the crossroads they had seen before, including where they ran into their first dragon. This time they hiked in the opposite direction, down the same tunnel that led to the Elder’s den, but they turned down an unexplored tunnel the first chance they got. Its yawning entrance beckoned, the sheer width of it practically inviting them in. Even the smooth worn stone beneath their feet told of heavy traffic and new things to discover. Jack pointed out the dragon scales of various colors that littered the floor. “I’d really like to know how they have metallic scales,” said William as they walked past. “Do the dragons make them, or do they just grow that way?”
“What’s it matter?” asked Jack.
“Well, do you know of any other living thing that has metal parts? It’s interesting.”
“It’s only interesting if you can do something with the information.”
“Hold on,” said William. “That’s not true at all. Some things are worth knowing just because they’re interesting.”
“If you say so. But I think you spend too much time with books.”
“It’s sort of my job description, Jack.”
“Your job has changed a bit, hasn’t it?”
William chuckled. “Maybe a little.”
They became aware of a distant, dull rumbling. The tunnel split several times, and each time they invariably followed the noise. The din grew so loud as they continued that they had to cover their ears, but they were rewarded when they came to a large open cavern with several dragons of varying size and color. The source of the noise was obvious: several large copper dragons were smashing the cavern’s walls with their tails. Approaching as close as they dared, they saw that the ends of their tails were large and solid, like massive hammer heads on flexible, living handles. Giant shards of rock flew at every swing, littering the ground with boulders and pebbles and everything in between.
“So this is how they make their tunnels,” said William, yelling over the noise.
“Look!” Jack pointed at a cargo dragon entering the room, similar to the one that brought them meat the day before, only much larger. With its long neck, wide snout and flattened jaw, it loaded itself full of rocks that the smashers had blasted from the cavern walls. William stood and stared with his mouth hanging open as the behemoth shuffled under its burden toward the exit. The weight it carried was beyond William’s ability to comprehend, but the beast trod slowly and steadily on its short, powerful legs without any sign of struggle. “Let’s see where it goes,” said Jack as he pulled William by the arm to chase after it.
It was an odd procession: the cargo dragon, apparently unaware of the two humans who followed it—one of whom was limping—followed by two giant guard dragons who dwarfed everyone in front of them. William wondered what they thought of their assigned duties, or if any of the larger dragons were capable of much thought at all. The procession made its way back to the Elder’s tunnel, past the spot where William first saw dragons with hands. A short distance further they reached a wide open space filled with several dragons of varying colors, but similar shapes. “Look at the huge bellies on those guys,” said William, pointing at three odd-looking dragons with pearly-white scales. The cargo dragon sidled up to a pile of rock, tilted itself to one side and added its load to the pile. It then began to load itself from a second pile, but William and Jack lost interest when the white dragons converged on the first pile and began swallowing rocks.
“Okay, that’s strange,” said William, his eyes wide.
“Is there anything about them that isn’t strange?” asked Jack.
The big-bellied monsters began heaving their chests up and down, gulping and exhaling massive amounts of air in a slow rhythm. The room grew hotter, and jets of fire soon shot from the dragons’ mouths while their chests and throats began to glow a dull red. Several minutes passed, during which William could do little more than shake his head in disbelief. The fire breathing stopped, and each dragon spat the remains into the second pile. One dragon spat into a third pile, the contents making a clinking sound as it hit the floor.
Jack gripped William’s shoulder. “I’ve got it!” he yelled as he danced with excitement.
“Ow! What’s the big deal? They eat rocks.”
“No, that’s not it. Well, maybe they do, it would explain the metal scales. But look what they’re doing. This isn’t just a dragon den: it’s a mine! These beasts here are smelting. I’m sure of it. Let’s watch them a little longer.”
After several more rounds it became evident Jack was right. Jack’s theory was that the heavy breathing was like a bellows feeding air to flame. Each round they expelled the leftovers, and every few times they produced enough pure metal to spit up.
“Maya’s going to love this,” said William, joining Jack in his enthusiasm. “It’s a scientific marvel. Fire breathing, metal digestion—”
Jack laughed. “Are you crazy? Forget the science! Can you imagine the trade opportunities? My dad will go out of his skull when he hears. I’ve never seen so much metal in one spot before. Do you think we can grab some? To look at, I mean; not to keep.”
“Uh…I wouldn’t advise it. I don’t want these guys on my bad side. Nor the Elder for that matter.”
“Chicken. Fine, we’ll do it your way. Let’s go back and tell the others.”
They traced their way back to their den with little difficulty, taking only one wrong turn in the process. As expected, Jack’s suggestion that the dragons were mining was met with interest, but Maya had news of her own to share. “I think this chamber is a combination of a hospital and a nursery.”
“Not to mention a jail,” said Rachel.
“What makes you say that, Maya?” asked William, ignoring Rachel’s complaint.
“First, from what you’ve describ
ed it seems isolated from the other chambers, and I’ve wondered about that. Second, this is the only place where we see the little dragons…unless you guys saw some on your travels?” William shook his head. “I thought as much. But what clinched it was several dragons that were brought into another side den like ours. The den was guarded, but we still saw the dragons inside, and they all look injured or sick.”
“How could you tell? We don’t know anything about dragons,” said Jack.
“True, but when an animal—any animal—is immobilized, or slower than normal, it’s reasonable to conclude that it’s sick or injured. But the gaping holes in their sides were a pretty good clue, too.”
“Well, yes, I suppose they would be,” said Jack sheepishly.
“Also, every time a sick dragon arrived, we got a whiff of that smell. I think it has something to do with their illness.”
“Some sort of plague, maybe?” asked William. “Could it affect us?”
“There’s no knowing,” said Maya. “But I’d guess not. Their physiology must be radically different from ours. Besides, we would have shown symptoms by now.”
“Look, this is all very interesting,” said Rachel. “Fire breathing, mining, stinky plague…what on Esper do we actually do? I’m getting tired of waiting.”
No one had any suggestions. Finally Jack broke the silence. “Does it seem to anyone else that the dragons are hiding something?”
“Like what?” asked William.
“I don’t know. Something…important. Something that would make a difference.”
The Ambassador arrived with the meat cargo and approached the group.
“Hermes, may we ask you some questions?” asked Maya.
“I will answer what I can,” he said.
Maya looked at William, who nodded his assent. She was willing to defer to him, but she knew more than he did about sickness and healing.
“Do dragons mine metal?”
“Some do. Others hunt for meat, others are guards. Metal is important to us.”
“Do you have doctors? Healers, I mean.” Maya grew frustrated at Hermes’ apparent inability to understand her. “I mean, who cares for your injured in those dens over there?”
The Ambassador hesitated. “We care for them as best we can. Dragons are highly specialized. Illness and injury are not common, and are considered acceptable losses, so healing is not a specialty we have developed.”
“But your losses aren’t acceptable right now, are they?” asked Jack.
“You seem to know much about our losses,” said the Ambassador. “More than one who had nothing to do with them.”
Rachel pushed past William and confronted the Ambassador, hands on her hips. “It would be obvious to anyone with half a brain. This is why you’re keeping us from leaving, isn’t it? You believe we have something to do with it.”
William was sure the Ambassador sighed. “The Elder is cautious, as he should be. But I do not believe I am revealing a secret when I tell you that we are under attack, and that we do not know who our enemy is.”
“You must know it’s not us,” said William. “That much has to be obvious.”
“Until we have proof…” Was that a shrug? Perhaps dragons weren’t so different from humans after all.
“What if we help the injured dragons?” asked Maya. “I am a trained healer, a doctor.”
“Yes, if we healed your injured, that would be proof enough, wouldn’t it?” asked William.
The Ambassador gazed at each of them in turn before answering. “It might serve. But the decision belongs to the Elder.”
“Fine,” said Maya. “Tell us what you know about the injuries, and we’ll try to do something about it.”
“There is little to tell,” said Hermes. “We find the injured dragons, and we bring them here. Some get better, others die.”
“That’s the smell, isn’t it?” asked Jack.
“I do not know of any smell,” said the Ambassador.
“You can’t smell the odor in here?” asked Maya. “Interesting. I wonder if it’s because of the mining. They would need to be able to detect inorganic material, which might interfere with—”
“Thank you Ambassador, I believe we have enough information,” said William, ignoring Maya’s glare. “Are we permitted to inspect the injured dragons?”
“I will inform the guards on my way out.”
Early terraforming efforts included seeding the planet with a large variety of medicinal plants. These plants were well established before the Arrival, and having been cut off from modern drugs, the Colonists were forced to recreate ancient extraction techniques to satisfy their therapeutic needs. Even today most households maintain herb gardens for the treatment of simple health problems.
Planet of Hope: A History of Esperanza
She raged back and forth across the width of the den, the others avoiding her path. “I can’t believe you want to help them!” she yelled. William couldn’t tell whether she was angrier at Maya or the dragons, but she voiced her displeasure at both at frequent intervals. He had never seen her this mad, and had no idea how to address it.
Only Maya seemed willing to challenge her. “What else are we supposed to do? Just sit here?”
“We could try to escape. If you weren’t all cowards, that is.” Rachel hurled a piece of wood at the fire, scattering coals. William half-expected Charlie to come to Maya’s defense and tackle Rachel, but he seemed lost in his own misery. The dragon lamps kept the darkness at bay, but they didn't eliminate it, and William knew Charlie was feeling the effects.
The bickering annoyed William, especially since the solution was obvious. “Look, why don’t we do both? There’s no way I can cure sick dragons, and I’m pretty sure Jack can’t either. Charlie, you stay with Maya; the three of us will go exploring.”
“Exploring isn’t the same as escaping,” said Rachel.
“I know, but as long as the Elder lets us walk around here, we may as well check all our options.” He ignored Rachel’s resentful look and pressed on. “We’d have to do that anyway, right?”
“Fine,” she said. “Let’s go.” Without looking at Maya she stomped away, calling for Steve to follow her. Jack shrugged in response to William’s questioning look and followed Rachel.
William lagged behind to smooth things over. “Maya, I don’t—”
“Let me guess: you think I’m wasting my time, too, don’t you?” She crossed her arms and looked away.
“No, just the opposite,” said William. “I think looking for a way to escape is a waste of time.”
“Then why are you doing it?” she asked.
“Because it’s all I have left to do,” said William. “I meant what I said; I can’t help you with this.”
Maya’s demeanor softened. “You probably could, you know.”
“I’d be nothing more than a sounding board, someone to bounce ideas off. You know that. Besides, Charlie is a better listener than I am.”
She chuckled. “That’s true; he’s better than most.”
An idea came to William. “Charlie, maybe you can help by playing the flute. That got their attention last time. You haven’t played since we got captured.” The big man nodded. William gave them both an encouraging smile and hobbled after Rachel and Jack.
There was an awkward silence when William caught up, made more painful by the dance he performed to get around the guard dragons that tagged along. When humans and dragons separated into their respective groups he asked, “So where do we look first?”
“Let’s start where we saw the dragons smelting,” said Jack. “I want to see where the metal goes.”
“Is it anywhere near a way out?” asked Rachel.
Jack raised an eyebrow at her. “How should I know? We haven’t been there yet.”
Rachel sighed deeply, making no effort to hide her exasperation. “You aren’t the least bit serious about finding a way out, are you? Either of you?”
William wasn’t sure how to respo
nd, but Jack beat him to it. “No. Not yet anyway. I’m still convinced there’s a pile of gold around here somewhere.”
Rachel snorted in derision. “Even you aren’t that dumb, Jack.”
“Okay, not a real pile of gold,” said Jack, ignoring the insult. “But there’s an opportunity here, I’m sure of it. If all we do is escape without figuring how to profit from it, my dad will sell me down the river for cheap labor.”
“Would it be any better to discover riches, and then never get out of here?” asked Rachel.
“No, so let’s see everything we can before we do something stupid.”
Even in the dim light, William saw the anger between them. The tension was tighter than a bowstring; he needed a way to release it. “Like jump down a hole?” he asked, hoping to make them laugh. Instead, Jack gave him an icy stare before walking away.
“Nice one, Will,” said Rachel as she followed Jack. William stared at their retreating figures in disbelief. Forget being eaten by dragons: they were tearing themselves apart already. By his count at least three fights plagued the group, not counting Charlie’s own internal battle. Again he suspected that Cairns had erred by putting him in charge, even if the rules required it.
He caught up as Jack and Rachel reached the smelting place. Their timing was perfect, as the dragons had just started their fire breathing ritual. All signs of animosity disappeared from Rachel’s face as she became enthralled in the sight before her. “This is incredible,” she said, moving as close as she dared to get a better view. Steve was less impressed, and hung back with William, whining in protest at the flames shooting from the beasts’ jaws. William stroked his ears to comfort him.
“We should follow those cargo dragons, and see where they go,” said William.
The Defender of Rebel Falls: A Medieval Science Fiction Adventure (The William Whitehall Adventures Book 1) Page 16
