by LeRoy Clary
She quickly filled him in, but he never once turned to look at James. Instead, he listened and waited. James laughed several times and once called out to somebody on a boat below in his friendly, jolly voice. He drew no more attention than anyone else because there was a considerable amount of shouting, yelling, and loud talk. The men working the fishing boats added to the din. She was surprised he was not ‘gambling’ and taking someone’s hard earned money.
Anna turned away and said, “Thief, look at my feet.”
Raymer raised his eyebrows at the order.
“He is standing up,” she said. “I don’t want him to recognize us.”
Only Raymer watched James as he made his way between the tables and to the side of a building where several outhouses were built beside each other. Raymer was already on his feet, following him. Anna watched as Raymer entered the same outhouse, after a slight pause to grab the door solidly and yank it open.
Anna expected to hear the sounds of a fight, see the wall of the outhouse break apart as Raymer threw James into it, or anything else violent. Instead, nothing happened, but she watched and waited.
After only a brief time Raymer opened the door again and casually walked out as if nothing had happened. He took the time to tuck in his shirttail and look out over the boats bobbing at the docks. James remained inside as Raymer returned and took his seat. He said, “You have good instincts, Anna. But in this case, you were wrong.”
“In what way?”
He kept his voice normal, but spoke a cryptic message only to her in case nearby ears listened from other tables. “James thought you might be part of his family, from another branch. He was right.”
“Huh?”
Raymer moved closer and spoke softer. “I saw his back.”
“What?” Anna said, still not understanding. Then she did. “Oh, now I see. I feel so stupid.”
“He was trying to watch over you, in case you were related, but that just made it seem like he was following you. Which he was.”
“Which family?” she asked.
“Glenn Oaks. Ever hear of it?”
“No.”
“Me neither, but I assure you he is who he says.”
“Why is he here?” she asked.
Raymer said, “His family sent him. He is planning on booking passage to a land across the sea.”
Anna found that taking another bite of a muffin made it stick in her throat. She couldn’t swallow. Even the wine didn’t help.
And then she started to really understand. The part of her family living at Glenn Oaks, wherever that might be, was also sending out someone to gather more information of Breslau. After all, they’d heard from the messengers who went there. It only made sense. There were probably others from other branches of the Dragon Clan, as well, from other places where the Dragon Clan hid that she didn’t know of. They all wanted the same thing.
When James returned to the tables, she expected him to pause and talk, but he ignored her as if they’d never met. If anyone was watching either of them, they wouldn’t be connected. Yes, James was smart.
Thief said, “There.”
He was pointing to a white boat tied near the end of a dock. It was trimmed in red, and another boat had just pulled away so Thief could see the name printed in red on the stern. Asia. Anna said, “Can you read?”
“Some letters. I know A, and white with red paint.”
Raymer said, “A new record for his length of speech. Thief, have I mentioned how much fun it is going to be travelling with you?”
“No.”
“Well, it is. I love to hear myself talking more than anyone else. I’ll get to talk all I want, and I’m sure both of you will have a most pleasant trip.” Raymer sat back and waited for their responses.
Thief said, “No, I will talk more.”
Anna and Raymer burst into laughter, drawing a little attention as they stood and gathered their backpacks. They made their way to the Asia, a standard fishing boat with a small cabin mounted high above the main deck and a large reel on the rear deck holding a fishing net wound around it.
Captain Braise welcomed them on board. A short stairway, or ladder, inside, took them to the bow, where they found a cramped space for sleeping, large enough for three close friends. There were also three pairs of trousers sewn from sailcloth, and three pullover shirts, the same as almost all fishermen wore. They worked barefoot.
The Captain said, “Stow your personals under the vee-bunk and change clothes. I usually have two crew, but three is not unheard of. I’ll teach you what you need to know later.”
While changing, the motion of the boat changed. It bobbed and twisted in the water, and then it leaned and all sense of bobbing changed to a slight fore and aft movement, with a little back and forth. Climbing the ladder, Anna found the docks already far behind.
“Where to?” Captain Braise asked her.
“South. Fleming, Shrewsbury, and then Racine. We may stop at any or none.” She kept her voice steady despite her excitement.
Captain Braise said, “Yes ma'am, right down the coast. Any need for you to see it?”
“What difference does that make?”
“We’ll be sailing in water unfamiliar. Closer to shore means more reefs, rocks, and shallows to rip our belly out. Deeper water far away from land is always safer.”
“I like safer.”
“Can you swim?” he asked.
“Why?”
“Got no business out here if you can’t.”
She said, “I can. I know Raymer can, too. Let me check with Thief.”
She ducked her head back into the sleeping cabin and found out he could, but before she could tell the Captain, Raymer said, “You didn’t ask me. What if I drown?”
“You can swim. I know the story of you and Quint floating down that river after you escaped the dungeon at the Summer Palace.”
“Right you are,” he said. “You know it’s still hard to think of you as an adult, right?”
“Then I’m doing my job,” she snapped, climbing back to the tiny wheelhouse. “We can all swim.”
“Good. Now I have a job for you.”
“Name it. I might need teaching, but I learn fast,” she said.
“I want you to go back to the stern and watch that boat behind us. Fishing boats tend to leave before sunup and return midday with their catch to sell. That one back there left right after us. When I was headed south, close to shore it stayed behind. When I turned east to deeper water, it did too.”
CHAPTER TEN
Anna scrambled aft and looked out across their wake to find a blue and white fishing boat with its sail high. It was so far back she lost sight of it a few times, but it always reappeared. Raymer joined her, obviously having been filled in by the Captain.
He said, “Captain Braise says he’ll turn south again after a while. We’ll watch to see if that boat does the same.”
“If it does?”
Raymer shrugged, “Then that boat is not there by accident.”
“This is not a warship. What can we do?” Ann asked without looking away from the blue boat.
“We have options. We can slip away during the darkness at night. Or we can dock at Fleming and if that boat also docks we can pay it a visit.”
“I like the second option.”
“I thought you would. Ever been on a boat before?” Then, before she could answer, he did it for her, “Of course, you have. You sailed from Shrewsbury to Fleming with Gray, a short but interesting voyage, I heard.”
“I thought you didn’t know much about what has happened in the last year.”
He said, “I was not the only Dragon Clan member in Castle Warrington. I searched out another, an old man who either sharpens your knives or sells you new ones. It gives him the opportunity to move about freely. He told me part of your tale. You didn’t think I was going to chase after you without confirming who you are, did you?”
“I guess not. But I have this knife I took from a highwayman that needs an edg
e. I wish you’d have mentioned the knife sharpener sooner.”
“Give it to Captain Blaise. Fishermen are good with knives, sort of the tool of their trade. You have quite a reputation, it turns out. Is it true your tongue is sharper than any blade?”
“Is it true you talk more than any member of our family in a hundred years?”
“One hundred? I heard it was two.”
The voice of Captain Blaise called, “Turning south now.”
The smallish sail on the single mast swung from one side to the other, and the motion of the boat changed slightly, as the boat turned and the sun was now setting on their right. The sail of the other boat continued on without turning and disappeared a short time later.
Anna reported that to the Captain. He drew in a deep breath and spat out the open window at his side. “Nope, still don’t believe it. Are you in a big hurry, or do you want to be safe?”
“Safe, but you can look for yourself. That boat is gone.”
He slipped a thong over the wheel to maintain a steady course and stepped outside where he removed a rope from a cleat and lowered his sail. He said, “You can see a sail from a lot farther away than you can a bare mast. Why don’t we just sit still out here for a while and see if that other sail comes back into view? I’m guessing it will, and before long.”
“Why?”
“Too many coincidences for me. Besides, it kept pace where it could see our sail most of the time, but not all. It stayed as far back as possible, but within sight on purpose. Boats have different hulls, weigh different, and the sails are not the same size. It takes skill to follow at the same distance, which just happens to be at the limit of what we can see.”
Anna said, “Then why didn’t it turn when we did?”
Captain Blaise spat out the window again, this time hitting the water. “That, my girl is the question, and there are two possible answers. The first is that I’m paranoid and seeing ghosts where there are none. The second is that I’m right, but they sailed on in case we did notice their mast.”
“That doesn’t make sense. The second part,” Anna said.
“Well, if itwase me back there, I’d have done exactly what they did, just in case. Look where we are in your mind. We left the port, so we’re going elsewhere. We turned south instead of north, the only two directions are possible unless we’re trying to cross the entire sea. We can’t sail west, or we will run aground. There is only south for us. They don’t have to keep us in sight, but now and then they will put on more sail and run faster until they spot us. Then drop back out of sight again.”
“It still sounds complicated.”
“Imagine you’re on land where you’re used to traveling. You follow someone into a long, skinny valley, but don’t want to be seen. The one ahead of you cannot climb the walls of the valley. Too steep. If they return in your direction, you see them and hide. But if they go on, you know where they are because that’s where they have to be. Ahead of you, but still inside the valley. Even if you can’t see them. So you can follow without being noticed.”
Anna pictured it in her mind and understood. The fishing boat rocked and pitched in the small waves. They waited. Captain Blaise uncoiled a hand line and placed a wool curl on the hook that dangled below the weight. He let the line out slowly, jigging it up and down to attract fish.
Letting more line out, he sat with one hip on the side of the boat and watched the sea behind. Anna got bored and considered a nap, but the Captain jerked hard on the line and fought to pull it in. Anna leaped to help. They alternated hand over hand until a fish the size of her leg came into view. The Captain reached for a club with an attached curved hook and grabbed it just behind the gills.
Once in the boat, it flopped and fought until the club struck its head. Thief and Raymer were sitting in the stern watching. Anna said, “Dinner.”
Raymer said, “I’m sort of hungry. Can you catch another one for me?”
She heard the humor in his voice and couldn’t resist. “At home, there’s a tradition we need to continue. Traditions are very important, don’t you think?” She didn’t wait for Raymer to answer and continued, “Those who don’t catch the fish must do the cooking and cleaning.”
Captain Blaise caught her eye, winked, and said, “She’s right. Law of the sea.”
“Is it?” she whispered.
“It is now,” the Captain laughed.
Raymer said, “While the two of you were playing with that minnow, a sail approached from back there. Then the sail went down.”
“Well, that tells a tale, don’t it?” The Captain asked. He went to a winch and cranked the handle. The sail went back up, and soon the wind puffed it out. He said, “Anna, what are your orders?”
“Sail on to Fleming. It will do no good to lose that boat tonight, he knows where we are headed.” She glanced at Raymer, “Cook and clean our dinner, please. Have you seen any dragons?”
He pulled his knife and reached for the fish. “One. A red was flying along the coast earlier.”
Both of them knew full well it was there. She was hinting that if the other boat became a problem, the dragon could attack it. He agreed. But more than attack, she wondered how to find out who was on board and why they followed. Thief had moved to Raymer’s side and held the slippery fish while Raymer sliced thick steaks.
When she looked at Thief, he shrugged and said, “No fish.”
Being from the drylands, fish was not something he would have seen. Anna said to the Captain, “I was not going to stop at Fleming, but now I think we should.”
Captain Blaise tightened the sails and made a slight course adjustment as he spoke, “I know it’s none of my business, but I have a suggestion. Flemming Bay is almost circular, the mouth narrow and deep. Then the city is around the side of the bay, to the right. But there is deep water to the port side, along with a few small islands. This boat could hide behind an island until the other is inside the bay.”
Raymer asked, “What good will that do?”
The Captain shrugged. “Any boat entering or leaving would necessarily come close to us if we block the channel. Close enough to throw a rock at . . . Or lower the dingy and row to them.”
“We could board them like pirates,” Raymer said.
“Yes,” Thief agreed, exhausting his vocabulary on the subject.
Anna also liked the idea. While Thief and Raymer took over the cooking, she stayed in the wheelhouse and talked with the Captain. He provided a wealth of information until he paused and said, “Look right over there, on the horizon just off our stern.”
She saw it. The small triangle of a sail.
He said, “They’re just checking up on us before dark. I expect them to drop back a little and stay out of sight, probably showing no lights tonight.”
“Know what I was thinking? We run for shore after dark and let them pass us so we can chase them.”
“That was my first thought, too. But it’s too dangerous with shallow water and reefs.”
Anna took the wheel and steered while the Captain ate. She offered to stand a watch at night, but he declined, saying that he would sleep in the wheelhouse and wake a hundred times to look around. They all enjoyed the fish, and there was more left for breakfast. The sun had hardly set when all three of them were lulled to sleep by the good food and the rocking of the boat.
In the morning, they ate again, and Raymer pulled her aside. “All that effort you were talking about in Fleming? Was that just for show for the Captain and Thief? Or have you forgotten I’m bonded to that red?”
“I sort of forgot, at first. Also, it seemed like a good idea that wouldn’t expose your dragon.” There seemed to be no reason to provide any other answer.
“Tell them I’m a bit under the weather and that you’re going to watch over me in the cabin where I can lay down. I’ll have my red fly over the other boat and tell you what I see.”
Later, she sat on the edge of the berth while Raymer closed his eyes. He mumbled, “We’re flyin
g out to sea. The Red knows where I am. It also senses you, in case you didn’t know.”
“I didn’t,” she said but didn’t think he heard. Still, it answered a question she hadn’tasked, butt wondered about.
“I’m looking through the red’s eyes. I’ve passed over two boats, and looking for ours. He’s color blind, but can tell white and dark trim. I think we’re further out to sea than I thought.”
“Is that a problem?” She asked.
“No, he can fly for a whole day and night without rest, but it would take him a few days to rest up afterward.”
“I guess I should have known that. The greens that fly from Breslau have to cross the entire sea.”
Raymer didn’t answer, and again she realized she may as well only speak when spoken to. He was busy directing the dragon and who knew what else it took to make a dragon bend to your will? She waited.
“I see our boat. Now, I’m turning to fly behind us, can you see me?”
Anna ran from the cabin and looked behind, finding the dragon flying so high it looked more like a small bird. She ran back inside, “Yes, I see you.”
“Good, I see them, too. At least their boat. Following our wake.”
“What are you going to do?”
Raymer said, “Circle way around them and approach from the rear. Hopefully, they won’t be looking back there, and I’ll find them on deck and get a good look when they spot me. Usually, people can’t help but watch a dragon fly over.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The red dragon circled high above, lost from sight to any watching from below in the clouds. Raymer explained his actions in a muted voice as he had the dragon fly well behind the other boat, then lower until his wingtips nearly swept the tops of the waves. It was also a fishing boat with one mast like theirs. As it flew closer, Raymer said he saw three people on the deck. Two had tattoos covering both forearms, and in the flash of a single heartbeat, as the dragon flew past, he saw that the tattoo images were dragons. The third and last man on deck stood, fists balled on hips, watching upward in defiance.
The two men with tattoos had dived to the deck, but the simply last stood and watched, as if familiar with dragons flying low. Raymer had the dragon turn and found a fourth man in the wheelhouse, dressed in the typical clothing fishermen wore.
