by LeRoy Clary
Danner had told her to ask questions. “Why in the world would your family settle here, if it is not too rude to ask?”
He said, “After others had settled in the harsh, dry desert to our north there were no other paradises for us to occupy safely.”
Raymer laughed, and when finished, said, “Anna, you have to admit that was clever of him to turn the location of your family against you like that.”
Before she could respond, her eyes picked out regular lines ahead. Some appeared straight, and few places in nature, have straight lines, and these also seemed parallel. “Have we been walking that long?”
Danner raised his eyes to the sun, nearly overhead. Words were not required. As they approached the buildings, the ground became less soggy as it rose slightly. By the time they arrived, she could see green spread out in front of her, seeming to reach to the peaks where Raymer had sent his red. They hadn’t seen the dragon fly over, but he’d made the announcement that it had landed and was getting acquainted with Carrion’s red and both seemed happy.
Along with the low buildings, Anna saw a central opening, a square of green grass, and people milling around tables laden with food. Her stomach churned. She halted about ten steps away, while Danner continued on to join the others. When the attention of everyone had turned to her, she formally turned her back to them and pulled her shirt high to expose the dragon she’d been born with.
Raymer did the same, providing a long look for all to see before allowing his shirt to fall back into place. Then Thief turned his back and pulled his shirt high. Anna started to reach out and stop him, but the deed was done.
One man, older than most stood in front of the rest. He asked Thief, “Why did you do that?”
“Respect,” Thief replied and said no more.
“Thank you,” the old man said as if that was the perfect answer. “Allow me to pay my respects to you.” He turned his back and displayed his dragon. The entire gathering followed suit.
Introductions of individuals were made, and names were quickly forgotten. The food was served, or people helped themselves. Knowing visitors were arriving meant a feast laid out, as in all Dragon Clans. It was usually a day of new stories, rumors, gossip, and often music and few chores.
As always, the children held back from the strangers, but as soon as one felt comfortable and approached the visitors, the dam broke, and the children surrounded the three strangers, to the laughter of the others. There was always one that stood out in every family, but Anna felt hardly older than some of them and instead of enjoying and playing with them as she normally would, she maintained a polite distance. Raymer did the opposite, but oddly enough, most of them were drawn to Thief.
They talked, and he listened. Thief didn’t play so much as he got down to their level by sitting on the ground and listening to them. Anna realized that most adults tried to monopolize the children’s thoughts and words, but Thief let them do the speaking while he occasionally grunted or nodded. Soon he had nearly all the children at his feet competing for his attention. It didn’t go unnoticed by the adults.
A tall, thin woman with almost regal bearing sat on a chair beside Anna and introduced herself as Hanna. She said, “For the last few years we have not felt the need to have a formal leader of our family and the council is sort of comprised of who is available. Many of us travel and work elsewhere because this small parcel of ground we can farm won’t support us all. For now, I’m our leader.”
“We need to talk,” Anna made it short and to the point. The army from Breslau could arrive any day, and if it did, all the rules would change. She felt it was like the times in the summer when you knew a thunderstorm was coming. Not exactly when, but the electricity in the air, the moist stillness, and then the first puffs of breeze. It was not far off.
Hanna said, “Allow me to gather a few people together and we’ll talk.”
She stood and calmly strode to a pair of men. Anna caught her attention. “Tanner and Carrion? Please?”
The woman circulated and spoke to several people before returning. “Everyone’s curious, and we sense this is more than a neighborly visit, so I’ve taken it upon myself to modify your request. First, we will climb onto the roof of that small storage building over there,” she motioned with a hand in the general direction. “It used to be our speaker’s stage for councils and entertainment, but years ago someone got the brilliant idea to enclose the lower portion and make use of the space. The roof is very strong, and chairs are now being carried there so all may hear.”
Anna was initially upset, but realized her family would have done much the same. First, a public meeting and then another, more private. Still, she would have to speak in front of a large group again and the last time only her grandma Emma had saved her and allowed her to win her points. Drawing a deep breath to calm herself, she said, “Very well.”
“Relax,” the woman said. “They have a right to know the general idea of why you’ve come here. Besides, they are your family.”
In less time than Anna wished, the stately woman named Hanna, Raymer, and she were sitting beside each other on the roof of the building. In front of them, also in chairs were all the adult residents of the Highlands and some of the older children, who were still living at home. All were quiet, some perched on the edges of their seats in anticipation, and from Anna’s viewpoint, it was as she imagined a king holding court with commoners.
But she didn’t feel like a king. She felt like a child trying hard to act like an adult and failing. Hanna stood, gazed out over her people and raised her palms to quiet the few still talking or whispering. Her voice was chilled, authoritative, and commanding. “You have requested a short meeting before our council meeting, and so it shall be. Raymer’s deeds are known to all, as are those of Anna’s. Raymer tells me that he is along to do the bidding of Anna, and that she’s the leader of the expedition so it will be her who address us. Anna, if you please?”
The wave of her arm required Anna to stand and face the awed faces in the crowd. The idea that she was the leader of a powerful and famous man would take some explanations she didn’t wish to share. Beside her, Raymer stayed seated in his chair, a smirk on his face at how he’d managed to thrust Anna into the limelight. She saw the smirk and refused to acknowledge it. For now. But she had no words planned, and her tongue felt thick and slow.
Honesty above all, Grandma Emma had often stressed when public speaking. She’d repeated that phrase to Anna since she was three or four. She said honestly, “Thank you for the meal. We’ve been living on next to nothing for days, so we appreciate it.”
Smiles greeted those words. Her confidence grew. “You have all heard the stories from the family messengers about Breslau. Tanner and Carrion have more information I want and will gather after this meeting, but from all I’ve gathered, and from what others have, we are already at war, but nobody knows it, or what to do about it.”
She now had their attention. All of it. “Breslau expects to take us by surprise and by force. From what I see and know, they should have few problems in conquering us. King Ember is weak, knows little of battle strategy, but thinks he knows all. We of the Dragon Clan cannot defeat these invaders once they land here. There are not enough of us. We can fight, but we’ll lose.”
The agreement in the faces of all adults was easy to read. “We have no plans. Part of that is because we lack accurate information. Most of us didn’t even know Breslau existed across the Endless Sea a year ago. My quest here today is simple. I want to gather more information.”
Again, there were nods and smiles all around, but as Grandma Emma said, if a stubborn mule does not do what you wish, there are times when you must get its attention by hitting it between the eyes with a stick of firewood. After you have its attention, ask it again. She raised her voice to ensure all could hear. “Instead of waiting for Breslau to attack and kill us, I am going to start a war.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
That got their attention! Their reac
tion was as if she had struck each and every one with a stick of firewood. Right between their eyes. She saw shock, fear, disbelief, and even humor in their faces. They no longer sat still. A few were on their feet, others talked over their neighbors, and one man pushed another in the chest.
Hanna quickly stood and tried to regain order, finally resorting to shouting. When she had the attention of most of them, she turned to Anna and said pointedly, “Young lady, perhaps you’d like to clarify that. So we understand your intentions.”
“I would be glad to,” Anna said, keeping her voice calm and controlled. “I am going to start a war.”
Pandemonium broke out. Hanna scowled and pointed to the chair. Anna sat.
But Raymer stood his voice boomed over the crowd like a thunderclap. “All of you! Shut up. You came to listen to Anna, and now you listen only to yourselves.”
“She’s just a girl,” A man’s voice called.
Raymer stepped forward to the edge of the stage and snarled, “Just a girl! I’m twice her size and have taken on a battle with the whole of King Ember’s army, which you all already know. Yet, I follow her today without reservation. If she goes to war, I follow. I’m done talking.”
He sat and suddenly it was very quiet. Nobody had expected that from Raymer, but Anna admired how he had challenged them and then sat and refused to speak. That stilled them more than anything. It was a tactic she might use in the future.
Hanna was again standing, not seeming so tall and regal anymore. She almost appeared defeated as she asked Anna if she would speak again.
Anna stood and placed both hands behind her back and held them as she tried to find the right words. She hadn’t meant to say she was starting a war, it had just come out naturally. “If a large man, a man the size of a bear walks up to a line of people and smashes in the face of the first one in line with his paw, then moves to the second and does the same, what will you do if you are third in line? Fight or run?”
She paused, knowing her illustration had several flaws, but before allowing anyone to protest and point them out, she continued as if she had planned this. “Now let us suppose this happened to a line you were not in, but you watched it happen. You are standing in another line a few steps away. There is a spear at your side. The man, the size of a bear, finishes slaying all in the first line, and he turns to face your line.”
Again she paused to allow everyone to picture the situation in their minds, then she lowered her voice slightly, and leaned forward. “Do you use your spear, or do you say, ‘He has done me no harm so why should I start a fight with him?”
She saw the reactions changing to one of support for her. “I say that I throw that spear. I am not one who will wait until that bear of a man has his fist raised to smash my pretty face.”
Somebody snickered. Another started to laugh, and then all were laughing as Anna recalled her words. She hadn’t meant to use the word pretty. Pretty face. That word had managed to release the pent up emotions and fear and turn it into laughter and joy. In the confusion, but sensing the time was right, she sat again.
Raymer placed his hand on her knee, but she felt it shaking with laughter through his palm and refused to look at him. Hannah eventually stood and called for the end of the meeting, and then asked those that she’d spoken to, gather near a fire pit where the children had started a warm blaze.
Thief was again circled by a ring of children of all ages as Anna carried the chair and went to sit beside the fire. Hanna had invited two others, beside Tanner and Carrion. Raymer joined them and without a formal agenda, they started talking. The afternoon slipped away, and even darkness fell unnoticed. Food and drink were brought, but the conversation continued.
Anna picked their brains for any information she hadn’t heard via the messengers. Since they were the last two to interact with Breslau and the only ones to travel there, a single afternoon was not enough to share everything.
Tanner was sincere and eager to answer questions, but Carrion had turned flippant and seemed eager to get away. Irritated, Anna said directly, hoping to shame him into paying attention and responding properly, “Do you have something else you need to do?”
“Yes. I need to find someone to care for my dog, and to watch my place.”
“Why?” Anna asked.
“You don’t think I’m going to let you go there alone, do you?”
Raymer snorted, “What about me? I’m with her.”
Carrion shrugged, “I think that if your dragon gets attacked by one of those greens of theirs, it’ll stand a fifty-fifty chance of winning. If a green dragon attacks both of ours, I figure the chances improve to about ninety percent in our favor, maybe better.”
Tanner said, “I’m going too. I need to check on my investment. I bought a ship, you know?”
Hannah looked at the other two who had said little, “Anyone else going with her on this venture?”
Anna said, “Wait before you answer. I have a request. This family is closest to Shrewsbury. I think that Baldour is still going to land their troops there so I will ask that you send out two people to watch the harbor. If ships land, send runners to all the families to hide.”
“It will take them time, if ever, for them to locate us. King Ember has been searching for a lifetime,” Hannah said, her imperial tone returning.
“Nope. Part of the army may march directly here. You forget they also have dragons to spy from the air, but they also have a traitor from my family named Stenson. He’s not quite right in the head, but he went to work for them on a ship, and he knows where at least three families of Dragon Clan live . . . . Including this one.”
Hannah blanched, and her eyes narrowed as she considered the information. “Why was I not told this before?”
“Because I have just put together all the information—and since he was part of the Drylands Family I knew him better than most. My point remains the same. The Highlands Family is in the most jeopardy when the invasion comes, and if I were you, I’d be heading for those hills where we sent the dragons, and beyond.”
Hannah said, “You mentioned sending two watchers. Why?”
“It only makes sense. One might get injured, or captured. Besides, one needs to return here with the warning for you, and the other needs to run to the Drylands Family and warn them. Each of you will need to send out more runners for every family to flee until this war is finished.”
“When I hear your words,” Hannah said, “I think you must be fifty, wise and learned, but when I look at you, I see a little girl.”
“Then don’t look at me,” Anna snapped, drawing a laugh from Carrion and Raymer, while the other three men sat still, their faces almost stunned at Anna’s response. However, Hannah only smiled and settled back into her chair more comfortably.
Hanna said, “We still have much to discuss, I suspect. Please continue.”
They did. When the two visitors were finally shown to a small hut to sleep, all fires, lamps, and candles were already out. The Highlands were dark, and dawn was not too far off. Thief was already asleep and breathing the deep, soft snores of one who had been asleep a long time. They moved quietly as they spread their blankets onto the sleeping mats.
Anna lay awake on her back, thinking, when Raymer’s whisper reached her ears, “You did a good job out there tonight. Especially at first when everyone wanted to just sit on their arses and think all is well with the world, and you told them you’re going to start a war. I almost filled my pants. Win or lose, that line will be repeated in the Dragon Clan a thousand times.”
“I didn’t mean to say it that way.”
“Always speak honestly to a group. Isn’t that what your Grandma says, pretty girl?”
How in blazes did he know that? And does he have any idea of how I’m going to pay him back for the ‘pretty girl’ remark? His soft snores cut off her questions before it reached her lips, but there would be a time in the near future when he would tell her how he knows. And he would pay.
She fell
asleep remembering telling Hanna not to look at her if she saw a little girl speaking. That was another story that would travel from family to family and be long remembered, yet it had also been unplanned and a slip of the tongue. She wondered how many other heroic actions or words of heroes had been the same sort of accidents?
Waking found the village alive with morning action. Goats were being milked, chickens fed, breakfasts cooked, and people beginning their day almost normally. But Anna sensed an undercurrent of anticipation and fear. A bench sat outside the door to the hut they used, and she sat in it and watched, sensitive to the what her eyes and ears were seeing and hearing that she was not.
A woman walked from a hut with a small decorative basket held to her breast. She carried it to another as if it was ready to turn to ash and blow away in the slightest breeze. She’s packing her valuables so she can escape if needed. A mother shouted to her children to stay near. They protested, and she barked at them to obey. Scared. A muscular man she’d met but didn’t remember his name put an edge on a long blade he probably hadn’t carried in years. When his thumb bled from testing it, he placed the belt around his waist and slipped the sword into the scabbard.
Hannah walked to her and said, “Your family chose the right person to represent us. I thank you. Now, I have taken the liberty to have food packed for your travels. Tanner and Carrion will be ready to leave when you are, and I’ll offer more people if you accept them.”
“I believe the five of us is enough,” Anna said.
“To start, and win a war? You need only five and one is not even of the Clan? I will also offer to watch over Thief if you will agree to leave him here. He is childlike, and we will care for him well. The children already love him.”
Anna shook her head. “I cannot do that to him. He’d already saved my life twice. I owe him respect, and besides, he’ll just follow us anyhow.”
Hanna said, “Your relationship reminds me of Carrion’s and that ornery red dragon of his. I think ‘respect’ is the perfect choice of words.”
