Ghorrah scoped out the Plateau, counting the dragons visible from her vantage point. A few others stared back. She suppressed the urge to roll her shoulders, stiff from flying as they were. There were quite a few more dragons present than yesterday. It would not be the Solstice for another four days, and yet there were already enough dragons to resemble a small gathering at its peak.

She brushed these idle thoughts aside and began cataloging the dragons she recognized, making a mental list of those who would be most likely to know where Sharnha was. The suspected trespasser was still an unknown factor; one that she planned to deal with as soon as possible.

Her shoulders gave another dull, aching throb that reminded Ghorrah of her beloveds’ suggestion to rest. She shrugged it off, but not without a mental compromise; she would rest, but only if she could not locate her target by the end of the day.

----------------------------------------

«Sharnha? I believe I saw him earlier today,» Rahsun replied. He was a yellow dragon, 172 years old, and the twelfth individual she had spoken with thus far. «He should still be over there, on the east side of the river-» he paused to point northwest with a talon, «-about a hand of beats away.»

«Appreciated,» Ghorrah said, dipping her head in thanks. All of the others she had spoken with had either not seen the Trespasser or had given her faulty directions. Rahsun seemed somewhat more confident than the others, though something seemed off about his behavior…perhaps he was only reluctant to reveal his association with the disreputable dragon.

«Glad to be of help,” Rahsun said, scratching the side of his neck. Ghorrah was about to turn away when she noticed a rather deep scar that ran along the male’s neck.

«Where did you get that?» Ghorrah asked, cocking her head. «I did not think there were many who could deal you such a grievous injury,» she added when Rahsun was reluctant to answer. It wasn’t a complete lie; the male was known as a rather capable combatant, though she didn’t know or trust him enough to tell him about the humans.

«Ah, well…you could say that I had a disagreement with Anqila,» Rahsun grumbled. «I sent him flying off with his tail between his legs, but not without taking a few bad hits myself. I did not think Vosae would let them run wild like that, but if you ask me those Brewer clan dragons are getting bolder with each passing year.»

Ghorrah frowned. She had heard the sentiment multiple times this morning, but it was usually from some dragon who tried to bite off more than he could swallow, and Rahsun was too old for such recklessness. With nothing more to say she thanked him for his time and departed for her next destination.

Their conversation was troubling, but it had also served to further stymie her on another matter.

Why had the Trespasser not told everyone about the human ship? He had the handle, which should have been enough to support his outlandish story, and yet not a single dragon she had spoken to had mentioned anything about what the Trespasser had seen that day.

The Plateau itself was not terribly large, and within ten beats she sighted a green dragon napping by the side of the river. The coloration alone was no guarantee, but she made sure to come in from above in case he tried to escape.

The napping dragon lifted his head and visibly tensed at the sight of her, but otherwise made no attempt to flee.

«You are Sharnha, yes?» Ghorrah asked, purposefully landing downwind of her target.

«Indeed,» Sharnha replied, eyeing her uneasily. «What brings you here, Ghorrah-snap?»

«I am simply here to learn more about the human,» Ghorrah said casually, though internally she was bemused by his lack of reaction. «I was under the impression that someone like you would surely know more than the others.»

The wind picked up as she spoke, carrying her quarry’s scent towards her and confirming her suspicions beyond all scrutiny*.

*This Draconic expression used here features the verb for magnifying one's eyesight – the closest translation being scrutiny.

She had found the Trespasser.

Sharnha did not seem to notice the slight narrowing of her eyes, instead appearing to relax upon receiving her explanation. «If only that were true. The value of such information would be tremendous,» he sighed, a look of longing in his eyes, «but I am afraid I have nothing on this subject to trade with.»

This response was completely natural, and it surprised Ghorrah that Sharnha could act so casually around her. She couldn’t think of any reason why he would pretend not to recognize her, so had he not seen her after all?

«...are you sure? I would be willing to pay, of course,» she said, hoping to draw more out of the trespasser.

For a moment he hesitated, this material offer appearing to sway him. «I do have a certain…lead,» he said, seeing Ghorrah’s frown. «Give me a day or two; by then I might have found something truly worth your while.»

Ah. So that was his goal.

Sharnha had the handle – something that no dragon could create. He could conceivably use it as proof that he had seen a great metal shell (something that was surely constructed by the humans) but he lost this opportunity when Pryce moved the ship.

This short conversation had more or less affirmed what she knew of this dragon – an ambitious individual stunted by his own caution, even as it kept him alive. The location of the ship was far more valuable than a story about its existence. If she had to guess, Sharnha hadn't told anyone about the door handle because he wanted to find the ship himself rather than let things turn into a free-for-all.

Left alone he would likely scour the coastlines in an attempt to find the ship, and that would not do.

Ghorrah looked around, and made sure no one was around to eavesdrop. «Come with me,» she muttered, «I know something that will be of interest to you.»

«What?» Sharnha blinked. «What is it?»

«I will tell you on the way there,» Ghorrah said offhandedly. She walked away in preparation for takeoff, only to turn back and see Sharnha frozen in a half-sitting half-standing, clearly unsure of what to do. «I promise it will be worth your time,» she sighed, tossing her head in exasperation.

A minute later they were up in the air, with Sharnha trailing by her side. Ghorrah resisted the urge to flick her membranes – individuals such as him were always so predictable.

«...I believe you said you would tell me on the way,» Sharnha said, breaking the relative silence.

«It is something regarding the human, as you have likely guessed.» Ghorrah replied stiffly. «I need you to make me a promise of confidentiality[1] before I tell you more.»

«Yes, of course I promise,» Sharnha said, though his words were belied by an undertone of disappointment. «Now, you were saying?»

Ghorrah sighed, bracing herself for yet another long conversation.

Sharnha has a reputation as the sort of dragon who often knew more than he should. Whether by spying or by trading, he (and others like him) were eager to share their knowledge – for a price, of course.

In short, Sharnha was not the sort of dragon who Ghorrah would ever trust in a personal sense, but he, like most dragons, could certainly be trusted to look out for his own interests.

It was for this reason that Ghorrah made sure to emphasize the treasures that humans could create – once she had given him an overview of the current state of affairs, of course.

Perhaps she needn't have bothered, seeing as how Sharnha clung onto each word like starved hatchling, but Ghorrah decided to err on the side of caution. So long as he believed working with humans would be profitable, he could be trusted.

It also helped ensure that he did not bolt when Ghorrah told them she had been among the three dragons who were supposed to be in Huroumh's territory.

«Wait, you were…!»

«If I were going to hurt you, I would have already done it,» Ghorrah snapped. «Huroumh will not either, unless you are going to start bleeding from a few harsh words.» She paused and frowned at all oddity. “How did you not see me if you were already there?»

«Oh, I made sure to avoid you three,» Sharnha said dismissively. «I was not able to get a good look at any of you. I realized my mistake when the ‘ship’ disappeared, and so I purposefully appeared slightly suspicious. Anyone who had knowledge about the human would likely be trying to find others who were acting oddly. I was worried I was not obvious enough; that Xhorhw is a bit of a dullard.»

Ghorrah narrowed her eyes, irritated at having been anticipated like this. The plan had apparently worked, but there was still something that didn't make sense. «And was leaving your scent behind also part of your plan?» she asked skeptically.

The informant glanced to the side, not quite meeting her eyes. «Well, I did not want to deal with three immediately hostile individuals, so-»

«You panicked and fled,» Ghorrah finished dryly.

«I thought I heard someone!» Sharnha retorted defensively, dropping the pretense of having any kind of plan.

Ghorrah added “coward” to her mental profile of this one. It was no wonder she had never heard of him achieving any notable victories. Perhaps if they needed someone to sneak around then he would be useful, but Ghorrah would certainly never rely on him in a fight.

«I know this made it possible for those working with the human to locate me,» Sharnha said, perhaps sensing some of her disdain, «but I deemed that risk worth the reward. These humans can make amazing things, far and beyond what any dragon can create. I am certain they could completely usurp the Brewer clan if they were to trade with us; that fact alone makes them invaluable allies.»

«I see…» Ghorrah rumbled. «It makes sense that the creator clans could perceive the humans as a threat, but Vosae-snap is reasonable. She will see reason in cooperation.»

«Reasonable?» Sharha stared, an incredulous look in his eyes. «If by “reasonable” you mean “completely and utterly ruthless”, then yes, I suppose she is quite reasonable,» he grumbled sarcastically.

Ghorrah glanced back at the informant. His tone had been dismissive, but he had an oddly shaken look in his eyes. «She is far from a gentle soul, but I do not know her to be cruel.»

«And when was the last time you saw her?» Sharnha shot back. «Because the last time I tried to make alcohol I was nearly killed by her clan! I had to promise to never do it again, in addition to paying a ‘toll’,» he growled, shuddering at the memory.

She knew better than to trust this biased story, but it didn’t contradict the accounts she had heard from others either. The punishment was uncharacteristically extreme, especially on a dragon who posed as little threat as Sharnha. It was another sign that the clan leader had changed in recent years. «Perhaps she has changed in the last half century or so,» she admitted.

«You should be prepared to have her as an enemy,» Sharnha warned, his tone leaving little room for doubt. «She will not bother to cooperate with humans. Not when she has so much to lose.»

«You seem quite certain about this,» Ghorrah said, her eyes narrowing. “That leaves me with a question: Why ally with the humans if that means making her an enemy? Are you not afraid that she will kill you this time?»

Sharnha made a casual dismissive motion with his arms. «Like I said, what could any dragon offer me that a human could not? Besides, I would be glad to see Vosae at a disadvantage for once.»

«I see,» Ghorrah rumbled. He clearly just wanted to see Vosae beaten without lifting a talon himself, but at least his motives were transparent.

«So, what else can humans make?» Sharnha asked, his eyes gleaming with avarice. “If they can make copies of sights then does that mean they can also make copies of sounds? What about-»

Ghorrah tiredly shut her eyes and wondered if she should have gone to the twins instead of Kharno.

----------------------------------------

The radio remained frustratingly silent as Celeste languidly panned her head about. She made an incremental adjustment to her wings, steadily regaining a bit of altitude that she had gradually lost to her inattentiveness.

She was so bored.

Celeste had been prepared to remain vigilant on her patrols, but there had barely been anyone to avoid for the first two days, and even when she did spot one it was laughably easy to fly around them in a wide arc.

She had never been to this far north of the island before, so the first day of patrolling was actually quite engaging. The issue had begun on the second day, when she had to fly the same route south all over again.

A dragon could fly in a state of half-wakefulness with ease, but scanning the horizons required a certain degree of conscious thought; just enough to make patrolling unbearably mind-numbing.

It was for this reason that she had requested to swap routes with her father on the dawn of the second day, hoping that a change of scenery would make the daily flight less tedious. He had agreed – though he seemed oddly reluctant to do so – and on that day she had flown north while her father flew south.

The new landscape had helped less than she'd hoped, and she spent much of the second day occupying herself with practice maneuvers (not play, she insisted to the nagging voice that sounded like Ghorrah) to combat her boredom. This had worked, but it also had the unfortunate side effect of tiring herself out, and she had to spend the rest of the day’s travels in a sedate and boring glide.

And now she was back to patrolling the south, with nothing to hold her attention.

Skies above, there were still another four days until the Solstice! Who knew looking for beings that could travel across the ocean would be so boring?

At least she was nearing the end of her route. Celeste scanned the skies again – she had lost track of how many times she'd done that today – and was surprised to see a faint yellow speck in the distance.

Well, that was inconvenient. It would be suspicious of her if she turned around now. Perhaps it would be a better idea to fly around this individual before doubling back some time later.

Just as she was about to commit to this decision she realized there was another dragon behind and above the first, with this new dragon possessing a rather vibrant orange hue.

Celeste recognized this odd flight formation, realizing that these two must be Nanzo and Lakath.

For a moment she was torn; she wasn't supposed to recruit anyone, but there wasn't a good reason to just ignore them either, especially when they needed more allies.

Decision made she began the irksome process of removing the radio receiver to hide it in her hands. It was odd how the prickly “velcro” could stick to fuzzy things, but she appreciated how much easier it was to use than a strap.

Preparations complete, she bellowed out a greeting, only to receive an oddly tentative response in return.

Beat by beat they closed the distance between them, and Celeste soon confirmed their identities. Their colors had changed since the last time she'd seen them, but their physical features had not – especially the orange female’s white, scarred eyes, which gazed in her direction despite their blindness.

A few beats closer and Celeste could hear Lakath’s signature clicks, which she made in short bursts.

Celeste ignored those odd noises, and called out a proper greeting to the two older dragons.

«Hello, Ahnoumh,” Lakath and Nanzo replied, dipping their heads politely. Celeste reversed direction and flapped her wings until she matched their pace, allowing them to speak properly.

«What are you doing here?” Lakath said, the blind dragon staring with an unblinking expression. «Delivering news, I assume?»

«Did something happen at the Plateau?» Nanzo asked, his expression critical but not hostile.

«In a way, yes, and no, at least not that I know of,» Celeste answered. “I do have something to tell you two, but you have to make me a promise of confidentiality first.»

«I promise,» Lakath said, her milky eyes blinking interestedly.

Nanzo did not immediately respond, instead his eyes darted to Celeste's clenched foreclaws before glancing back at Lakath, who stared back at him with an expectant air. «Very well, you have my promise. Now, what did you find? Should we fly back to tell Ghorrah-snap and Jooral-snap?"

«You do not have to worry about them,» Celeste grinned, but her smile faded as she considered a possible difficulty, «Err…has she gotten better at landing?»

----------------------------------------

Pryce frowned as he sipped at the dark liquid. The “coffee” tea still had a bitter taste even when diluted with a generous helping of sugar and ghee, which was hardly surprising; those two ingredients made anything taste good.

Perhaps some other method of preparation could make it more palatable, but he rather doubted these coffee beans would ever be popular.

Dragons, on the other hand…

“This is even better than before,” Fortitude said, licking her pot of coffee clean. “But it is a little too sweet. Maybe use less sugar next time?”

“I don't have many beans left,” Pryce said. “I’ll have to save some for Xylem. I'm sure he'd be interested in trying some.”

“Oh,” the elder dragon said, looking quite disappointed. “Do you have any human foods I can try?” she asked hopefully.

“I don’t have much left, and certainly not enough to feed you,” Pryce said, leaving out the fact that Fathom ate most of it. “Ask Fathom or Celeste to get you something when they get back.”

Fortitude sighed; that would not be for another two hours. She looked up in vain hope at the sky and- “Oh, Celeste is back early,” she said, then her head perked up in surprise. “There are two others with her.”

“What?” Pryce looked up and saw a few faint dots to the south. “Can you tell who they are?” He asked, grabbing his binoculars.

Fortitude’s eyes shifted as she scrutinized the unknown dragons. “No, they are too far…wait, those must be Lakath and Nanzo,” she said, sounding faintly surprised. “You have not heard of them. They will be good allies, but I did not expect them to leave their home.”

“I see…do they live far from here?”

“Far enough. Celeste must have seen them while she was patrolling,” Fortitude mused. She paused, then asked, “Can humans cure a human who cannot see?”

Pryce blinked, surprised by what seemed to be a non-sequitur. “That's called being blind, and no, we can't cure that. Why do you ask?”

“Lakath is blind.”

“She's…what?” Pryce stammered, returning to his binoculars. “But she's flying, how can she fly if she's blind?”

“Lakath spent many years learning how to use sound to see. Now she can do many things without help, but it is still safer for her to fly with Nanzo.”

“I see,” Pryce murmured. “Are they partners?”

“They…have a strange relationship. They are close, and they have known each other for a long time, but there seems to be a reason why they are not partners. You should not ask about it.”

“Understood,” Pryce said. He had no intention of prying into their private lives anyway, but the warning was nevertheless appreciated. He frowned as a realization occurred to him. “I hope Celeste hasn't told them that I can fix her eyes.”

“...that would be bad,” Fortitude admitted. “But I do not think she will do that; she is not stupid.”

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

“Let's hope so. Is there anything else I should know?”

Fortitude paused, tilting her head in thought. “Nanzo is good at fighting, but not as good as Kharno or Helsha. Lakath was very strong, but that was before she was blind. She can still fight, but only on the ground. Like me.”

“I see…” Pryce said, but his thoughts were interrupted by something else in the sky.

“Hmm. Devotion is back,” Fortitude said, sounding faintly displeased but unsurprised.

“Really? That's good timing.” Pryce peered through his binoculars. “Wait, who's that with her?”

“I do not recognise him, but I am certain it is the Trespasser.”

“Are you sure? How do you know that?” The new dragon was indeed green, but Fortitude had no way of recognizing him on sight, nevermind the fact that he was barely a dot in the sky.

“I know her,” Fortitude said, chuffing affectionately. “She knows that Trespasser can be dangerous, and I knew she would try to find him.”

Pryce raised an eyebrow. “Didn't you tell her to get some rest? Why bother saying that if you knew she wasn't going to listen?”

Fortitude shrugged. “Some things should be said, even if saying it does nothing. You will understand, if you are lucky enough to have a partner in the future…unless humans are different like that.”

“...no, not in that regard, but let's focus on more relevant things; how is Lakath going to land on the ship?”

“Oh.” Fortitude said, and scratched her chin. “That might be a problem.”

Celeste and her companions were the first to arrive. She landed on the ship first while the others circled up above. “I know we had not planned to do this but I met them near the end of my patrol,” she said in a rush, preemptively defending herself.

“You were not wrong to bring them back,” Fortitude reassured. «We do know them, after all.»

Pryce watched as Nanzo guided Lakath on several passes over the ship. She was making odd clicking noises that must have been echolocation. Each pass she descended a bit more, until she flared her wings and dropped onto the deck. The landing was a bit rough, but done with surprising grace for one with no eyesight. She folded her wings against her back, exposing two puckered scars located on the right side of her chest. Pryce stared as he tried to understand what could have caused such an injury – it couldn’t have been impalement, could it?

«This ship is very easy to hear. It must be all that metal,» Lakath said, pleased. Her head cocked back and forth, quickly locating Fortitude. «Hello, Jooral. I assume that is you?»

«Indeed. Your hearing has improved.»

«Practice always helps,» Lakath said absently as Nanzo landed behind her and voiced his own greeting. «Where is that human?» she asked, her spines splayed as she panned her head around.

“Hello,” Pryce said, startling the larger dragon. “Sorry, I didn't mean to hide.”

«I suppose it should be expected for someone so small to be so quiet,» Lakath said when Fortitude translated for her. «Ahnoumh tells me that you can understand most of our speech. May I inspect you?” She asked, approaching him step-by-step with incremental clicks.

“Of course, so long as you don't hurt me.”

Celeste relayed his acceptance, then watched in amusement as Lakath clicked at Pryce to get a good “image” of him.

«Your scent is fainter than most animals, but oddly salty,” the blind dragon murmured.

Unsure of what to do, Pryce offered a hand for her perusal, which she accepted with a few careful prods with the back of her talons.

He tried to ignore how awkward it all was.

«No scales, but no fur either…hide, but soft? Five fingers, like us, but…very small…‘talons’...»

“I do have fur here,” Pryce said, which Celeste translated. Slowly, he guided a talon to the top of his head.

«Strange…» she murmured, her jaws slightly parted in perplexity as she gently patted his head. «You are very difficult to visualize.”

“Kharno will be envious,” Fortitude chuckled.

Nanzo cocked his head. «Kharno? Does she already know of…all this?» he asked, vaguely gesturing to their surroundings.

«She only found out yesterday,» Fortitude answered, “along with Helsha. Ghorrah knows too, of course, but that is it.»

Nanzo cocked his head at this information. «Trying to gather allies, I take it?»

«Yes. We did not expect you to travel to the Plateau, else we would have tried to find you,» Fortitude said in a slightly apologetic tone.

Nanzo did not seem offended, instead glancing up at the approaching Devotion and Trespasser. «And who is that one?»

«A certain trespasser,» Fortitude shrugged. «You were there, Ahnoumh, you should be the one to tell them.»

«Ah, so he was that “trespasser” of yours,» Nanzo said, a critical frown in his eyes. «It is rather daring of you to bring him here, but I suppose they do say it is better to keep your enemies where you can see them.»

«It was his idea, actually,» Fortitude said, gesturing to Pryce.

“Really?” Nanzo lowered his head to eye Pryce. For a moment he seemed like he was about to say something, but he pulled his head away as the two more dragons made to land.

«Hello Lakath, Nanzo,” Ghorrah said, dipping her head in greeting as she landed. Turning to Pryce, she said, “this is Sharnha. He is a coward who was sneaking around when he saw us fly to the ship. He is your Trespasser.”

«What a strange looking creature,» Sharnha muttered, oblivious to Ghorrah’s insults. «I am surprised to see you two here,» he added off-handedly to his fellow newcomers.

Nanzo snorted. «I would be lying if I said the same.»

«Do you know each other?» Celeste asked, glancing between them.

«We were neighbors as hatchlings,» Nanzo said coldly. «I grew up. He did not.»

«Still as much of a dried branch as ever,» Sharnha sighed. «And to think you used to be fun."

«Cease your bickering,” Ghorrah growled, interrupting the two before an argument broke out. «Do you not have more important matters to discuss?»

«Ah, yes.» Sharnha turned back to Pryce. «I am glad we are able to see each other properly this time. I…did not have time to think clearly that day, and I acted rashly, but I hope we can have a mutually beneficial relationship from now on.»

Celeste flattened her spines at this flowery explanation. «So many words, and yet no apology,» she growled.

«Apologies will not help you, but information can,» Sharnha said smoothly, «It seems none of you are aware how much of a threat the Brewer clan poses to you. Perhaps she was not like this before, but I and many others have had firsthand experience with her cruelty.»

“Do not trust him,” Fortitude said, in a way that made it sound like it was part of her translation. “Dragons who make trouble like him always try to blame others.”

“I thought so too,” Devotion said, “but others at the Plateau had similar stories to this one.”

Fortitude blinked at this, then narrowed her eyes in silent contemplation. She appeared to be genuinely troubled by this information.

“Are they that big of a threat?” Pryce asked. “I thought clans only have a few tens of dragons at most.”

“That is true, but the Brewer clan has many connections,” Celeste answered, “Alcohol is not the only thing they can make, but it is what they are known for. There are many dragons who owe favors to them, and those the clan owe favors to do not want them weakened.”

“They have a…web across the land,” Fortitude added. “Some smaller clans may trade with them because it is easier to trade with them than it is for individual dragons.”

Pryce frowned and rubbed his chin in thought. That sounded almost like a shipping or retail company. “If this clan leader decides that they don't want humans on this island, how bad would that be?”

“That would be…not good, but I do not think that would happen,” Fortitude said, though there was a note of uncertainty in her voice. “What do you think, Ghorrah?”

«There is growing discontent against the Brewer clan. We should be prepared to deal with them,» Devotion said, then repeated the more complex sentence to Pryce in English.

«I have heard that as well,» Nanzo said, with Lakath nodding in agreement.

“What do you mean ‘prepare’?” Pryce asked, turning to Devotion. “I don’t see how we can do much more than we already are.”

“There is not,” Fortitude agreed, “but when the time comes we could gain support from dragons who have something against the Brewer clan.”

“I see…”

“You don’t look happy about this,” Celeste noted.

“I would prefer for there to be as little conflict as possible. Anything else and things would get…messy.”

Fortitude gave a half-hearted shrug. “You are not wrong, but there is a good chance the Brewer clan will want to work with you instead. We can try to convince them of that first.”

«Could someone translate the English for us?» Lakath asked, apparently having learned the words from Celeste on their flight here.

«You will need to know how many dragons would go against the Brewer clan,» Sharnha said when they had all been caught up. «I could go back to the Plateau in an attempt to learn this.»

“He is suggesting that you pay him to do this,” Celeste said with unconcealed disgust.

“That’s not a problem. Tell him to give me a few minutes to get my things, and please ask Lakath and Nanzo what they would like in return for their help.”

«There is no need for payment,» Nanzo said. «I am still in your debt, Jooral-snap. If you wish for my assistance then you will have it.»

«Likewise. I am eager to put my combat practice to good use,» Lakath said, her jaws parted in a grin.

Fortitude shook her head, lightly chastising. «There is no debt to speak of, but your aid would be greatly appreciated.»

For a moment Nanzo seemed like he was going to object, but in the end he only stiffly nodded in acceptance.

«Now that that is settled, what sort of things are you willing to trade?» Sharnha asked as he looked about the ship. «These look like vines, but different,” he said, tugging on a bit of rigging. «Do they not rot?»

“No, they don’t. Do you want some?”

Sharnha opened his mouth as if eager to say ‘yes’, but quickly closed it again. «Show me your other things first,» he said in what was likely meant to be a reserved tone.

It took Pryce a few minutes to gather his ‘goods’. Over the past few days he had asked Fortitude about the things dragons would find desirable. Shiny and beautiful things were obvious, of course, but she had pointed out that human tools would be invaluable. For example, vines were often used in place of rope – Fortitude had even shown him a few knots – but they did not last long before needing to be replaced. Smaller vines could be used as string to stitch hide, but this also meant that the durability of the resulting tools left much to be desired. Fishing string and sewing threads were probably too thin for dragons to use, but he did have a great amount of rope aboard.

Another useful tool was the machete. It was comically small in the hands of a dragon, but it was large enough to be (awkwardly) used. Talons might serve to rip apart almost anything, but they would never be able to make the clean cuts that a knife could. This tool was admittedly more useful to artisans like Fortitude, but it had the benefit of being shiny in addition to being useful.

“Let’s be clear,” Pryce said, placing some rope, a machete, and some glassware on the floor before the dragons. Nanzo quietly muttered a description to Lakath, while Sharnha stared wide-eyed at the treasures. “You still broke my door, so I’m not giving you anything right now.”

«What? But I gave him information about the Brewer clan!» Sharnha growled, glaring at Celeste who had translated for Pryce.

«I already heard about that from several others,» Devotion chuffed. “The only thing you said is that they might be a danger to us. That small help is hardly equal to the damage that you caused.»

“I’ll be generous and say that’s enough to settle things between us. At this point, none of us owes the other anything. Is that acceptable?”

«...fine,» Sharnha grumbled, eyeing the glittering glassware longingly. «I assume you did not bring these out just to tease** me. What do I have to do for them?»

**The Draconic word here specifically refers to the action of being tempted by food with no way of eating it, but there is no direct English translation.

“Correct. How many dragons have you spoken to in the last four days?”

Sharnha thought for a moment. «Sixty-four.»

“How many of them did you speak about humans with?”

«All of them.»

“Alright, I’ll give you one of these right now if you tell me what they think about humans.”

Sharnha’s eyes lit up. «No one knows enough about your kind to have a strong opinion. Most are only curious, and want to know what land humans came from. Many of them would like to know if it can be reached by wing. Only six expressed some sort of concern.»

Pryce nodded, pleasantly surprised by those numbers. “Go ahead, take one.”

«Is this a glass cup?» Lakath asked, pointing to the correct object while Sharnha ruminated over his choices. «May I inspect it?» She picked up the glass with permission, muttering something to Nanzo. A tap of her talons made it ring with a clear note, surprising all three of them. «That is a very nice sound,» she said, tapping it again but at different angles, though she stopped when Celeste warned her of the object’s fragility.

Pryce watched as Sharnha continued to examine each of the objects, his eyes glittering with fascination. “By the way, what did you do with the handle you took? Did you tell anyone about it?”

«Ah,” Sharnha said, and suddenly looked quite guilty.

«I thought you had not told anyone,» Ghorrah said, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

«Well, you see, Ighnahr was the reason I was around in the first place, and he wanted to know what condition Huroumh-»

«Ighnahr.» Celeste growled, her teeth bared in anger. «You told that rotten pile of scum about the ship? Who else have you told?!»

Sharnha instinctively shrank back from the younger-but-larger dragon, but then froze as he remembered that he was surrounded. «I only showed him the handle and told him about the ship. He does not have any proof, and no one would believe him anyway, so really the fact that I told him is actually completely harmless, see?” he stammered.

«...He is not wrong,» Fortitude said after a tense, silent moment.

Celeste was not mollified. «He did not bother telling us that on his own, so why should we bother trusting him?»

«Is there anything else?» Devotion asked, taking a menacing step forward. «We will not harm you…if you tell us now.»

«N…not that I know of?» Sharnha faltered, his eyes wide and terrified. «Aside from Ighnahr I have not told anyone else about the handle or the ship, and I have hidden the handle somewhere that no one can find it. I…can give it back to you, if you would like…?»

“No point, it’s broken already,” Pryce sighed. “Tell Sharnha I’ll forgive him just this once.”

“You can’t just keep forgiving him!” Celeste protested. “What if he betrays us?!”

“He’s greedy, I can see that, so that means he’ll work for us if we let him. There’s nothing to be gained at this point by turning him into an enemy. Besides,” he added, “I’m sure Devotion has already threatened him with violence if he betrays us.”

“I have,” Devotion confirmed. “But I could do it again.”

“No need. Celeste, please tell him what I said. Just add that I won't forgive him in the future.”

Sharnha blinked, surprised at Celeste's reluctant translation.

«Do…do I still get to keep one of these?» He asked.

“...I have one more question. Answer that and I'll let you keep something: how many dragons would side with the Brewer clan?”

«That is a much harder question,” Sharnha said, his spines flattened. «I may hate them, but they are undeniably useful to many others. It would depend on how persuasive you are, which,» he said, casting a glance at the glassware, «I do not think would be a problem.»

“...I see. Go ahead.” Pryce gestured to the items. Sharnha slowly picked up the machete, then sheathed it with a look of satisfaction.

“Go to the Plateau and learn as much as you can. Come back and tell me what you've learned one day before the Solstice. Do that and I’ll give you the rest of these things.”

Sharnha’s eyes widened, and he nodded eagerly. «Well, I best be off to the Plateau now,” he said, fanning out his wings in preparation for flight.

“Wait,” Pryce said, and went to retrieve one of the mirrors aboard the ship. “I’ll give you this mirror if you guide Callan and Qnaoro here. Unharmed,” he emphasized. It wasn't that he thought Sharnha would harm her, but it wouldn't hurt to give her another set of helping hands. Or talons.

Sharnha wordlessly stared at the mirror with wide eyes, then nodded and leapt into the skies.

“You forgive too easily,” Devotion grumbled.

“People appreciate kindness. I'm sure dragons are the same.” He hadn't intended it, but the animosity of the other dragons had inadvertently emphasized his own mercy. Of course it was entirely possible for Sharnha to see him as a pushover instead. He'd just have to put his foot down if the time came.

Pryce turned to Lakath and Nanzo. “Now, what are you two going to do?”

«We were going to the Plateau to learn about the human,» Nanzo said, «but that is obviously no longer necessary. I suppose we should find a place to rest until the Solstice.»

«Yes, but we can do that later,” Lakath said, “The day is not over yet, and I still have many questions.»

Pryce chuckled. “Of course. I didn’t expect anything else, but if we’re going to talk then I have to confess that I can't pronounce your names very well. Would you prefer that I try anyway, or that I give you new names?”

Lakath cocked her head. «Ah. Yes, Ahnoumh has told me of this. Are you sure you cannot say ‘La-kath’ and ‘Nan-zo’? No? Then what name would you give me?»

“‘Sonar’ is what Humans call seeing with sound, would you like that as a name?” The word was actually an acronym for ‘Sound Navigation And Ranging’, but it seemed fitting.

Lakath mulled it over for a few moments, but tossed her head. «Sonar…I do not like the sound of this word,» she said.

“Alright…how about Echo? An echo is what you hear when a sound bounces back to you.”

«Echo…» Lakath said, testing the word. «I like this word. You may call me Echo. What about you, Nanzo? Do you want a new name?»

«...I suppose it cannot be helped,” Nanzo sighed. «What do you want to call me?»

«He says he wants to call you ‘Polaris’,» Celeste said, translating for Pryce. «It symbolizes guidance, protection, and-»

«No.»

«…what?»

«Do not call me that,» Nanzo said, almost growling. Behind him, Lakath looked at him with unmistakable sorrow in her scarred eyes. A moment passed, and Nanzo sagged almost imperceptibly. «Just…call me Nanzo.»

“...Understood,” Pryce said. Clearly there was something personal there, and he had no intention to pry. Turning to Lakath he said, “Now, you said you had some questions?”

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[JOURNAL ENTRY]

Day 98,

Sharnha is…a strange one. Perhaps being surrounded made him especially nervous, but he appears to lose his composure rather easily. Still, I believe he can be trusted to serve his own interests. If not…we’ll handle things if it comes to that.

Lakath is quite an interesting individual. It must have taken a long time to be as proficient at using sonar as she is. She and Nanzo both were quite friendly, though I wonder why he rejected the name I suggested for him.

Kharno…she’s our last chance to find Callan before the Solstice, and she’s expected to return tomorrow at the earliest. If she’s too late then she’ll try to bring the twins back with her, but if she’s too early then she’d have to wait for Callan and Aurum to show up.

I’ve done all I can to prepare. All that is left is the wait.

Pryce set down his journal, wondering if he missed anything. Nothing came to mind, so he looked up to see if Fathom had returned yet, only to see a dragon flying in from the wrong direction.

“Celeste, who’s that?” Pryce asked warily.

“Hmm? Oh, Nanzo is coming back,” Celestes said, mildly surprised. Fortitude and Devotion roused at the commotion, but laid back down when they realized who it was. Minutes later the pale yellow dragon landed gracefully upon the deck, his eyes fixated on Pryce.

«Hello, Pryce,” he rumbled, but then paused and looked as if he didn’t know what to say. «I have a question I would like to ask you in private.»

«How are you going to talk to him if you cannot understand his speech?” Celeste asked, watching him warily.

«It is a simple question. He only needs to nod if the answer is yes.»

«I am still not leaving,» Celeste said stubbornly. «If you are worried about me telling anyone else, then I promise not to do that.»

«...very well,» Nanzo sighed, then visibly gathered himself to ask, «Can you fix her eyes?»

‘She’ needed no antecedent.

“No. I am afraid I cannot,” Pryce said regretfully.

Nanzo wilted, in a way that Pryce had never seen a dragon do before. «I see,” he rasped, and turned away to leave.

“Wait.”

Celeste looked down at Pryce, who considered his next words very carefully. “Human medicine is always improving. A deadly illness ten years ago is a minor inconvenience today. We don’t have any way to fix eyes that have been damaged like Lakath’s, but that won’t always be the case. Maybe it’ll be fifty years from now, or a hundred, but I’m confident that one day it will be possible for her to see again.” He gave a sad smile. “I’d probably be dead by then though. Humans don’t live that long compared to dragons.”

«...a hundred years, was it?” Nanzo asked, glancing back at the island. «That is a long time, but…at least now I finally have a path forward.» The male bowed deeply, his eyes shining with emotion. «Thank you. Truly.»

He left without another word, leaving Pryce and Celeste to watch as he flew back to the island, his vibrant yellow hide standing out against the pale blue sky.

----------------------------------------

Kharno was no stranger to long trips, and the flight from the ship to the Twins was not a particularly long journey, as flights went, but it was definitely a restless one. She’d flown as fast as she could, leaving at sunrise, dropping by the Plateau in case the Twins had left their homes, and finally reaching the end of her journey at sunset.

She took in a deep breath, filling her up her air lungs to their full and considerable capacity to roar out her greeting. It was quickly returned, and she followed the sound to its source. Two dragons sat outside one of many cave entrances that formed a network of underground tunnels. Even before she landed the scent of smoked meat was thick in the air – evidence of preparations they had made for the Solstice.

«Kharno,» the twins said in unison, their heads inclined in greeting.

«Hello, Yantha, Karoth,» Kharno said, and returned the gesture. «Has Qnaoro arrived yet?»

She had spent her long flight pondering how to go about asking the twins without giving herself away, but any attempt would have quickly turned into a series of vague questions to determine how much the other knew.

In the end she decided that this simple question was the best approach, as one of the two would likely give away something in their surprise. In the worst case she could simply leave. Neither of the twins were foolish enough to try and stop her by force – they might succeed, but not without receiving grave injuries mere days before the Solstice.

«What?» Yantha exclaimed, the smaller but elder twin appearing to be genuinely surprised. «Why would he be here? Did something else happen?»

Kharno noticed that he had not asked “where” Qnaoro was, as one might expect if this truly were a surprise. She tilted her head, scrutinizing Yantha. He was tense, confused, and…wary? She glanced at Karoth, the larger but younger twin, who merely remained silent with a contemplative look in his eyes.

«Ah, so he has not,» Kharno sighed, her wings slumping in disappointment as she turned to leave.

«Wait,» Karoth rumbled. Slowly and deliberately, he said, «Qnaoro is no longer here.»

«Karoth!» the smaller twin hissed, tail lashing in agitation. «We promised not to tell anyone anything about that!»

«That did not break our promise,” the larger twin pointed out. “She also knows something about Qnaoro, and by extension the human. It would be foolish not to learn what she knows.» Karoth paused, then added, «In fact, you are the one who told her that we made a promise at all.»

Kharno knew that Karoth was the more reasonable of the twins, so she was quite certain that he would arrive at this very conclusion. He also stood to benefit regardless of whether or not they were on the same side, and – like most dragons – could be trusted to side with his own interests.

Still, her satisfaction at having guessed correctly was rather dampened by the fact that she had indeed been too late to find Qnaoro.

«I assume you two have made a promise to Qnaoro?» she asked, interrupting the bickering dragons.

«We cannot say,» Yantha said stiffly while glaring pointedly at Karoth.

«Well, I guess that means I can trust you,» Kharno said, sitting down and making herself comfortable.

There was a chance that this had all been a ruse to make her surrender her information – they were certainly cunning enough for that – but Kharno had centuries of experience in talking to others. Word choice, cadence, posture, the minute details of body language; she unconsciously took in all these details, and over the years she had developed an excellent sense for what was true and what was not.

Of course scent could also be used to infer the emotions felt by another, but it was incredibly rude to go sniffing at others for any reason. Besides, Kharno was quite confident that the interaction between them had been far too natural for it to have been a piece of artifice, and she highly doubted that the two of them had prepared for her unexpected line of questioning.

«First, make me a promise of confidentiality,» Kharno said, her jaws parting in a grin. “Then I can tell you what you want to know, and tomorrow I can show you something very, very, interesting.»