Chapter 56: Through the Grapevine
«A…human?» Nanzo asked, bewildered.
«Yes!» Kharno exclaimed between pants. The amber-yellow dragon had talked without pause for a rather impressive length of time. «Exciting, is it not?»
Nanzo rumbled, an unenthusiastic noise. «Somewhat. You used many words to say very little.»
«Well there is not much to say,» Kharno chuffed in offense.«No one knows anything else about the human – except Qnaoro,» she grumbled, a heavy note of jealousy in her voice.
«Yes…I never thought he would actually find anything,» Nanzo said, sitting back as he processed this deluge of information. “How many dragons do you think will be in the fourth province, come solstice?»
«At least five hundred,» Kharno said with absolute certainty. «Or you can call me a lizard.»
Nanzo cocked his head, his eyes slitted in amusement. «Really?»
«...maybe closer to four hundred,» she amended, eliciting an amused huff from the younger dragon.
«I see. Thank you for the information. I will tell Lakath, of course.»
«Yes, of course,» Kharno nodded. «Speaking of, anything…interesting happen yet?»she asked, her head tilted in a half-hinting way.
«My circumstances have not changed,» Nanzo said, ignoring the pointed look he received in return.
«Hmph...you are no fun,» Kharno huffed, turning away with a rather offended air. «I need to go now, do be sure to let me know if-»
«Yes, yes, I will,» Nanzo said, waving her off. He closed his eyes as she flapped away, not looking forward to the task that laid before him. Lakath did not live far from him, only a short trek away. She was more than close enough to have heard Kharno’s roar announcing his arrival, and he was unsurprised to find her waiting at her usual place.
Lakath tilted her head at Nanzo’s silence, sunlight reflecting off her vibrant orange scales. Just as always, her eyes were directed straight at him, milky and unseeing though they were. «Well? What are you dragging your tail for? What did Kharno have to say?»
Nanzo clenched his teeth, and relayed to her how Qnaoro had found a strange creature from another land – one capable of speech.
Lakath had, of course, pushed herself up at the first word, her frame trembling with excitement. «The fourth province, you say? Let us go at once!»
«You cannot just-» Nanzo cut himself off, and sighed. «You cannot just rush off to the fourth province – how are you even going to reach the top of the Plateau?»
«Fly, of course. What use is practice if I never get to use it?»
«It is dangerous!» Nanzo hissed, exasperated by her obstinate nature. «Kharno thinks there will be at least five hundred dragons there. What are you going to do if a fight breaks out? There will be too much noise for you to hear anything!»
Lakath froze, her expression hardening even as hurt flickered in her milky eyes.
«I-” Nanzo let out an explosive sigh, uncertain of how to proceed. «No one knows what will happen in this meeting. Can you imagine the chaos if a fight breaks out between five-hundred dragons?»
Lakath’s face remained a stone mask, but her head lowered almost imperceptibly a few heartbeats later. «Do you have a plan?»
«I have two, though I am sure you will like one more than the other,» Nanzo said, sitting himself down. «First plan: You stay here-»
«I am not doing that.»
«-while I go to the fourth province, then I come back and tell you what happened,» Nanzo said, ignoring her dismissal of the idea. «The second plan is that we go together, but not directly to the Plateau; instead we stay at a distance, such that we will not be caught in the core of the conflict.»
Lakath drew her head back, clearly disliking the idea. «What is the point of wandering around the Plateau if I never get to meet this human?»
«The point,» Nanzo said, «is that we can talk to the human once we know things have settled down.»
«Mmm…» Lakath squinted as she pondered this proposal. The movement of her eyelids were for the sake of communication rather than any personal need, and while it was helpful in that regard Nanzo couldn’t help but find it unnerving at times, even after all the decades that they had known each other. «What if Qnaoro disappears again?» She questioned.
«That is not possible,» Nanzo answered confidently. «He cannot leave unnoticed with so many others around.»
«...fine,» Lakath sighed, «we will go with your plan.»
Nanzo blinked, surprised at her acceptance. «...just like that?»
«What? I can be reasonable too.»
The yellow dragon wisely decided not to comment on that. Instead he asked, «...when do you want to leave?»
Lakath parted her jaws in a coy smile. «I do need you to guide me, so unless you are very tired then I ‘see’ no reason why we cannot leave now.»*