Chapter 59, Day 97: Draconic Congregation
Ghorrah yawned, shaking off her languor. It had taken nearly half a day’s flight, but her destination had finally come into view.
Sheer cliffs surrounded all sides of the Plateau, each precipice towering over a hundred times her body length above the surrounding forests. Waterfalls poured from the apex of the vast summit, which itself was so great that every dragon alive could gather atop it with room to spare. Its appearance was oddly geometric in some places – almost unnaturally so. Some dragons believed that their ancestors had painstakingly carved the Plateau out over the course of decades or perhaps centuries, but the landmark was too rough and unpolished for Ghorrah to believe in that story.
The Plateau was one of five places where dragons gathered year after year to test their mettle against each other in a tradition that had been maintained for as long as anyone could remember…and yet the mere presence of a single human had utterly disrupted the time-honored tradition. Already Ghorrah could see several dragons flying about – ones who had arrived days in advance in anticipation of what was to come, their presence proof of their curiosity and interest in these mysterious beings.
Ghorrah couldn’t help but wonder just how much change she would be seeing in the next few years. She doubted their influence would be entirely positive even if they were all as soft as Pryce. Still, she had no choice but to support the humans as long as they had the slightest chance at fixing Jooral’s wing.
Brushing aside her concerns, she soon landed near a group of dragons – young whelps free from obligations that otherwise would have kept them from indulging in their curiosity. They were likely to be eager to learn more about the humans, but it was not worth trusting those one had never met before.
Hushed whispers ran through the group despite none of them having ever met her before. Ghorrah’s distinctive grey hide and pale scales were easily recognizable, and their parents had surely warned them of her.
«Greetings elder. You must be Ghorrah-ǂ,» the closest dragon, a smallish yellow male said, bowing along with the other two dragons. «What can we do for you?»
«Is Kharno here?» Ghorrah asked, deciding it wasn’t worth asking for their names. Their compliance might have made things more convenient for her, but that didn’t mean she found it worthy of respect.
A murmur ran through the group before they all tossed their heads in the negative. «We do not know, but Xhorhw might,» a green female said, pointing to the north. «He has been here for several days now, talking to many people about the “human”.»
«Good,» Ghorrah nodded. She turned to her new destination, chuffing in amusement as the younglings visibly relaxed at her departure. At least Huroumh didn’t cower before her, she had to give him credit for that.
Now back in the air she followed the directions she had been given, and was soon able to locate her quarry.
Xhorhw looked up at the sound of her arrival and immediately fell into a low stance, the young green dragon clearly uneasy at the sudden arrival of an elder like her.
«Greetings Ghorrah-ǂ,» Xhorhw said, his voice only a little unsteady as he bowed his head in greeting.
«Xhorhw,» Ghorrah said flatly, faintly amused by his poorly masked alarm. «Tell me what you know about the human.»
«Ah, well, I do not know very much,» Xhorhw confessed, eyes darting around as if he were plotting possible escape routes. «I found them by accident while hunting several days ago. The human is very strange, she – Qnaoro insisted that it was a she – only had four limbs, and always stood upon two legs.» He went on to describe various things about Callan, none of which were very useful. «She certainly seemed intelligent, and was obviously capable of speech,» he said when inquired about her behavior. «She was also rather polite; she bowed to me in greeting,» the young male added, visibly pleased. He had likely never been on the receiving end of this gesture given his general disposition and lack of real accomplishments.
If Ghorrah had to guess, Xhorhw had likely been quite pleased with his newfound fame, at least until he tired of the endless questions that came as a result. «You sound like you have said this all many times before.»
«Yes, hundreds!» Xhorhw rudely flicked his spines at the rhetorical statement, and froze as he realized his slip – he had likely gotten too used to speaking casually with others in the past few days. It wasn’t something she really cared about, but it wouldn’t hurt to make him think she did.
«Is that so?» Ghorrah leaned forward, her eyes narrowing dangerously. «Then let me ask you something else: have you seen Kharno?»
«Er…yes, she returned yesterday, and should be resting in that direction, about ten beats away,» Xhorhw said, gesturing with a wing.
«Hmm. Good,» Devotion rumbled. «One last thing: among the dragons you spoke to in the past few days, were there any…unusual ones?»
«Erhm…What do you mean by “unusual”?» Xhorhw said, appearing to be confused by the vague question.
«He may have asked questions that he seemed to know the answers to,» Ghorrah suggested. She would have liked to know if Trespasser had asked about the ship, but there was no way to ask that without revealing her own knowledge.
«That is not very specific-» Xhorhw stammered.
«Think carefully now,» Ghorrah pointedly glanced around. There were no other dragons in sight. «Do try to remember…if it helps, this particular dragon is a green one much like yourself,» she murmured, each word drawn out just enough to insinuate her threat.
In truth there was very little chance that Xhorhw was Trespasser. It would have been trivial to link the ship he saw all those days ago to the arrival of a human, but there was no harm in letting Xhorhw think she might be suspecting him.
The young male’s pupils dilated as she took a step towards him. «N-no,» he stammered, «But…now that I think about it, Sharnha did seem strangely…agitated, but I have no idea where he might be.» Xhorhw paused. «How did you know if there was someone who-»
Ghorrah raised a foreclaw, forestalling him. «I am not going to answer that question. But you know what you must do, yes?»
Xhorhw’s eyes darted to the side one more time before snorting in resignation. «I am not stupid enough to tell anyone about anything that we talked about, if that is what you mean.»
«Good,» Ghorrah said, backing off and letting Xhorhw relax. She didn’t like issuing threats to those beneath her, but this was a special case, and it wasn’t as if she had actually harmed him. «I may return in a few days. I might tell you everything if you can find the location of Sharnha,» she said by way of incentivizing him, and leapt into the air towards her next destination – a small alcove tucked away into a hillside, where the dragon she was looking for rested.
«Ghorrah?» A drowsy amber-yellow dragon asked, her eyes blinking away the slumber she had just woken from. «Is that you? What are you doing here?»
«Looking for you, Kharno,» Ghorrah said, tilting her head at her old acquaintance. «Why are you still sleeping?»
«I was just resting, not sleeping,» Kharno said, straightening herself in an obvious attempt to appear more awake than she was. Then she blinked as she belatedly processed what Ghorrah had said. «Wait, you said you were looking for me? Why?»
«Two things. Do you know where Sharnha is?» Ghorrah asked, lightly tossing her head at her old acquaintance’s immaturity. Kharno shook her head in the negative, so Ghorrah continued. «Come with me. We are going to speak with Helsha, and I would rather not have to explain this twice.»
«But what if Qnaoro and the human – hey, Ghorrah!» Kharno cried, and leapt up after the older dragon. «Why are we going to see Helsha-ǂ? He told me that he hates people visiting him!»
«He will make an exception,» Ghorrah said, though Kharno didn’t seem very reassured.
«But he-» she started.
«Trust me.»
Kharno had a torn look in her eyes, but she quickly nodded and together they flew north, towards Helsha’s isolated territory.
«...are you sure you would not mind telling me what this is about before we find him?» Kharno asked, several minutes into their flight.
«It is a long story,» Ghorrah chuffed. «I do not wish to explain myself twice.»
«...how about other things? How is Jooral doing? She must still be home, right? It is surprising to see you all the way out here. When was the last time-»
Ghorrah sighed, and wondered if she should have gone to recruit Helsha first.
«...is there something wrong?» Ghorrah asked. Kharno had fallen uncharacteristically silent as they approached Helsha’s territory.
Kharno opened her mouth, but was cut off by a roar from the ground – Helsha was waving them down onto an empty field surrounded by the forests that he cultivated.
«Greetings, Ghorrah-ǂ,» Helsha said, tilting his head in greeting.
«Greetings,» Ghorrah said, returning the gesture. The herbalist looked well, if a bit surly, and his patterns were a bit more vivid than she remembered – perhaps he had refined his medicine in the years since they’d last met.
The verdant dragon flattened his spines as Kharno landed, looking quite displeased. «What is she doing here?» he demanded.
Ghorrah tilted her head. «Do you two have a problem with each other?»
«She killed one of my trees,» Helsha stated flatly as he glared at Kharno, who winced before ducking her head in shame.
«It was a small one! Over two hundred years ago!» she weakly protested. «I was hoping he would have forgotten about that by now,» she muttered to Devotion.
«I never forget bumbling fools like you,»Helsha huffed.«But enough of that. Why are you here, Ghorrah-ǂ?»He pointedly cocked his head at the Ghorrah’s empty talons. «I have no need for any more pottery, and it does not look like you are here to trade.»
«No, not exactly,» Ghorrah said, tossing her head in the negative. «You have heard about the human, yes?»
Helsha nodded. «A young upstart informed me of the matter three days ago. What about them?»
«Good,» Ghorrah nodded. «Tell us what you know, Kharno.»
«Oh,» Kharno said. She seemed caught off-guard by this sudden request, but she quickly recited everything she knew with a practiced air, though it was nothing that Devotion didn’t know. «...and apparently she stands on two legs, is that not strange? I wonder if they ever fall over.» Kahrno took a deep breath, finally finished with her spiel.
«I have heard all this as well, though far more succinctly,» Helsha snorted.
«Yes, but that is not all that you know, is it?» Ghorrah said, fixing him with a knowing eye.
Helsha returned her look with a blank expression. He hid his surprise well.
«I know Qnaoro has already spoken with you,» Ghorrah chuffed. «You have already met Jane Callan, have you not?»
To his credit, Helsha barely reacted at all to this revelation. «I cannot speak on this matter,» was all he said before falling silent.
Ghorrah frowned. Had he been sworn to secrecy? That might be a problem.
«Will someone tell me what is going on?» Kharno hissed. She’d been looking between the two of them with increasingly widening eyes. «When did you meet the human? And how did you know he knew?»
«The humans came here on a great metal shell,» Ghorrah explained, «but they all got sick and only two of them survived. Callan is one of them, and I have been speaking with the other one for the past seventeen days. His name is Pryce.» She glanced at Kharno, who had the look of utter betrayal on her face.
«Why did you not tell me this sooner?!» She demanded.
Ghorrah shrugged. «We would have told you if you were the messenger.»
«Others had already left for your direction!» Kharno groaned. «I knew I should have gone anyway.»
Ghorrah ignored her lamentations, and turned to Helsha who still appeared quite inscrutable, if a little preoccupied. «Do you not have any questions?» she asked.
«Yes. Many,» Helsha admitted. «But you are not done speaking yet, are you?»
«No, I am not,» Ghorrah agreed, finding the deep green dragon’s plainspoken attitude refreshing after hours of flying with Kharno. «There is too much to discuss in a reasonable amount of time, but the important thing is that I have come to request that you be our ally, and that you meet Pryce.»
«...I see,» Helsha said. His eyes darted over to his surrounding forests, a conflicted look in his eyes.
«Pryce knows how to make medicine that can cure infections,» Ghorrah said, hoping that would interest the herbalist.
«What?!» Helsha hissed, surprise breaking through his stoic expression. «How? From what?»
Ghorrah blinked in bemusement at this rapid switch in personality. Perhaps he wasn't as composed as she thought, at least when it came to what interested him. «I do not understand it much myself, but it has something to do with extracting the natural medicine produced by mushrooms.»
«Mushrooms? But that…no…maybe?» Helsha’s speech devolved into incoherent muttering for a beat, but he soon composed himself. «...very well. I will join you.»
«Really?» Kharno asked. «I thought you would want to stay with your plants.»
«I have my reasons,» Helsha replied shortly. «Give me a few beats to prepare my things. We can talk as we fly.»
“Devotion is back; it seems that she found Kharno and Helsha,” Fortitude said, peering up at the figures in the distance.
“I see them,” Pryce said, following her line of sight. They would probably arrive in five minutes or so.
Fathom and Celeste stirred from their naps. The two of them had returned half an hour ago, having flown slightly shorter routes today in anticipation of their guests.
“Your heart is beating faster than normal,” Fortitude stated, her good wing cupped around an ‘ear’. “Are you nervous?”
“Yes, and please don’t listen to my heartbeat. It’s creepy.”
Fortitude chuffed, but folded her wing in acquiescence. “Do not worry. Helsha will not hurt you, and Kharno will definitely not hurt you.”
Pryce appreciated the reassurance, though it didn’t help settle his nerves much.
“...Almost all dragons hate fighting people who are weaker than them,” Fortitude said.
“I know, you've told me this before.”
“I was not finished,” Fortitude chided. “I was saying that not all of us are like that. A long time ago, Devotion killed a dragon who bullied many others, including Kharno, who was only twelve years old at the time. Kharno gained a deep respect for Devotion then, and for many years after that she tried to earn my partner’s respect.” The elder dragon narrowed her eyes, the gesture denoting amusement rather than the usual irritation. “She was…cute, back then, though her actions only confused Devotion for many years.”
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Pryce raised an eyebrow, confused by the seemingly irrelevant story. “And you’re telling me this because…?”
“Because I am trying to tell you that she has a very gentle, hatchling-like nature,” Fortitude explained. “She loves to talk, and I have never heard of her starting a fight, even if she is very good at fighting.”
That did make him feel a bit better.“Fathom hasn’t killed anyone either,”Pryce said offhandedly.
“That is different,” Fathom snorted. “I haven't killed anyone because it shows others how strong I am, not because I don't want to.”
“How does that show your strength?” Pryce asked, confused by the seemingly contradictory ideas.
“By not killing someone you are either saying that they aren’t worth killing, or that you are strong enough that they aren’t a threat,” Fortitude explained. “Kharno is different; she simply does not want to kill. It is a bit stupid, but many dragons respect her because she is strong enough to do this for as long as she has.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Pryce said. He craned his head back up at the three dragons in the sky, who were at most a minute away from landing. “I hope she hasn’t changed much since you last saw her.”
Pryce watched intently as the three dragons landed one at a time to avoid fouling each other's wings.
Devotion landed first, and after her came a dragon with verdant green wings and pale green scales. That must have been the dual-tone effect Fathom had mentioned, where the color of a dragon’s hide began to be obscured by the opacity of their scales. Oddly enough, the elder dragon – who had to be Helsha – also had a large pitcher plant grasped in his talons. Perhaps it served as a bag, but that was far from the most interesting thing about him.
“I can see Helsha’s patterns,” Pryce murmured in surprise when the glossy green dragon landed close enough for him to see. Said patterns were mirrored in structure across both wings, though the markings themselves were sprawling and chaotic in nature, almost like the cross section of a flickering flame. “They're faint, but visible.”
“Must be his medicine,” Fathom murmured back as Helsha folded his wings, and turned to silently stare at Pryce, his golden eyes intense and unblinking.
Next came Kharno, an amber-yellow dragon whose hide was like that of an early sunset. She was just old enough that her scales were starting to lighten, though the effect only amounted to a glossy sheen at her age.
«Is that him?» Kharno cried, the dragon stumbled as she landed, her sky-blue eyes focused solely on the human before her. «Ghorrah, why did you not tell me he was so cute?»
«What.» Fathom said.
«What.» Devotion said.
“What?” Pryce asked when Fortitude and Celeste snickered. “What did she call me? I didn't understand the last part.”
«...I can somewhat see it,» Fortitude said in a liting tone, or at least what passed for one for a dragon, «In an ugly-cute sort of way.»
«Me too,» Celeste said, «but I was going to wait until I saw more humans before saying anything.»
Devotion sighed. «You meet a talking animal from another land and that is the first thing you say?» sheasked drily.
«Yes! Just look at his face! Why is it so squashed?»
“She does know that pointing at my face and laughing at it doesn't need translation, right?” Pryce grumbled.
“She's not…laughing…okay, now she's laughing,” Fathom admitted. «You are being very rude to my friend,» he hissed, chastising the older dragon.
«Oh, I am sorry, I really am, it is just that I did not expect you to look so-» here her good sense finally seemed to catch up to her, and she clasped her jaws shut with a deservedly ashamed expression.
Helsha had not yet uttered a single word, and had ignored their exchange while he scanned the ship, its rigging, and anything else of note. «You. Your name is Huroumh, yes? Do you know how many humans worked together to make this…“ship”?»
«Why are you asking things we already discussed?» Devotion asked irritably. «Are you suspecting me of lying?»
«Of course not,» Helsha snorted, «but these are unusual circumstances. I only wanted to hear his perspective.»
Devotion glowered a little at his response, but made no further comment.
«I have asked Pryce this question before,» Fathom said, ignoring their exchange. «He does not know the exact number, but the ship was built by thousands of humans.»
«...I see,» Helsha said, his tone difficult to decipher. «And Ghorrah-ǂ says that there are 50 thousand thousand humans.” He cocked his head, and his pupils shifted as he peered more closely at Pryce. «Ask him this for me: what does his kind intend to do here?»
“I hope humans and dragons can become allies,” Pryce said, feeling oddly grateful to Devotion – her distrustful nature had at least prepared him for this line of questioning. “We can both help each other get what we want. Is that not reason enough?”
Helsha rumbled, deep in thought as he considered Fathom's translation. «Tell me, Huroumh: do you believe we can trust them?»
«I have only ever met Pryce,» Fathom shrugged. «He can be a little weird, but he is my friend; I trust him with my life.»
The old dragon cocked his head, apparently confused by this response. «Yes, Ghorrah-ǂ did mention that you two were friends. May I ask why?»
«...That is a rather personal question,» Fathom huffed. «But if it will make you trust him, then it is because he risked his life to save mine, and because he is strong*.»