Chapter 60, Day 98: Blind Faith, Guiding Vigilance
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-ǂ?»
«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*.