Onward to Drino

We rolled out the north gate still in the dark. The crew of the cart was small, just a teamster and a merchant apart from me sitting on the top looking out for hostile wyverns. A second one however followed us, but only going up half the way, with an older Protector.

Leaving the proximity of the Mera, the environment turned rather dry, only a few trees for an occasional shade, from my vantage point I could see far, after the Sun went up, behind us, the fortifications of Kort were still visible for a long while. Straining my eyes, I could spot several of the larger animals in the distance, mostly small herds of zebras and antelopes, at least in regions where the grass didn't grow too high.

The more unsettling were the presence of wyverns, from now, after noon, there was barely any moment when there wasn't at least one of those ominous shapes gliding somewhere high. The second day I even witnessed a real hunt, very far, but it was possible to make out as the large mass swooped down crushing its unknown prey. To my surprise, the other cart's Protector let out a small cheer to the sight.

Villages were even more scarce and desolate, some were barely a few clay huts around a makeshift tower. They were hunting colonies with very few guilds if any, only offering low quality common wares. Almost everyone, even woman and older children we could see carried bows, instruments which were barely fit for hunting, much less for doing any harm to a wyvern. I wondered how they survive out here.

The third day we met a larger caravan traveling down, about a hundred men with a few horses, and two carts carrying their belongings. We only exchanged greets, however the sight was certainly unusual. In the evening we got to know from the locals that they received an urgent call by air to rejoin the military at Kort.

This seemingly was common practice in the poor regions. Able men enrolled to receive military training, so they could gain a small yearly fund for being available to the Army, and now they were needed. I wondered what was going on, however there was no way to receive any answer.

The cart following us emptied by Tura where they were to turn back, to collect skins and other wares on their way back. We continued north, towards Zarvo, now our turn being to distribute our load on the way. My job got more tiresome as I had to look out alone, it being my sole responsibility whether we arrived or not.

One day I met a peculiar sight which despite my duty kept teasing me to follow. We trundled through a region with taller grass, leaving the privilege of distance to me. Somewhere farther west I noticed some strange gray mounds, rocks I thought. However, as we advanced, their configuration shifted, but I wasn't certain whether it was just an illusion by our movement. They kept my attention fixed for long until I realized what they were: Elephants submerged in the tall yellow grass to their shoulders!

I almost exclaimed in amazement for this discovery when, shocked, I noticed the dark shape up the sky just on the edge of my vision! Frantic, I grabbed my bow and stinger, jumping to aim, but it was already up on us, the wings spreading wide under the Sun! Late! I let it fly! A spasm ran down the creature causing it flap, which was our luck, I still barely escaped the impact by throwing myself on my back as our horses pranced in terror!

Gathering my strength, I sprung grabbing another stinger to aim while yelling down to the teamster to steady the carriage! The wyvern crashed down almost in front of us, I hoped dead for a moment, but to my dismay, proper on its wing-arms and legs, now arching up in pain, the arrow jutting out from the chest. With a sudden bow, it yanked it off, throwing away, then gazed back snarling! I held stiff, ready to shoot on the wobbling cart! The beast with a death glare fixated upon me turned around, facing us with his entire body, with merely a thin streak of blood on his breast!

Then, with a frightening pop, the wings snapped open as he sprung on the hind legs, releasing a horrid roar! I barely saw our horses fleeing, but I held on the now stable ground, the arrow still on my taut bow! The wyvern collapsed, apparently ailing again, growling before with a sudden turn strode to jump into the air, fleeing.

I let out a huge sigh. It took us hours to collect the scared horses and fix the harness before we could continue. The teamster saved our lives by cutting them off just before the threat display! I didn't admit my attention lingered away, but memorized it deep that they might use every distraction to their advantage.

The rest of the travel thankfully spent rather uneventful, maybe for my more keen watch still shaken by the events, keeping the occasional wyverns gliding above from trying. There was only a ground affair with a pair of lions, but they rather avoided us in the end.

Zarvo wasn't a big town either, but at least it had a proper guard tower, and a small market under it. I even noticed a post sign, announcing the delivery of mail by air to Kort, Shar and Drino every Thursday, but again I just missed it by a day.

I found a family who would settle me until some group arrived with whom I could continue my travel with, through the Seehal. They also suggested me a merchant by the name Marco who specialized especially in Drino related items and exchanged money.

Next morning so I was visiting him to see what he had both in material and information. He displayed many interesting but useless trinkets, small elaborate wyvern sculptures including one bringing the Antaran crest to life of delicate glazed porcelain, but also ones of use like knives, even two swords decorated with dragons. I spotted some cutlery, clothing articles of unusual style, a small casket, a curious gourd shaped as a curled up brass wyvern with the plug in the open jaws. Since I had my own quite utilitarian but well-serving gear, while they were nice, I didn't need anything of these.

Meanwhile, I asked about the Seehal road, how often it is traveled, how well it is established, what perils it could offer and likes. To my dismay in person he never saw it, only making trips to Kort occasionally to sell out his merchandise. However, he told on average groups get on or come off more often than weekly, and offered me a sturdy compass and a sketchy hand-drawn map indicating landmarks, wells and water holes which, although a bit reluctant for its credibility, I bought.

Then I noticed a small silk-lined box of books, something I realized I missed since leaving Tikira. With his permission, I emptied it to check out the titles. Two novels, "By the Wings of Thunderstorm" and "Green Gold Scales", a history study on the fifteen years war, then something on astronomy, and one reading "Principles of Machinery". This latter I snapped open, rolling through I found a section apparently on windmill design.

Searching further I settled with two which particularly caught my attention. One apparently covered wyvern anatomy, full with images depicting everything from the muscular system to the intestines, the skeleton, the individual limbs, even showing some intricate threads through the wings which I couldn't figure out by watching. It was likely for physicians, upon closer look full with words of some indecipherable script, so I rather set it aside doubting whether it could help me in any manner.

The second was simply titled "The Draconic Language". By my first impression it was just as indecipherable as the anatomy book showing several strange drawings, symbols. Upon closer look in the first chapters however I noticed explanatory figures, wyvern postures being linked to some of those, so I thought maybe I could manage. It had a release date printed on its cover at the bottom, telling it is four decades old. I recalled Dave, that he described the language as changing fast, however this was still something better than nothing.

I asked Marco whether there were newer editions of this. "No, these rarely even get out of the country. Figures are complex to print, expensive, they are only used in education. That one might have been discarded due to its obsolescence." I asked how much it was, anyway, and got a small shock to the price. Half of a month's salary at Arne!

Again I rolled through the book, with more attention to see whether it was of any real use. More memories popped in, including that this knowledge is even a condition for citizenship, and really, I wished to be able to talk with dragons once there, and here was a chance! Finding that it contained a good section on the language of wild wyverns, which I thought was likely still valid, settled it: I needed the book. I did a bargain with Marco on it, also including a hunt to scrape some off of the hefty price.

For days there was no activity on the Seehal road. Then a small caravan rolled in from across. I pounced on the opportunity to inquire them, and they were glad to offer help, maybe even simply to meet people after the long trek.

They were a traveling merchant and his family, specializing in carpets and tapestries, now bringing fresh wares from the Antaran land to sell them out for the higher classes of the larger towns, beginning with Kort. A single Protector was escorting them for added safety since the head and his son were also both proficient archers equipped with Dragonbanes.

First they helped me with my map, correcting some locations especially concerning those of wells. They described the road as traversable, however not necessarily discernible, pointing out regions where I might have to rely on navigating by compass and after landmarks.

We exchanged a few words on wyverns concerning the threats, and, to my dismay, they noted that a particularly aggressive one, a young brown female, might have set up territory halfway in, described even by previous travelers, attempting to swoop down on them three times during their pass. The son suggested that if I was to go alone, I should certainly climb up trees for the night at least in that region. I dismissed it in astonishment exclaiming that I didn't lose my mind to go in there all by myself.

However, for the next days I neither got any opportunity to join anyone, the road being dead empty. I spent the time attempting to pick up some Draconic from the book I acquired. It was strange. As it suggested learning the language of the wilds first, I started there, spending an entire day just observing the coupling of symbols to various motions which were ample. Tilts, twists, circles, shakes and bobs of the head, tongue flicks, its touches on the chops, then entire complex neck motions, a few even using the wing-arm, seemingly mostly the left one, and their combinations. Despite the good descriptive figures, they were hard to connect, sometimes even to imagine what the motion actually looked like in real life.

Worse, as I read forth, I had to realize these mostly would only produce a meaning by blending together, and the grammar itself was also odd. An example was the short sentence "Me take-off", and its several interpretations. Normally the wyvern would bob his head deep for "me", then jerk his fingers slightly wobbling the wing webs for "take-off", motioning a farewell, suggesting the other not to follow. The polite response indicating the acceptance would be "You take-off", the "you" expressed with a long, straight tongue flick from a horizontally held muzzle. Raising the head with erect ridge during this conversation indicated a friendly undertone, raised head with flat ridge a sad undertone, while it could also be expressed in a low, crouching, threatening posture with stiff ridge for anger. This, using "you" from the initiating wyvern could be a very offensive territorial or protective display, chasing the other off.

Seemingly their entire communication could have emotional undertones, but adjectives also modified their signaling rather than adding new words like in our language. Flipping pages I could see other examples beyond, but without graphical explanations, using the symbols only I could barely imagine how the motions should look like.

One morning I realized it was Tuesday, six days since I was sitting in this dusty town, air mail delivery. At least something happens I thought. Having nothing much to do I just waited by the post sign until a local, who turned out to be serving as mail officer this day, asked me whether I had anything to send. Of course I didn't have. He so rolled out a flag to wave it sideways overhead towards the approaching messenger, who so soared past low without landing. So much for any close encounter, even that frightening attack offered more, let's get over another gloomy day waiting then, I thought.

The afternoon again found me there, just hoping to see the messenger again on its way back, dreaming, how easy they pass the vastness of the Seehal within less than a half day bogging down men and horse for more than a week. The mail officer again waved the flag sideways signaling no mail, however now the wyvern continued to descend, landing. He had a rider who exclaimed "Is there anyone by the name Daniel Thorton here?". Confused I stepped forth.

He slid down from his saddle, patting his partner's neck, offering him a short gesture, who eased himself a bit for it, to lay flat with spread out wings. The rider called me a bit away for some isolation from the mail officer.

- I was requested to send you a message over the dire situation emerging between our country and Ugaros, and its consequences on your situation.

- You mean between Drino and Ugaros? Why?

- Absolutely not. Five days ago a large dispatchment of the King's Army, supported by the Navy and at least the Leopard Squadron assembled in Kort and started their descent on the Mera. They could be plundering the eastern defenseless settlements of Ugaros by now without any declaration of war.

- What? Are you sure?

- Certainly. Maybe they didn't cross the border, but there is hardly any reason to send such a large army down the river other than to threaten Ugaros directly. I hope at least our Lords were notified of this act already.

- But how? And why tell me?

- A Protector by the name Mark Voron informed me a few miles north of Kort. He had some friend with the knowledge of Draconic who silently signaled the meeting point for Pipin. He also told me about you, that I shall notify you should I still find you here, to haste your travel into our lands. I have all reason to trust him since last week the Drino Messenger already brought unsettling news, observing large military carriers descending from the port while I myself saw the presence of an aerial squadron in Kort, and an odd group of men marching down the Zarvo road.

- So his instincts were right... What will you do then? I believe you had good relations with Ugaros.

- Yes we did. If this is all true, it is an open affront from the King, starting a war without our consent against our friends, trampling in our autonomy in such a despicable manner! With all honesty I don't know what will happen, but the King shall be aware of our dragons' powers! If you so wanted to be with us, better pack up and march right away before this hideous situation escalates any worse!