Here Be Dragons: Book 1 of the Emergence Series

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.”

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?» she asked 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*.»

*Fathom is using the Draconic word for mental strength here.

«...I see,» Helsha murmured, his eyes regarding Pryce with a curious expression. «Ghorrah-ǂ did tell me about his usage of mushrooms to make medicine. Would he be willing to trade for the recipe and ingredients?»

«It’s a very complicated process,» Fathom said, speaking from experience. «I have seen him make it, but even I do not really understand how he does it.»

Helsha rumbled skeptically at this, likely thinking that this excuse was just that.

«We are not trying to bargain,» Fathom clarified, before Helsha could propose a trade. «You do not have the knowledge to understand the process, and neither do I.»

The herbalist’s eyes narrowed at this, but otherwise did not seem to take offense. «Ghorrah-ǂ says that humans grow many plants to eat. Is this true?»

«Yes,» Fathom said, translating for Pryce. «Humans nurture animals and plants in order to feed themselves, but it is much easier to nurture vegetables instead of animals. It still varies greatly from person to person, but most humans do not eat much meat.»

«...That is all the questions that I have for now,» Helsha said, and sat back on his haunches to make way for Kharno. «It is your turn, clumsy one.»

«I am not clumsy,» Kharno muttered, but stepped forwards anyway. “Ghorrah answered many of my questions on the way here, and if she trusts you then that is good enough for me.» She paused, then added, «...I am very sorry for laughing at you. Will you forgive me if I help you?»

Pryce raised an eyebrow as Fathom relayed his translation. The apology was incongruously childlike when one considered that it came from a two-hundred-and-seventy-one year old dragon. “Okay, I'll forgive you. Is there anything else that you want?”

Kharno paused, tilting her head in thought. «...can I pat your head?» she asked. «Your head-fur looks very fluffy.»

«Absolutely not,» Fathom snorted, not bothering to translate for Pryce. «What if you squash him?»

«Hmph. Maybe later, then,» Kharno sighed.

Fathom made a mental note not to leave Pryce alone with this odd dragon.

«You may consider me an ally as well,» Helsha said, and raised his makeshift bag. «Seeing as the clumsy one has nothing important to ask, I would like to see what humans have to trade.» He reached inside and plucked out a brown, ovular pod about 20 centimeters long. Pryce wasn’t sure if it was a fruit, seed, or some kind of nut. «I find that the taste of this fruit is quite nice. I am interested in trading it for any seeds that you have.»

“Ooh,” Fortitude cooed, “those have a nice flavor,” she said as Pryce accepted the hard fruit with both hands. He wasn't sure how it was supposed to be eaten; its surface was so hard that his fingernails barely scratched it.

«You are supposed to eat it like this,» Helsha said, popping a second pod into his mouth and cracking it in two with his powerful molars.

“Yeah, I don't think I can do that,” Pryce said, his own experimental bites only leading small impressions into its surface. Before he could get a knife, Fathom deftly plucked the pod out of his hands, snapped it in two, and handed it back to Pryce.

“Er…thanks.” The insides were oddly segmented, white, and slimy – greatly resembling an oversized maggot or larva, and about as appetizing.

“I'll just try a small piece for now, just in case it's poisonous to me,” Pryce said, for once glad for the excuse. He nibbled on a small piece, which was…actually quite good, despite its appearance. The pulpy flesh had an earthy taste, and was sweet and tangy with a slightly sour note. He kept one segment and reluctantly tossed the rest to Fathom, who slurped it up with a pleased rumble. “That tastes very good,” Pryce said to Helsha, which Fathom helped translate.

«This kind of fruit was created by a dragon who lived a long time ago,» Helsha explained. «There are many different types, but they are all named Tchouco, after their first creator.»

“Interesting,” Pryce said. He’d have to ask who discovered how to breed plants later. “You said her name was…Choco?”

«Tchouco,» Helsha corrected.

“...Cho-co.”

«Tch-ouco,» Helsha said, enunciating the syllables.

“That's what I said.”

«I can hear what you meant when you said he could not speak properly,» Helsha huffed to Devotion. «Can you say my name? Hel-sha.»

Pryce could not.

«I suppose I would rather have a second name,» Helsha sighed. «Do you have any in mind?»

“I do, actually, but first I need to explain a few things.” Pryce picked up the camera and took a picture of Helsha, then held up the resulting photograph. “This is a photograph.”

«...so this is what you spoke of,» Helsha murmured to Devotion, his eyes fixed squarely on the image in question. «It is indeed difficult to believe without seeing it for myself.»

Pryce held the image up to Helsha. “You can have it if you want.”

Helsha blinked, then his eyes narrowed in suspicion. «What do you want in return?»

«He does not want anything in return,» Fathom clarified, though Helsha still seemed wary for some reason. «It is not difficult for him to make a photograph,» he added, and only then did the herbalist accept the gift. He stared at it for a few moments before wedging one side under a scale for safekeeping.

«Can I have one?» Kharno asked, her blue eyes shining bright with curiosity. «Wait…» she fidgeted in place before settling on a regal pose. «Okay, ready!»

«Why did you show me this?» Helsha asked, ignoring Kharno as she doted over her new treasure.

“Because that helps you understand this,” Pryce said, and opened a textbook to show an image depicting the cross-section of a plant stem. “If you look on the inside of a plant, you'll see tiny little structures that support the plant and give it strength; they are called Xylem.”

Helsha stared at the picture, golden eyes wide and shining. «This is…the inside of a plant?»

“Yes, you can see for yourself,” Pryce said, sliding the outer membrane of a choco fruit underneath the lens of the microscope. “Those rectangular things you see there are also Xylems.”

Helsha stared into the eyepiece, apparently transfixed. Fathom took the opportunity to explain how microscopes worked the same way.

«Using glass to bend light,» the herbalist sighed. «I never imagined something like this would be possible.» He lifted his head away from the microscope, begrudgingly allowing Kharno a turn to use the device.

“Is it alright if I name you after these structures?” Pryce asked.

“Xy-lem,” Helsha said. He seemed to mull it over for a moment before nodding. «Acceptable.»

«Can you put other things into this microscope?” Kharno asked excitedly. «Like a scale or a wing-»

«No time for that,» Devotion snorted. «We would be here for many days if he showed you everything.»

«Oh, alright,» Kharno chuffed. «What about my name? Can you say Kha-rno?»

Pryce sighed. “Kharno.”

«...mmm…close enough,» Kharno said unexpectedly.

“Really?” Pryce asked.

“Not even close,” Devotion snorted.

Fortitude shrugged. “It is her name. Let her decide if it is good enough.”

«When can someone teach me human speech?» Kharno asked, her eyes narrowed. «It is very annoying to not be able to understand him.»

Fortitude tossed her head in the negative. «No time for that, we need to gather more allies before the solstice.»

«Yes, about that…» Xylem said. «I strongly suggest speaking with Yantha and Karoth next.»

«The twins?» Fathom asked, blinking in surprise. «Why?»

«I cannot say.»

“He has refused to answer any questions regarding Aurum and Callan,” Devotion explained. “He must have made a promise not to tell anyone about their meeting.”

“So he’s trying to help us while keeping his promise?” Pryce asked. “I don't suppose he can give us any more details?”

Fortitude echoed his request for elaboration, but Xylem simply repeated his suggestion, adding «I recommend taking your time with them.»

“He must mean that those two are the last ones Aurum plans to visit,” Fortitude said. “At least the last ones he knows of.”

“Then I will go meet them tomorrow, and I will stay until Aurum arrives,” Devotion said. “If he has already left, then I will ask the twins where he went. Can you stay at the Plateau and bring Qnaoro here if he arrives early?” she asked Kharno, who was visibly reluctant to leave.

«Why do I have to leave? I have so many questions!»

«Ask them later,» Devotion sighed. «We already have to repeat this conversation for every ally we gather.»

«Well, I would not mind repeating things to others,» Kharno said blithely. «I have already been doing that these past few days with the news about Callan.»

Fortitude tilted her head, humming thoughtfully. «Perhaps you can visit the twins instead of Ghorrah,» she suggested to Kharno, who nodded eagerly. «You can return to the plateau instead, my wings,» she continued, nudging her partner. «Rest there for a day or two, and keep your eyes on the situation. I am sure you can influence the younger dragons there as well, while you are there,» she added, before Devotion could reject the notion of needing rest.

«...I suppose you are right,» Devotion sighed.

Fathom translated this idea for Pryce, who seemed a bit doubtful. “Can she be trusted with finding Callan?” he asked, casting a doubtful glance at Kharno.

“She is reliable, even if she does not look like it,” Devotion admitted. “It would be better to send her to the twins instead of the Plateau. She is better at talking than I am.”

“Alright,” Pryce nodded. “I’ll trust your judgment.”

Fortitude nodded and relayed their decision to Kharno, who visibly brightened. Turning to Xylem, she asked, «Is there anyone that you could convince to join us?»

«Unfortunately not,» Xylem huffed. «I have not left my territory in a long time. Qnaoro is one of the few dragons who I am on speaking terms with. The others are too far away; your attention is better spent on those closer.”

Devotion cocked her head, «Then what will you be doing in the time before the solstice?»

Xylem glanced towards Pryce and gestured to his bag. «First we will determine what other fruits Pryce deems valuable, then I will go home and prepare to trade with the humans.»

"Good idea," Pryce nodded. "What do you want in return? Shiny things?"

Xylem shook his head upon hearing Fathom’s translation. «I assume you have seeds from your land.»

“Ah,” Pryce said, furrowing his brow. Many scientists had expressed concern about contaminating an ecosystem with foreign crops, but in the end simple pragmatism won out – a settlement needed something to eat, after all, but he didn’t feel like it was fair to agree to this trade without warning the draconic botanist.

«I know what you speak of,» Xylem replied, surprising Pryce.

“You do? How?”

«I have nurtured seeds from other islands before. Some have escaped my control. I will be careful.»

“He means small, nearby islands,” Fathom added to his translation.

“I see,” Pryce murmured. “Give me a few minutes to gather my things; then we can trade.”

[JOURNAL ENTRY]

Day 97,

To summarize tomorrow’s plan:

Fathom: Patrolling North

Celeste: Patrolling South

Devotion: Going back to the plateau to keep an eye on things, and try to influence perception without telling them of humans

Fortitude: Sleeping on the deck / guarding me

Xylem/Helsha: Going back home to prepare for the arrival of more humans. He has promised to return in a day or two

Kharno: Seeking “the twins” Yantha and Karoth to intercept Aurum and Callan

Xylem has introduced me to a few fruits that dragons like to cultivate. These plants/fruits were named after the dragons who created them long ago (presumably via selective breeding).

I’ve given Xylem the seeds of a few staple crops and fruit seeds in return, as well as information on how to grow them. Any fruits on the ship have long since spoiled, but he still seemed quite excited to go home and begin planting.

Choco pods(?)

Long pods ~20 cm in length. A white, spongy inside is revealed once the tough outer layer is removed, which has a rather nice tangy, sour, and earthy flavor – quite tasty.

I can see this becoming quite popular back home, though Xylem has expressed that the trees are rather picky about their environment. Even if we could grow them in greenhouses, the supply would be unlikely to match the demand.

Coffee beans(?)

A fruit resembling a large bean ~5 cm in length. Dragons consider it to be very flavorful, and it is a popular cooking ingredient.

Unfortunately, these beans are too difficult to chew for a human such as myself.

The coffee beans have an aromatic scent. Perhaps it could be made into some sort of tea?

I will attempt to make it more palatable once I have verified that the choco pods have no ill effects on the human body.

Scalefruit (Translation)

A strange yellow-green fruit that has a strikingly scale-like pattern. Washing this fruit resulted in the ‘scales’ falling off on their own, revealing the delicate (and allegedly delicious) interior.

Its creation was allegedly a product of the work of two dragons working together over the course of many decades. Apparently the battle for the naming rights ended in a draw, and so the fruit was named after its distinctive pattern rather than any particular dragon.

Exceedingly delicious, according to all dragons present. It certainly smelled very nice, but I could not try it without invalidating the sample test of the choco pod.

Silanta

A rather fragrant and fresh leafy plant, Silanta is a common cooking ingredient.

Apparently quite easy to grow.