Chapter 6
Abby had decided to take the job of temporary leader. Adara, Raven and Kane had gone to great lengths to ensure that she knew it was temporary and any attempt to make it permanent or to get the others to rebel against Adara, would result in exile. Abby thought that was a bit harsh, but it got the point across. Tim was installed as her second in command and Abby was told that she could not make unilateral decisions and nothing pertaining to the clans either. Abby realised they meant business.
Adara had taken the majority of the hundred that had been her core people. She also took Charlotte, Kane, Hannah Green, Jasper and Maya who had come for a visit and to see if they could set up trade agreements, Frank Gibson, Jake Griffin and Eric Jackson as their medic. It was a large group of about thirty people. No doubt they'd pick up a couple of hitchhikers as they passed through Tondc. Adara wanted Anya and Octavia to join them. She had sent Monroe off with a few of them seven days before. They would go to Tondc first and tell Anya what was happening, and then they would make their way to White Oak and then on to Polis to tell the Commander and Clarke. Adara hoped they could join them.
It took them three days to reach White Oak. Anya, Octavia, Lincoln, Artigas, Fio and Tomac came with them as they passed through Tondc, Indra was left in charge. When they got there, the Commander, Clarke and Saben were there as well.
Everyone set up the tents they had brought with them and Harper and her team had dragged every tent from the sporting and outdoor stores they could find. There were enough for everyone, but it would be a tight squeeze. Monty was reunited with Harper and they took a tent for themselves and placed it away from the others, after all they hadn't seen each other for a couple of months.
The next day, Adara outlined her plan to Anya and the Commander. Both of them agreed that they could take some of the smaller items, as long as they didn't take all of one item. Some of each item would be left behind for others to use. Adara agreed to that - it was what she was going to do, anyway. Anya and Octavia would also be picking things out for Tondc and Clarke and Saben would pick things for Polis. Clarke also wanted to pick up one of the king-size duvets.
Each team would go into the building and choose what they wanted, taking care to make sure each team didn't take more than they needed. Anya and Octavia went to the outdoors store and picked out some knives and a few of the quivers for arrows. They had looked at the hunting bows but they had lots of unnecessary things on them, bits stuck on for balance and sighting and whatnot. Anya thought it was stupid. If you couldn't use a plain bow without any of the added on things, then you shouldn't use one, it was as simple as that. Octavia though, had found a couple of camouflage backpacks. She wanted to give one to Lincoln and keep the other for herself. She also found some small knife sharpeners.
Clarke took Saben and headed straight for the bedding section of the furniture store and picked up a king-size duvet - that was until she saw something called a California king that was bigger. She got one of them instead and a couple of covers for it along with several pillow cases for the two pillows she was bringing back as well. Saben was amused by the intensity of Clarke's shopping. He wanted to check out the clothing in one of the outdoor or hunting stores. He was looking for something to wear in winter and wanted to look for some of those 'thermals' that Clarke talked about.
Adara's people were also looking for small toys or other things for the kids to win at the gathers. Maybe some books as well as clothing, gloves, hats, scarves and boots were also considered. They wanted to get practical things that could be used by the kids. The younger ones could use toys - as long as they were educational in some way - and the older children could use clothing. Adara was also looking for the rest of the series of the dragonrider books. She had some catching up to do.
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They were there for two days before a sentry called out about more dots in the sky. Adara ran over to him and looked where he was pointing high in the sky.
"Greetings, Adara," Adara heard in her head.
"Cralleth?!" Adara exclaimed.
"What about him?" said Monroe, coming up to her shoulder.
"He's here!" Adara exclaimed again, pointing upwards. Monroe immediately looked as well.
"Cralleth, what are you doing here?" asked Adara mentally.
"We are here to meet you. We brought friends," Cralleth said.
Adara watched as several dots became larger and then several more dots were seen above them. As Cralleth's group got bigger and bigger, they could make out six dragons - of all colours. Two bronze, one brown, one blue, one green and one gold. The next group was made up of five dragons. Another group was then spotted and came down as well. Everyone backed up to give the dragons room. They were not sure if the dragons would all fit, but they backed up just in case.
By the time the first group landed, two more groups had appeared. There was definitely not enough room for all the dragons. Cralleth landed next to Adara and Monroe while the others landed near them. D'bor got down from Cralleth and Adara grabbed him into a crushing hug.
"Thought I'd never see you again, D'bor," she said as she looked at him.
"I didn't think I'd be back, Adara. Glad I could come. I missed you all." D'bor took a step back as the other riders came up to them. D'bor made the introductions.
"Weyrleaders F'lar and Lessa, may I introduce Heda Adara, leader of the Skaikru, and Monroe, one of her top people." Adara was stunned. The weyrleaders here? THE weyrleaders? She held out her hand and they shook in the way of Trikru and Pern - arm to arm instead of hand to hand.
"Welcome, Weyrleaders. This is an honour." She looked for the Commander and saw her approaching with Anya and Clarke. "Weyrleaders F'lar and Lessa, this is Commander Lexa, Chieftain Anya of Tondc and the Skaikru Ambassador, Clarke Griffin. She pointed to each as she introduced them and nods were returned all around.
"No offense, but what are you doing here? I thought you would have deemed it too dangerous to come back here?" asked Adara, curiously.
"We wanted to meet you. The things D'bor said about your world's past is shocking. We want to try to help you make sure you thrive on your planet."
"How?"
"That's the part we need to discuss. We don't know, but D'bor was determined to try and figure a way to do it."
"Why, D'bor?" Adara asked him gently.
"Because you have a chance to do it right this time - as long as this ALIE is dealt with. You're just like the settlers who came to Pern in the first place. You are rebuilding your lives on basically a new planet. Everything you learn, you learn from experience. We can't say that. We're already established, but I think you're just like Admiral Benden and Emily Boll. You're exploring a new world, even though your ancestors came from here. This is a whole new world for you. I envy you that."
"D'bor, this is a world in turmoil. We are finding our way, but we know at any moment, we can be in the fight for our very existence by people who want our lands. No-one has really learned the lessons from the war. Humans are still humans and they are greedy, arrogant and selfish. That's basic human nature, D'bor, and it won't change overnight, nor a few generations after the war."
"I know and that's why I want to help you."
"How?"
"I don't know," he said, head bowed.
"Okay, D'bor," Adara said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "We'll figure it out." Monroe cleared her throat and Adara looked at her. Monroe just jerked her head to the side and Adara looked in that direction. There were quite a few people from Pern. Adara turned to them.
"Hello, everyone," said Adara. "I'm Adara Toril, leader of the Skaikru. This is Commander Lexa, leader of the twelve clans of the Kongeda," she introduced. A man stepped up before anyone else could say anything.
"I am Masterharper Sebell and this is my wife, Masterharper Menolly."
"Masterharpers Sebell and Menolly!" Adara said, astonished. Then she grinned. "Did you like the cushion, Masterharper?" Menolly laughed.
"Yes I do, I think you got the sentiment just right."
"If music be the food of love, play on," Adara quoted.
"Who said that?" she asked, curiously.
"No idea, but probably someone like Shakespeare or Wordsworth or someone like that."
"I'll ask AIVAS," said Menolly. Adara nodded.
"Well, welcome to Earth," she said, raising her voice for all to hear. "Let's move this over to the building, there'll be more room for us. Some of your dragons will have to find another clearing to use, I'm afraid, they won't all fit in here."
As the dragons landed and unloaded their passengers, they took off for other clearings nearby. Suddenly there were numerous pops as fire lizards came to Earth.
"Beauty? Kimi? What are you doing here? You were supposed to stay behind." Menolly asked her gold fire lizard. Beauty seemed to be berating Menolly for leaving her behind. With a final shriek, she settled on Menolly's shoulder and studied the strangers.
"Hope the dragons don't need feeding over the next couple of days, they'd eat us out of animals in no time," muttered Raven as she came up to Adara's other shoulder.
"Raven!" Adara hissed quietly. "Behave!" Raven didn't even bat an eye.
"We've set up some of the sofas and chairs around one of the stores. There should be enough seating for everyone, but it will be a tight fit."
"We'll make do, Raven." Raven nodded before she moved off. Murphy, on the other hand, was studying N'ton's fire lizard, Tris.
"Wonder if I can get one," he said as Adara went up to him. "Can I keep one?" Adara immediately gently smacked him on the back of his head.
"No you can't. They belong to other people." Tris took offence at Murphy's words. Adara bent down to Tris.
"Tris, as his leader," she said, hiking a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of Murphy, "you have my permission to scorch his eyebrows if he tries that again." Tris chirped in agreement and settled his wings to his back as he settled down on N'ton's shoulders. N'ton himself was trying to hold in a chuckle as Murphy immediately put his hands over his eyebrows.
Adara moved on to the Commander as she watched several of her people escorting groups of riders and fire-lizards into the complex.
"Commander? What do you make of this?"
"I'm not sure, Adara. Are you sure they won't try to invade?"
"I'm sure, Commander. Their world needs them and they know it. Without these riders, their world would be almost as devastated as ours was after the second deathwave."
The Commander nodded.
"That is a relief to hear. I have no wish to fight another war with people who can fly."
"I don't want that either, Commander. I've seen enough death and devastation to last me two lifetimes."
"Me, too," said Lexa. "I don't want what I've created to be undone with more invaders."
"Well, these people do not want to invade. Let's go see what they do want." They both continued to the building for discussions and possibly negotiations.
When everyone was settled, Adara looked to the Commander, but she nodded to Adara to continue. The commander didn't have a clue about these people but Adara seemed to. Adara nodded back.
"Weyrleaders, what can we do for you? You've come here for a reason, please tell us why?"
"Apart from D'bor going on about his time here, he also went on about the meals he had - well about the deer stew he had. We do not have deer. The original settlers had brought deer with them but as they were wild animals, they didn't live long as the big cats we have on our planet ate them. AIVAS had stated that several animals and plants didn't survive here - I mean there. He had stated that some of them would do well on the northern continent instead," explained F'lar.
"Which animals?"
"Well he did suggest deer and something called reindeer," F'lar said. "AIVAS reckoned that because we don't have cats on the northern continent, they should do okay there. We have great plains for them to roam in. The reindeer could go to the north as they are cold weather animals according to AIVAS."
"It's not easy to capture animals alive. We don't do that, we only hunt them. I don't know how to do that. As for the reindeer, there may not be any left. This world was devastated for people and animals. Many of them became extinct, and we do not know the status of the reindeer." The Pernese all looked at each other.
"That is unfortunate. Could we go see if we can find them?" asked N'ton.
"I'm sorry, but we don't want people to shoot at your dragons. The people to the north of us would shoot you down and kill you, THEN ask questions. It is one reason we exiled them. The territories around the clans are not people we could really reason with. Two are controlled by warlords and the other by a religious zealot who believes women are property and not people. You and your dragons would be killed because your dragons are proof that you are devils and therefore evil." Adara sat back.
"You're serious?" said Sebell. "They would rather kill than trade?"
"Women in that land are treated as sex slaves at best. Most are tortured and killed because men are in charge and they can do what they want with their property."
"How can you stand it?"
"We keep watch on all borders to their lands. Any woman who makes it across the rivers and bridges are moved further inland and treated with respect and healed. It is then up to the women if they want to go back or to stay with the clans."
"Why would they go back to that?" Menolly said, aghast.
"Some of them have female children back there, some are just so conditioned to it that they fear what they don't know. Kindness is foreign to them."
"Can't you help them?"
"Let me ask you this. If Toric did that to his females, would you dragonriders go in and stop it? Bear in mind the autonomy of each hold, could you do that? Even though you are saving people, are you allowed to interfere in the hold's business? The same could be asked of the Crafts, too."
"No!" said Lessa. "We are not allowed to interfere with holds or crafts. They have to regulate themselves and no offence to the Lord Holders, but I don't think any of them would stand up to Toric and demand he stop - well maybe Jaxom. They would be too scared it could happen to them."
"We cannot interfere more than we already are in helping those that manage to escape. Anything else is an invasion and a war would ensue with them invading our lands too. We cannot risk that. Our clans have just settled down to life in the Kongeda and to break that at such an early stage would bring the clans back to warring with each other. The Azgeda - the exiled ones to the north - would then raid and invade the clans and take their lands. We cannot risk war, we are too fragile. In a few years when we are more stable, we may be able to negotiate with the warlords, but not with the zealots. They are not people to negotiate with, they are too sure of the rightfulness of themselves and their twisted version of their religion."
The Commander sat back in shock. Adara had stated things that she had only learned a few months ago. Something that Clarke still struggled with - and she was talking about it as if they were part of the clans. Lexa knew it was time to make the Skaikru part of the Kongeda. They were acting like they already were and were looking out for the Kongeda's interests. Adara was an excellent leader. If the role of Commander didn't need nightblood, Lexa might worry about her status as Commander because Adara was showing all the signs of an exceptional leader.
The Pernese were still struggling with how this world was. How did people devolve so fast into thugs and terrorists? How twisted were things before the war for things to get to this stage in only four generations?
"So what now?" asked F'lar. "If we cannot ask your neighbours, what do we do?"
"On this world, we wait. Your dragons would be a target because they are different. We do nothing. We can check which other animals you do not have, though. Problem is, how do we get them to you? Small animals like rabbits are easy, we just box them up and swaddle them in enough material to keep them from freezing when between."
"What are rabbits?" asked Piemur.
"Small animals that breed ferociously," said Octavia.
"Do you have any around here?"
"There are loads of them in the woods."
"Can I see them?" he asked, eagerly.
"Can you leave your fire-lizard behind?" asked Octavia.
"Why?"
"Because they scare the animals here. We don't have them so they are unknown to the local animals. They spook easily."
"Oh," Piemur said. He left his fire-lizard with Sebell and headed off with Octavia and three Skaikru on a rabbit hunt.
"Do any of your dragons need to eat while you are here?" Adara asked.
"No. We made sure that each dragon had eaten a meal before coming here. We thought that having to feed so many dragons would lower the amount of food available to you."
"We don't have much domesticated stock. There's only the ones that feed Polis - our capital city. Every other settlement is small enough to hunt for their meat." Adara wondered what sort of animals they could round up and domesticate. There were farms before the war and those animals should be easier to domesticate again. Problem was that now there were a lot more predators around. This area would have seen coyotes before the war if it wasn't so built up, but wolves were not an animal found around these parts then. Bears? Maybe. But the amount of animals that must have been freed or escaped from the zoos would have tripled the predators at the very least.
Most of the farm animals would probably have been eaten as they had no real defence against the predators. They would have been too domesticated and their wild instincts to flee might have been diminished.
That was a problem for another day. Though Harper did say that they saw a wild herd of cattle. What they needed to do now, though was decide what to do with these dragonriders.
"No offence, F'lar, but how long are you staying?"
"We leave tomorrow. We realise that we just popped up out of nowhere and you have things to do, so we won't stay long."
"Plus some of you will have thread to fight," said Raven, coming to sit beside them.
Weyrleader F'lar, have you met my second in command, Raven Reyes?" Adara asked.
"No. Hello, Raven."
"Hi, welcome to Earth."
"Thank you."
"Now that that's out of the way, can you tell us more about your world? I've been dying to know what you make the dragon's oil out of. Don't get me wrong, I want to know other things too, but for that many dragons to be oiled nearly every day and several times a day for the young dragons, you must make a lot of oil. What do you make it out of? Fish? Berries? Other plants? Or something else?" Adara bent her head and lowered it to her hands.
"Raven!"
"What? I was just asking!"
"Why? You want to use it on yourself?"
"What? No! I'm just curious."
"It's fine, Adara, really," said F'lar. "It's true we need a lot of it. We use a variety of plants and fish to make it. We have berry bushes that grow in the north that when ripe, are rich in oils. We pick those solely for their oils. We have entire holds devoted to the cultivation of the bushes. The berries are about an inch high and have a tough, yellow outer skin. The inside though is a kind of pulp, but when you squeeze one, a lot of oil and juice comes out. These berries are no good for eating so they were used when the first settlers noticed that the wild fire-lizards were rolling in the dropped ones on the ground. They then realised how useful the bushes were and started to use them."
"Fascinating. You said you use fish oil too?"
"Yes, we have some deep water fish that are oily too. We catch about three thousand pounds of them every year and we mash them down and squeeze out the oil. These fish breed very quickly so they are not being overfished - if anything, we can't keep up with managing their numbers. The dolphins help out there. They can tell us where these fish are and how deep they're running."
"So do you combine the oils or just use what you can where you can?"
"We combine them. We found out that when you combine the oils, you don't need as much oil for your dragon. One oil and you need more, but combined they seem to stretch it out. I don't mean because we added another load of oil, but one barrel of fish or berry oil only, will cover maybe twenty dragons, but one barrel of the combined oil will cover thirty dragons. So we combine them and make it last longer."
"Do you have a specialised industry to do this, or do you do it yourselves?"
"Well, the fishercraft catches the fish and sells or tithes it to us and our weyrfolk make the oils. The Holders that grow the berries, harvest them and then send them to specialist holds that make things for the weyrs. They make the berry oil for us."
"And what about numbweed? From what I know of it, it's a smelly process but very worth the effort."
"Shards, that smell is awful. Every dragon rider is required to do at least one season making the stuff, so that they know what it takes to make it. Usually only the healercraft make it, but I make sure that the riders go through it as well."
"Is it true that some people just burn their clothes after making it?" Raven asked with a laugh.
"So true. I know I did when I made my batches." F'lar shuddered. "Sharding smell wouldn't come out of them, so I burnt them!" Both women laughed.
Menolly came over at that point.
"Excuse me, but can I borrow Adara for a little while, please?"
"Not a problem," Raven said.
"Oh, good," said Menolly.
"Raven, behave," Adara admonished as she got up. "If you'll excuse me F'lar, it seems I'm needed elsewhere. You need anything, ask Raven and she'll help you," she said to him. Both Raven and F'lar nodded. With that Adara left.
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"Halt!" yelled Josh, who was on sentry duty the following morning. Anya hurried over to see what was going on.
"What do you see?" she asked him.
"There's someone up in the trees on the left of that big pine," Josh said, pointing to it. Anya looked up and immediately pulled an arrow out of her quiver and put it to her bow.
"Come down now, or I will shoot!" she yelled. Rustling could be heard and a voice called out.
"I'm coming down, don't shoot!" A figure jumped to the ground and was immediately jumped on by Fio and Artigas who had snuck up from behind. They held the woman and brought her to the Commander, who had joined Anya.
"Echo kom Azgeda. What are you doing here? You should be in your own territory with the rest of your people," the Commander said.
"I do not want to be Azgeda anymore," Echo said, not fighting the ones holding her.
"What do you want?" asked the Commander.
"I do not know. I think I'm needed here."
"Here? Why?" asked Anya.
"I don't know. Something has been drawing me to the Skaikru ever since they rescued us from the mountain."
"That's why you ran away? Prince Roan was looking for you everywhere," said Adara. She had joined the Commander and Anya along with Lessa, F'lar, Menolly and N'ton.
"He would have taken me back by force. I do not belong there anymore. My life changed when I was captured by the mountain. I spent five months in that place and I watched as countless numbers of our people were being drained of their blood and then thrown down into the reaper tunnels. I realised then that we were not any better than any of the other clans because we were in those cages too. All twelve clans were being taken and killed by the maunon. I want to help stop that happening in the future and I can't do that behind the walls of the fire mountain."
"Why should we believe you?" Anya shouted. "Azgeda always want to fight and they try to take our lands and our people. Your queen doesn't care about anyone but herself!"
"Anya, stand down!" Adara said, firmly. Anya looked at her and then slowly backed away. She threw her hands up in the air.
"You deal with the traitor," she said to Adara and left, stamping away. Adara turned back to Echo.
"Give me your hand, Echo," she said, holding her hand out towards her. Echo looked at her hand and then hesitantly put her hand in Adara's. Adara closed her eyes as she searched Echo's emotions for any hint of lying or treachery.
"She's telling the truth, Commander. She really believes that Azgeda is no longer the place she needs to be."
"What do you want, Echo of no people?" Commander Lexa enquired.
"I wish to stay with the Skaikru. They saved me from the mountain and I owe them a life debt. I will stay with them and learn their ways, if you would let me." Echo lifted her head and refused to back down.
"I see no problem if you change clans, however, it is not up to me to accept you as Skaikru. That is up to Heda Adara." She swept her hand towards the Skaikru leader to make her point. Echo looked at her potential new leader.
"If I accept you, your Azgeda scars would have to go," said Adara. Echo looked at her.
"I have no scars," she said.
"Not on your face, no. But you do have Azgeda scars. They must go before I allow anyone to join with us. Tattoos are allowed as long as they are not a symbol for other secret agents to recruit you. I will not put my people in danger by someone who may only be doing this to be a spy."
"I understand," said Echo. "I do not know how to get rid of the scars."
"I do. First, do you disavow your allegiance to Azgeda and to Queen Nia?"
"Yes," Echo said without hesitation.
"Do you swear allegiance to me as your leader and to Skaikru as your new clan?"
"Yes."
"Will you follow the orders of my cabinet as if they were mine?"
"Yes," Echo said, hesitating only slightly. Adara nodded.
"Raven, Octavia, come here, please." The two women in question walked up to Adara.
"Heda," Raven said, bowing slightly.
"Heda Adara," Octavia said.
"Echo, kneel before me." Echo knelt in front of Adara and looked up at her.
"Raven on the left, and Octavia on the right, please," Adara asked. When they were in place Adara continued.
"Both of you, place your hands on her head and feel for the scars of her previous clan."
Both women did as told and felt for the scars. Both women reported they felt scars on her head. Adara nodded and asked them to stand back.
"Echo, do you still want to join Skaikru and renounce your Azgeda ways?"
"Yes."
"So be it." Adara placed her own hands on Echo's head and closed her eyes. She used her healing ability to get rid of the scars that Echo had carried around with her from a very young age.
"Raven and Octavia, please check her head again. Both women stated that they could not feel any scars now. Adara nodded.
"So be it. Echo, I sensed that Echo is not your real name. Do you still want to be called that or revert to your real name now?"
Echo looked startled.
"How did you know? Only Queen Nia knew my real name."
"I sensed it when I checked your emotions."
"My real name is Ash. I think I would like to go back to that name."
"Okay new name, new clan. Welcome, Ash kom Skaikru. Welcome home." Adara pulled Ash up and hugged her. She quietly whispered into her ear.
"You betray us and I'll kill you myself." Ash nodded, she got the message. She had a lot of trust to build up with these people and especially with the Commander and the clans.
As Raven took Ash to the campfire for some food, F'lar and Lessa came over.
"What was that?" Lessa asked.
"That was a former enemy becoming a member of my clan. She still has a lot to overcome, the clans won't forgive her so easily, she was an assassin for the Queen, so she has to prove herself before they trust her and some of them won't trust her at all."
"You would take in an enemy?"
"She is not the enemy of Skaikru. She was inside the mountain before we came down. We do not know her like the other clans do. To renounce your clan is one of the most drastic things you can do. Even if you disagree with every policy your clan has, you don't change clans. You can marry into a clan and your allegiance automatically changes, but to change clans the way Ash is doing, is unheard of."
"Do you trust her?"
"No. She has to earn that. All I'm giving her is a new clan name and a place to stay. She has to earn the trust and respect of her fellow clansmen. It will be hard and it will be long, but I sense a great strength in her. I think she'll be one of my trusted people - eventually."
"I've heard about 'the mountain' from a few people, but I don't know why 'the mountain' is said in such a dreaded tone. Would you tell us about it?"
"That's not an easy thing to talk about, Weyrleaders. The mountain refers to one place - Mount Weather. It is the place where a group of people lived and used the clanspeople for their blood and then tossed aside when they were used up. My people were to be next. We would have been taken and they would have taken our bone marrow to inject into themselves so they can leave them mountain and slaughter anyone they wanted to. The twelve clans were to be first. They wanted the land and they had no problem with committing genocide to get what they wanted." Adara let out a big breath and sigh. "It really isn't something the clans or my people want to talk about."
"I don't understand," said Lessa.
"Which part?" asked Adara.
"All of it. Why did they allow themselves to be taken? Didn't they fight back?"
"Yes they did, but the maunon had the same level of technology as us. The clan's don't. Our weapons include guns. The clans have no answer for them. Guns can kill hundreds of people in the same amount of time that a skilled archer can kill ten."
"Maunon?"
"Sorry, that's Trigedasleng for Mountain man."
"I've heard some of the people here speaking a different language. Do you know it?"
"No yet, but I am slowly learning some of it."
"The Trikru I've heard talking about the mountain have said they were kept in cages, is that right?"
"Yes. They are captured, decontaminated and put into a cage about 3 foot by 3 foot by 3 foot - if that," Adara said, measuring out the size. "They are also stripped and only allowed to wear basic modesty clothing which were little more than strips of fabric and netting about the private areas. It was horrible!"
"You saw them in there?!" Lessa exclaimed.
"We rescued them. Me, Octavia, Sterling and Jasper went in to find a way to let the Commander's people inside. We had help from the inside. A woman called Maya helped us. It turned out that the government in the mountain along with some of the guards, were lying to their own civilians about where the blood came from. They were told that the outsiders, as the people in the mountain called them, donated their blood once every month or so. Every day, about 100 outsiders would voluntarily go to the mountain and give blood and then go home. They were told that the outsiders didn't want the mountain men to die, so they helped them stay alive with their own blood. In reality, it was taken by force and killed hundreds, thousands of clanspeople over the 97 years they were being taken."
"How could they!" Lessa was livid.
"They thought they had no choice, Lessa. It was either take the blood or die and like any other people, they wanted to live. I don't condone what they did, but I understand that drive to live." Lessa was silent for a few minutes while she digested what was said.
"I'd like to see it for myself, if I'm allowed to. I don't think it'll really sink in how these people were treated unless I actually see it." Adara stared at her, then she turned around and walked over to the Commander.
"They want to see inside the mountain," Adara said, flatly.
"What?" asked the Commander, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah. Do I have your permission to take them and show them around the mountain?" The Commander thought about it then nodded. Adara nodded in return and then spotted Maya and Jasper. She would ask them to come with them to give Maya's side of the story. She walked over to the and asked them if they wanted to come. Maya looked at Jasper and said it would be better if they did as she could tell her side of it.
Adara decided to take them that day. After talking to F'lar and Lessa, it was decided to use the dragons to get them there and back in the same day. Adara agreed on the proviso that the dragons flew very low - just over the treetops. That way, the only people to see them would be the local ones. They agreed and soon Adara, Jasper, Maya, Anya and Ash went with F'lar, Lessa, N'ton, Sebell, Menolly and Piemur to the mountain. Two other dragons helped with the transport, but didn't go inside the mountain. Lexa would be left in charge in Adara's absence.
Adara showed them which direction to go and as she was sitting directly behind Lessa, she could point where to go once in the air. Soon they were landing on the mountain top next to the main door. On the ground, the dragons decided to move further up the mountain ridges to sun themselves. Adara led them through the doors and into the mountain.
Once inside, the Earth people all took a deep breath and let it out slowly. None of them really wanted to be back inside this death trap. Maya took the lead and asked where they wanted to go. Adara told them to take them to the mess hall so they could tell their part of the story.
Eventually, each person told their story of what happened the first time, and what happened the second time. All of it, the good and the bad. The Pernese sat and listened to it all. Both times, the mountain men were evil, but the civilian population seemed to be oblivious. After that, Adara asked Maya to lead them to the harvest chamber. Maya hesitated and then got up and they all followed her.
Once inside the chamber, the Pernese looked on in horror at what they saw. Cage upon cage, row after row, on two levels and some even hanging from the ceiling. Even being told about it did not prepare them in any way for the visual shock they got. N'ton turned to Ash.
"Your people were locked in these cages?" he asked in astonishment.
"They were kept in these!" Menolly asked, indignant at their treatment.
"Yes," said Anya and Ash.
"It's barbaric!" said Sebell, horrified.
"Yes, it is," said Adara.
"And this had been going on for 97 years?!" asked Lessa, still horrified by it all.
"Yes and if it hadn't been for the Skaikru, we'd have died here," said Ash. She walked over to one of the cages and put her hand on it. "This one was mine."
Piemur was in a corner, face ashen and looking like he wanted to throw up.
"Piemur? You gonna be okay?" Adara asked. He shook his head.
"I think I've seen enough," he said. "I just want to get out of this place."
"Yeah, me too," said Jasper.
"Okay, let's go," said Adara as Jasper and Maya led the way, with Piemur hot on their heels.