Hiding In Clouds
Valka stowed away her spare clothing, just simple furs and a cloak, in her satchel next to her rations. Since she was not going on a flight only among dragons, her scale armor and flight suit were not coming with. Those would look far too conspicuous among human company at the trading posts.
A separate bag had the goods to be traded: shed scales, bags of teeth, and even a few bones. It was still a little unnerving to be using dragon parts for such a purpose, but this was necessary. Further, they had only collected what they could find without harming anyone.
Lastly, she grabbed her carving knife and her weapon-staff. With a reach of over her full height and a slightly curved tip, she could keep distance from any foe, as if dancing around them. A build like hers simply did not allow for charging in, wielding a hammer or an ax.
She slipped out her hut and found Dawn-Singer patiently waiting for her. Flies-With-Sun had already stopped by to similarly be fitted with saddlebags.
She set aside her staff and got to work fitting him with a cozy saddle and saddlepacks which she filled with the remaining supplies and goods she had gathered for trading.
"Rready to fly?" he asked after she stored away all the supplies in the saddlepacks.
They were to leave quietly, without letting anyone else from New Haven know where they were going. Skald knew, since it was originally his suggestion to go to the above for supplies, but he was keeping this mission quiet too. Thorvald and Gobber had been informed, but no one else knew about it. Everyone else had no reason to know that going above was an option or a necessity, beyond an isolated mission to collect supplies from the island above. They were sure to eventually learn what had happened.
"I'm ready. Where is Flies-With-Sun."
He shrugged, "Nnot ssurre. Sshe ssaid sshe nneeded a momennt to herrsself. We'rre to meet herr at the ledge."
"Alright."
She closed her hut's entrance and started pacing to burn off the nervous excitement. She hadn't seen the world above since everyone went below years ago. Her time was spent either being the Elder for the tribe, exploring the hidden world, or helping teach young Furies. There hadn't been a reason to go back above to meet anyone else, but now there was one.
"Iss ssomethinng wrronng?" Dawn-Singer purred.
"No, I'm just eager to get going."
"We arre too. Fliess-With-Ssunn verry much wanntss to ssee the above."
"She's never seen that world, right?"
He shook his head, "Sshe hass nnot, annd sshe iss verry excited."
She idly nodded and retrieved her staff before checking the saddle's straps one last time. Everything was in order.
"Ready?"
He crouched down to let her climb on. "Yess, let'ss go."
Flies-With-Sun breathed deeply to calm herself. This was so very exciting and scary all at once! She was flying to the above! The very big world with the much bigger skies, waters without end, and the sun sky-rock which was part of her name!
This was the world her sire-father flew from to find dam-mother, which was the opposite of how her Dawn-Singer had flown into these ranges eventually to find her.
A faint light grew up ahead as the wind pushed her higher and higher. Was the light from more light-rocks in another range?
The cave widened, opening into a new chamber as she and Dawn-Singer flew out into the open air. The chamber at first glance looked very big and was darker than many good ranges. The ground was covered in rocks, small grasses, and trees. There was also water off in the distance.
What were those little lights and the very big light-rock like a half-circle high above? The top must be very high up if she could not see the-
Her jaws fell open as she understood. There was no top of this range. There were no walls in any direction. This was the unending range of the above.
"Great lights!" she roared.
Dawn-Singer laughed as he winged in at her side, "What do you think, my dear mate?"
"What is that sky-circle light-rock? Is that the sun?"
"No! That is the moon. This is dark now because this is night, not day."
Night was dark, which was probably where dark wing Night Furies got some of their name. Further, that moon light-rock was what her nestmate sister and her own daughter had been named for. She could see the resemblance in color at least. Luna did not have any color-shine, and the moon light-rock was only a pale white.
"So if this is night, when will there be more light?" she asked.
"When the sun starts flying. The sun is much brighter than the brightest light-rock of all. We cannot look at the sun, or our eyes get hurt."
"And dawn is between day and night?"
"Yes, you will know dawn when you see more light!"
He probably wanted to leave this a mystery or a surprise. Fine. This range was amazing enough for her just to look at in awe.
Dawn-Singer dove for the ground at the base of a very big hill, so she followed him down there and landed.
Kin-liver spoke to Dawn-Singer so he could translate.
"Kin-liver says the flight will take almost ten days, just over ten and five waking-cycles. We must stop on small islands and stay away from any two-leg nests."
She entirely agreed. From what she had heard of the two-legs, there was no reason for either her or Dawn-Singer to meet them since that meeting would probably involve fighting.
She glanced over her tail to where they had flown from. The big cave-mouth dug into base of the mountain had a faint green glow from moss. The thin grass underpaw tickled her belly while the gentle wind stroked her wings.
Unable to help herself, she stood upright and roared as loudly as she could. There was almost no echo at all, which was very different from under the ground in the hidden ranges. Sounds would always bounce many times. That there was almost no echo up here was tail-twisting.
"What was that for?" Kin-liver groaned, her paws over her ears.
She grimaced, "Sorrryyy."
Flies-With-Sun stared at the distance ahead and to her left, what Dawn-Singer called East. The waves rolled endlessly in all directions as he and she had left behind the island long ago.
But there was something happening ahead. Beyond the edge of all she could see, beyond the horizon, was a red glow like a fire. Could there be a fire on the water?
Dawn-Singer tapped her wing with his own, "Watch!"
"Watch that fire-thing?"
"It is not a fire! It is the great sun-sky-rock!"
The sun-sky-rock? That flew into the sky when night changed into dawn and day, so this must be the hatching of a new day!
The glow grew brighter until a fire-circle appeared: the sun. It was very bright and warming, not like sleeping on a light-rock, but still very good.
Dawn-Singer roared at the sun and spun in a loop around her. She stared in awe as the sun-sky-rock flew higher and burned brighter and warmer!
I had no idea. This range-world is amazing.
Valka took the saddle and packs off Dawn-Singer and Flies-With-Sun so she and the Furies could settle down after a day of flight. The late spring evening was very cool and crisp as night fell.
Her sleeping bag was unrolled beside a small campfire dug into a small pit. The fire couldn't be seen from sea, and the island they were resting on was completely uninhabited.
The two Furies had returned from a quick fishing venture with a fish for her, and the fish was roasting over the fire.
She relaxed, staring up at the clouds while savoring the sound of nothing except the surf. There was no constant crashing of waterfalls in the distance, no shouting of disagreements, no echoing roars from a dragon-fight or any other reason. This was relaxing and brought back memories of prior decades when life was much simpler. Rescuing dragons, living as a vigilante, and having no responsibility to anyone else had been a good life while it lasted.
"Drragonnhearrt?" Dawn-Singer chuffed.
"Dawn-Singer?"
He padded over beside her and looked down at her, "We will be away forr a while. You okay with sstayinng herre alonne?"
"Sure, I can. What's going on?"
He chuckled and purred at Flies-With-Sun, "Sshe wanntss me to fly with herr! Nneed morre detailss?"
Oh, you sly Fury.
"Nope. Happy flying! I'll stay right here."
Dawn-Singer barked at Flies-With-Sun, and she joyfully leaped for the sky. Dawn-Singer stared after her and only followed after she was far above. They would probably be occupied for a long time.
She watched until Dawn-Singer completely melted into the darkness, leaving her alone on the island. She grabbed her staff to hold onto it, just for peace of mind.
With only the crackling of the fire for warmth and the cooked fish to work on, she relaxed and let her thoughts drift with the wind as she gazed out to sea. The island that led down into the hidden world was a problem, as Shadowwing had repeatedly mentioned. Watching that island was not enough if humans found it and landed on it. The island's being discovered was unacceptable, but there was no good solution that came to mind.
One of her goals on this mission was to find a mapmaker and get a map from the merchant. That would help her at least learn if the island was on the maps.
She blinked and shot to her feet, leaning against her staff while staring north.
Torchlight or a lantern was impossible to miss on the open sea, and she could swear there had been a flash of light out there. But there hadn't been anything there only minutes before. The Furies would have noticed if there was.
Strange, we haven't seen any boats in these waters.
She stood there in silence, staring out toward where that flash had come from. But there was no further sign of anything out there. A boat certainly would have torches on deck, and that light would be visible from a great distance, especially at night.
Maybe she was just tired from a long day. Exhaustion could cause visions.
Dawn-Singer growled to himself in annoyance as Flies-With-Sun fled before him. She had come to him after they caught fish for themselves and Kin-liver. She had nibbled on one of his ears and whispered that she ate strong-life-hatchling flowers before leaving the hidden world. That was all he needed to hear from her to know what she wanted.
But she had teased that she was going to test him for fun by making him catch her this time! To make it more fun, he agreed that no sound-seeing or life-fire sight was allowed by either of them!
Was that going to be a problem?
I am a big, strong, and fast Night Fury! I can catch my life-mate if I must!
She fled before him like a flash of lightning, darting above the clouds as if they were mountains. Fortunately, she had been very eager to fly these skies during the day, so she was not completely rested or as fast as she probably could be. Seeing the boundless sky, the clouds, the sun, and the horizon had left her eyes wide with wonder all day long.
He was just starting to catch up to her when she teasingly barked back at him, flamed herself, and faded.
Waste, I should have known she would do that.
She was too far ahead for his life-fire sight to help even if it was allowed. Sound-seeing would work through fade at much longer distances, but sound-seeing was also not allowed for this chase. She could see him, since Night Furies could not fade like Light Furies. Further, he was getting tired after a long day of flight. There was no option but to catch her with surprise, somehow. How to catch a faded Light Fury by surprise without using sound-sight? There had to be a way to hide from her!
He smirked as a plan hatched. There was a way he could hide from her after all!
He dove lower into the cloud just below. The cloud was cold and wet, but those did not matter. The cloud would hide him from her unless he and she were very close. He knew something she likely did not know about clouds. Clouds were cold and wet, either of which would chill her fade, possibly without her knowing about it. She had never tried to hide in clouds before.
He purred very softly when he saw a disturbance in the thick cloud. Further, the disturbance, shaped like a Fury, was faintly shimmering.
Found you!
He silently glided closer and closer until she barked in surprise. It was too late for her as he tagged her tail and spun to glide beside her.
"Waste! How did you see me?" she bellowed.
"Your shape in the clouds! I see where the cloud is not, and the clouds chill your fade!"
"What!"
She glanced at her back and saw that her fade was not perfect. Then she let her fade fall away completely, leaving her gliding beside him.
"Wait until I tell everyone that I caught you faded without using sound-sight or life-fire-sight!" he laughed.
She glared at him.
"Or not!" he quickly proposed.
"Good. You were right that clouds are cold."
"Are you saying you are cold?"
"Maybe," she purred.
"I can help with that!"
"You better!"
Valka rolled over on her blanket, unable to fall asleep. She had been asleep for a while, but a true nightmare had awoken her. She and the Furies had returned to the island only to find that the cave was gone. There was no way back into the hidden world. Separated from family forever. Lost.
She groaned and idly stuck a stick into the smoldering fire's embers.
Dawn-Singer and Flies-With-Sun were still gone, though she wasn't sure how long she had been asleep. The clouds completely blocked the moon.
Everything was peaceful and quiet, which was why she heard the snap of a stick in the nearby forest.
She clasped her staff and sat upright, staring toward where the sound had come from. There was nothing visible, though it was dark. The forest was thin enough that nothing could hide behind tree trunks.
Dawn-Singer and Flies-With-Sun would not be sneaking around. This was something else.
Was it a wild dragon, still living above? Were there wolves or other predators on the island?
Whatever it was already knew about her, so she took her torch out of the supplies, lit it in the embers, and held the torch aloft to look around in all directions. If something was out there, there would likely be a-
A pair of dots appeared and immediately vanished in the distance. Were those eyes, or was she only seeing things?
It did not return, but this was likely proof that something else was on this island.
Unnerved, she settled down, fully re-lit the fire, and held her staff at the ready. Sleep was no longer an option. She had to stay alert until the Furies returned, hopefully sooner rather than later.
Dawn-Singer was very ready for sleep. Rest, after all the various activities of the day, was very appealing. He and his dear life-mate splashed out of the sea after a relaxing swim, shook and flamed themselves dry on the shore, briefly nuzzled and shared liver-warming words, and took flight back to where Kin-liver would be resting.
Strangely, Kin-liver was not asleep. Instead, she was sitting alert beside the fire and holding her weapon-staff. She flew to her paws as they dove to land.
"Finally! Took you long enough!" Kin-liver shouted.
He huffed, "Blame herr! Sshe made the catchinng difficult! We wannted to be ssurre that-"
Kin-liver interrupted him, "We're not alone here. There's something big on the island."
"What?" he grumbled.
"Something woke me up, and I saw eyes in the dark."
This was far more serious. He had been sure that the island had nothing big on it at all.
Flies-With-Sun, understanding Kin-liver, stepped closer to her to keep her safer while looking around.
"Wherre?" he asked.
Kin-liver pointed downwind, and he dashed downwind into the dark to search for any scent trails. The grassy and rocky ground did not appear disturbed. There was nothing there except maybe a faint Light Fury scent, though that was from his life-mate upwind of him and staying with Kin-liver. There was nothing else here, and he could not find any tracks.
But this was downwind of Kin-liver, which is the direction a hunter would want to approach from.
Twisted.
He trotted back to them after more searching, "Arre you ssurre you ssaw ssomethinng? I did nnot finnd anny trrackss."
She did not immediately answer, eventually holding a paw to her forehead, "I... really think I saw something. But I also thought I saw a torch or lantern out at sea. Maybe I'm just too tired."
He closed his eyes and looked around with life-fire sight just to be sure. There was nothing nearby except for bugs and what were probably very small, four-leg scurrying creatures.
"Eitherr way, we arre ssleepinng herre with you."
His life-mate, understanding the situation, lay down alongside Kin-liver's sleeping-furs while he lay on the other side of the furs. Kin-liver could sleep safely tucked between them like a hatchling or young fledgling.
He stayed awake slightly after his life-mate and Kin-liver were asleep. No creatures approached the campsite or made a sound. Nothing would be twisted enough to disturb two sleeping sky-kin.
Well after the moon had come out after nightfall, Valka finished cleaning and filleting the salmon Dawn-Singer brought her earlier. The cloudless night was cold, but it was also peaceful with only the faintest breeze. After finishing the preparation and cleaning off her knife, she placed the fish fillets, edible roots, and a handful of herbs on the heated cooking stone in the campfire's embers.
Dawn-Singer and Flies-With-Sun had strolled down to the beach earlier, so she grabbed her staff and followed them. The fish would need a while to finish cooking, and having company was much better than being alone in the dark. Further, they had assured her that she would not be interrupting anything important if she followed them.
Dawn-Singer was sitting upright on his own on a slight sandy hill covered in wispy grass. His eyes glowed green in the dim moonlight as she stood at his shoulder.
"Hey there, where is she?" she asked.
He nodded toward the ocean, "Overr therre. Sshe iss fightinng the oceann."
Sure enough, Flies-With-Sun was visibly prancing near the water's edge, darting and dashing as if fighting with the waves. Seeing an adult Fury playing with such carefree abandon was amusing enough that she couldn't help but giggle. Even Dawn-Singer chuckled in the deep, throaty way Furies laughed.
"Why aren't you helping with her epic battle?"
"I wass earrlierr. Ssomeonne sshould keep watch."
"On her or for boats?" she asked, nudging his shoulder.
"Both," he hummed.
Together, they watched as Flies-With-Sun gradually made her way down the shoreline until she passed out of sight behind mounds. The island was small enough that she could easily hear him if he roared to get her attention.
He chuffed, "How lonng unntil the trradinng place?"
"About a week, give or take a few days depending on the wind. We've made good time so far."
"Did you eat yourr fissh?"
"No, it should be ready soon. Thanks for reminding me. I'll head back to camp."
He got to his paws and stretched, "Ssame. Let me go finnd herr. We will be back ssoonn."
He glided off while she turned back for the campsite and her dinner. She wrapped her cloak tightly as she made her way over the mounds of sand and wispy grass, around rocky outcroppings, and past shrubbery until she returned to their camp. She arrived at the cooking station and paused, thoroughly confused.
Her fish was gone. The edible roots were untouched, but something had taken the fish.
Alarmed, she held her knife while inspecting the campsite for any signs of what could have taken the fish. There were no visible tracks, though the ground was firm enough to not easily leave any tracks. Only a very bold or foolish fox or wolf would dare sneak into a camp with human and dragon scents.
"Great…"
She ate the cooked roots and some of her other dried food from the supplies. The rush of wings and a pair of thuds announced the Furies' return shortly thereafter. Flies-With-Sun went to a patch of cleared ground and flamed it before curling up there.
"How wass the fissh?" Dawn-Singer asked after yawning.
"It was gone. Something else took it."
He slowly spun in place and looked around in all directions.
"Sstrrannge. Therre iss nno onne elsse onn thiss isslannd. Maybe a wolf orr birrd?"
That explanation made a lot of sense. A bird, maybe a gull or hawk, had snatched the unattended fish while she was away. There was no reason to assume anything more had happened.
"Probably. Oh well, my loss."
He lay down beside the sleeping Flies-With-Sun, and patted the ground at his side with his tail.
"But jusst inn casse…" he offered.
Caution was prudent when dealing with the unknown and possibility of danger. She moved her furs to his side, lay down, and was covered with a wing. While she was still a little hungry, it would be another warm night with no cause for concern.
Valka checked her map while the two Furies dozed under the afternoon sun. Five days of flight had brought them closer to the waters where boats were more common, which also made traveling at night far safer. She had to plan out which islands to rest on to avoid known settlements.
Gods, what's left of Haven must be only a couple days away.
If there was anything left of that village. No, that was not their destination, and a flight for the sake of nostalgia was out of the question. Seeing that village ruined and destroyed would probably be just as bad as finding out that it was taken by another tribe or by the forces which attacked.
She traced the flight across three more islands until they would arrive at the destination: a regional hub of commerce called Ard Skellig. The city had a full port which, the last time she saw it up close, was filled with activity. This was one of the locations she had secretly flown to with Cloudjumper decades ago to gain information on trapper movements. Trapper boats had carried living cargo while merchant ships ferried scales, bones, and other dragon parts to islands and the mainland.
She returned to the dozing Furies and took a moment to just watch them. Dawn-Singer had a wing over Flies-With-Sun's back, and their tails were wrapped together. The two Furies had asked for a couple other opportunities to be alone since that first night when she thought she saw something else on the island. Dawn-Singer admitted they were trying for their second allowed egg, which wouldn't be a problem for this mission. It would be, from what she understood of their life-cycles, at least a month, more likely two or three months, before they could have an egg to be laid. Even then it could be carried longer out of need.
Dawn-Singer stirred and yawned, blinking to wake himself.
"Afternoon, sleepyhead."
"Nnot jusst the head. Everrythinng iss ssleepy."
She sat before him and nodded at Flies-With-Sun, "Is she a light sleeper?"
"Nno. Ssometimess sshe doessnn't wake up evenn if I rroarr at herr. We cann talk."
She chuckled and relaxed, "Just wanted to ask about your brothers and sisters."
"What about them?" he yawned again.
"Do you notice anything new since their adventure? I have my thoughts since I was with them, but do you see anything?"
He hummed in thought for a while, "My brrotherrss annd Misst-Winngss sseem the ssame. Rrainn-Eaterr annd Fliess-Brravely arre talkinng onn theirr ownn, but he wonn't do annythinng with herr ssoonn. Aurrorra iss quieterr, nnot bitinng like sshe wass beforre."
"Yeah, I noticed that too. She was getting tired of being the leader for everyone."
He rolled his eyes, "Sshe nneedss a mate. That iss herr life-prroblem."
"You think so?"
"Yess. Sshe wanntss ssomeonne to wannt herr, fly with herr, annd be with herr to make herr happy."
Could the source of Aurora's frustration be that simple as the natural desire to not be alone? It was possible.
"She said the male Light Furies out there were very forward."
"Nnot a ssurrprrisse. Fliess-With-Ssunn told me about the attenntionn sshe didnn't wannt, lonng ago."
"There's nothing wrong with wanting someone, but she needs to not let that cause problems for everyone else. Her family and friends don't deserve for her to take out her frustrations on them."
He sighed, "I have told herr that. Hopefully sshe will learrn. Maybe sshe hass."
A calm silence followed, broken only by the distant surf and a recurring suspicion she couldn't put out of mind.
"Do you feel like something is wrong?" she asked.
"Wrronng how?"
Several strange things had happened over the last few days. She saw more of those distant lanterns or torches on ships that immediately vanished. More concerning was how fish left out to dry or cook kept going missing when no one was watching. There could be very sly foxes or other such creatures on the islands, but Dawn-Singer and Flies-With-Sun said they couldn't smell anything large on the islands they had stopped at. They both promised that they were not the ones snatching up the fish.
She had been sleeping under Dawn-Singer's wings for the added protection over the last few days.
"I don't know. I feel like we aren't alone."
He grumbled, "The fissh vannisshinng iss sstrrannge, but we would knnow if anny hunnterrss werre herre."
He was right about that. How could something be so evasive as to escape two grown Furies trying to sniff it out or listen for it?
"If they are normal hunters, sure. What if it's not normal?"
"What arre you ssayinng?"
She smirked, "We should set a trap tonight."
Valka remained motionless, her furs pulled partially over her head but not obstructing her vision.
The fire had died very low on a cloudy night. The island was even smaller than most of the previous ones they had stayed on, but it was large enough to harbor a few small shrubs.
Dawn-Singer and Flies-With-Sun subtly crouched while appearing to be asleep with their heads on their forearms. They had caught an extra fish which she had hung over the coals to cook and dry.
That fish was the bait for anything that might be stalking them from the shadows.
Everyone had been waiting for perhaps an hour already, but nothing had showed itself. If there was something stalking them, it was being careful. All was silent.
Then a stick snapped somewhere beyond the line of bushes. Something moved nearby, but it was only the Furies' ears barely flicking. They heard that sound too.
Her grasp tightened on her staff while she closely watched the bushes.
One of the bushes rustled and moved, and a pair of shining dots appeared in the dark. The eyes looked like they were fixed on the fire and the fish.
What are you?
The eyes didn't move at first, and then started moving. But there was nothing else there. The bush rustled without any creature showing itself.
Wait, is that a Changewing?
Dawn-Singer and Flies-With-Sun sprang the trap, pouncing with a roar which was answered by a bark of alarm. Chaos followed as the Furies leaped over the bushes while the unseen stalker fled. She leaped to her feet and ran after them, not that they needed the help in any chase or combat.
The bellowing and growling stopped at the base of a hill just beyond the bushes. Dawn-Singer and Flies-With-Sun were pinning something.
"Ssstop! It'sss me!"
She almost stumbled when she heard that familiar voice. It couldn't be. It was impossible.
Furious, she ran around Dawn-Singer and settled down where she could see what he was helping pin. In surprise of his own, he climbed off the stalker while Flies-With-Sun similarly stepped away.
They watched as a shimmering appeared before them and a white shape emerged. Teal eyes looked away from her and to the ground.
"Hidden-Hope! What are you doing here?" she shouted, her staff falling to the ground.
Her Fury granddaughter warbled, staring at her paws, "I... followed you. I wannt to ssee the worrld."
"You were not supposed to follow us! This world is dangerous!"
Dawn-Singer growled at Hidden-Hope, "I agrree! You sshouldnn't have."
"But I wannted to! I cann sstay ssafe with my fade!"
She scowled as everything that had happened over the last few days made sense. She had not been seeing the light from torches or lanterns on ships. Those flashes had been Hidden-Hope using her fire to go invisible.
"Were you sneaking around our camp and taking fish?"
Hidden-Hope whined and licked her jaws, "I wass hunngrry!"
That made sense. Hidden-Hope didn't know how to hunt or catch fish in the ocean. She had never needed to hunt in the open ocean before and she was new to using her flame, so she hadn't learned how to use her fire that way.
"Why didn't you just show yourself before? What were you thinking?"
Hidden-Hope hung her head, her ears fallen, "Ssorrrry. I wannted to go back, but I donn't knnow wherre to finnd the cave. I had to follow you."
Flies-With-Sun started furiously speaking to Hidden-Hope in Fury-speak. Meanwhile, she and Dawn-Singer stepped aside to speak on their own.
She exhaled and leaned against his shoulder, "Now what?"
They watched as Flies-With-Sun scolded Hidden-Hope while the rebellious Dawn Fury hung her head, looking very ashamed of herself. Or maybe she was just ashamed that she got caught.
"Do we go back to the hiddenn worrld nnow, or do we keep flyinng, brrinnginng herr with uss?" he rumbled.
It was a difficult choice. Shadowwing and Luna were sure to be worried about her by now. Bringing Hidden-Hope with them for the remainder of this mission was sure to complicate matters. Dawn-Singer and Flies-With-Sun were both responsible and could be trusted. Hidden-Hope, being essentially a moody teenager, was another matter. Canceling the trading mission and going straight back home wasn't a good option either, especially since they were only a couple days away from the trading post. Having Flies-With-Sun take Hidden-Hope back on her own wouldn't work either, since both adult Furies would be needed to carry back all the provisions she planned to trade for.
"I don't like it, but we should probably keep going. Have her stay very close and not wander off."
He grumbled and nodded, "Finne. We will tell herr that sshe will get a tail-sslappinng if sshe caussess prroblemss!"
They returned to Flies-With-Sun and Hidden-Hope.
She crossed her arms, frowning, "You can come with us, but you must obey anything we tell you to do. Understand?"
"Yess!"
"No wandering off. You must stay with me, Dawn-Singer, or Flies-With-Sun all the time."
Hidden-Hope grumbled, "All the time? Rreally?"
"Even when you have to relieve yourself! I am not telling your parents that you got lost or captured because you wandered off!"
"Okay. Finne! Cann I have the fissh? I am hunngrry."
She shrugged, "Sure. We were using it to trap whatever was following us anyway."
Dawn-Singer chuckled, "Annd it worrked!"
Hidden-Hope brayed in annoyance, but she followed her back to the campsite and the waiting fish.
Hidden-Hope was so amazed at how big and strange and amazing and different this above-world was! Everything was bigger and more!
Except the hunting. Food was not always there, but that was probably because she was not a good hunter yet. She had never needed to practice using fire to kill fish, and that was her sire-father's fault! He never took her on hunting flights!
Sneaking into the camp and taking the fish was necessary and fun as a way of testing her fade and sneakiness. If only she had not stepped on the sticks or whatever had given her away! But that was sire-father's fault too. He never taught her how to be a good hunter who never made mistakes!
Dawn-Singer rolled slightly, pushing her to the side under his wing. While him and Flies-With-Sun sharing warmth was good, it was also twisting that they were keeping her close and not letting her see more. She was not a hatchling who needed to be protected! She knew her fade and would be safe!
Secretly annoyed with them, she let her thoughts fly far away over the waters. All she knew about this flight was that Kin-liver, Dawn-Singer, and Flies-With-Sun were flying to a two-leg nest so Kin-liver could get things the ground-kin did not have.
What does a two-leg nest look like? It is like a ground-kin nest?
She had so many questions, all of which would be answered very soon!
Valka watched as the lights grew brighter on the horizon. As had become habit the last couple days, she glanced to her left to make sure Hidden-Hope was still following, which she was. The Dawn Fury had been uncharacteristically calm and compliant, not causing any problems or being unruly.
The major port on Ard Skellig was alight with torches lighting the city at night. Several longboats and a ship of non-Nord design were visible in the port.
Dawn-Singer led the other two Furies high up near the clouds and around the city itself. She could see a handful of guards down by the docks or otherwise on patrol in the city.
The rest of the island was mostly wild, covered in forest and stretches of boulders and rock around the central mountain.
He dove toward the forest and touched down in a clearing while Flies-With-Sun and Hidden-Hope followed after him. She dismounted and began unstrapping everything from him.
"That iss it?" he grumbled, staring down the mountain-slope toward the city alight at night.
"Yes, we're there."
"What nnow?" he asked.
Flies-With-Sun and Hidden-Hope crowded close around her to listen in.
"Here is the plan. We stay here in the woods and get some rest. I'll go down there in the morning and find a merchant or two to trade with. I'll come back, get what we're trading later, take care of business, get some people to bring our stuff up here, and then we leave at night. No one will ever know you were here. Got it?"
The Furies nodded and purred.
"Hidden-Hope, don't do anything stupid."
The Dawn Fury stepped back and huffed, "What? Okay. I wonn't do annythinng sstupid."
"Good. Let's get some rest. No fire this time. Too risky. Who is taking first watch?"
Flies-With-Sun hummed, "Mmmeee."
"Me too," Dawn-Singer added.
She rolled her eyes, "Don't you two run off on us, for any reason."
Dawn-Singer softly grumbled, "We unnderrsstannd. Donn't worrrry, we wonn't be disstrracted by annythinng."
Dawn finally came, though Valka hadn't slept well at all. The night was cold since the campsite had no fire. Twice she had woken up in a nightmare involving a surprise attack by trappers who captured her granddaughter, Dawn-Singer, and Flies-With-Sun. But Flies-With-Sun, and then Dawn-Singer, had been awake on their respective shifts, dutifully keeping watch.
The Furies had gotten her this far, and it was time to do her part.
She donned her traveling cloak and dark hood, grabbed her coin pouch and a few samples of dragon scales and teeth, and told Dawn-Singer she was going into town. Her staff would probably stand out, so it was staying here, but she would have her hunting knife for protection.
This is crazy.
The morning dew was just starting to soak through her leather shoes when she arrived at the outskirts of the city. Simple homes and supply buildings lined the muddy streets. Chickens, geese, and stray dogs wandered here and there. Signs hung above doors, advertising various services, none of which were what she was looking for. Men were carrying crates and boxes, and a few of those people tossed a glance at her.
Being a port town and center of regional trade, this place surely saw many different people. Hopefully no one would be curious about her. She was just one more unknown, unimportant face among many.
She arrived at what looked like a square in which there were a few merchant stalls. She approached a man behind the stall of a 'Ragnar's Refuse'.
"Excuse me, are you Ragnar?"
"The one and only. Care to look at my wares?"
Ragnar primarily sold weapons, which she was not here for, "I'm looking for someone who deals in... rare goods, clothing, and crafting supplies."
"What kinda rare goods?"
"Dragon parts and maps."
Ragnar's eyebrows lifted, "Oh, you got lots of coin, eh? Rare goods indeed. You'll be looking for Moira's for dragon stuff and Skjall's for maps and other stuff."
"Where can I find them?"
Ragnar shrugged, "Do I look like I work fer free? Pay me a piece, and I'll lead you to 'em."
She handed him one of her precious coins, and he directed her toward a merchant who specialized in everything relating to dragons.
The merchant was an unassuming young woman who was clearly wealthy. She wore jewelry woven into her hair, bore a dark cloak, and had a dragon-teeth necklace. Her shop was in its own separate building and had a couple armed guards on patrol.
Valka had plenty of practice maintaining her composure in otherwise trying circumstances, but it was difficult to not lash out at the sight of a Nadder skull mounted on the wall, knucklebones made into necklaces, and crushed scales made into supposed health cures or beauty products.
"You aren't one of my usual clients. I am Moira. What is your name?" Moira kindly asked, gesturing to a chair by the table.
She sat down in the chair and took off her hood, "My name isn't important. What's important is whether you are buying."
Moira sat down and folded her hands, "Consider me intrigued. What might I be buying? I only deal in the rarest of goods."
She reached into a pocket and retrieved a small bag of several teeth and random scales which she dumped on the table. Moira calmly began inspecting the dragon teeth and scales. Nearly a minute of silence passed while Moira fingered the parts.
"Where did you get these?" Moira asked.
"Consider those a show of goodwill. They're yours."
Moira gestured and waved away the guards who stepped outside and closed the door.
"Awfully generous with rare goods, but you didn't answer my question. You are here to sell, so I suppose you must have more on offer."
She smiled, "Here's what I propose. My tribe lives far away in a very remote location which I obviously won't reveal. We live close to where many dragons died in combat years ago. I got approval from the tribe's Elder to harvest these remains for the tribe's gain. It would be wasteful to not use them since dragons are so rare these days."
Moira nodded, "I agree. I've not had new and high quality supplies for a few years. What would you be looking to buy? I could point you the right direction."
"Thank you, but I already know who to go to. My tribe needs certain supplies we cannot easily get. Here is my proposal. I trade teeth, scales, and bones to you, you pay me a fair price, and I go about my business. I can come here and trade with you, let me see, once a year at least. I cannot say precisely when, but I can agree to only do business with you. Also, no questions asked."
Moira frowned and crossed her arms, "No questions asked? That takes the fun out of haggling, but I assume that is an absolute condition, or is that question itself allowed?"
She laughed, "That's fine. I mean no details about where I'm from, who I am, anything like that. I desire discretion."
"Fair. I don't care who you are. Where you are from is another matter, but I understand your need to keep your trade secrets. Dealing with me alone is most generous. But I must have a name for you at least. I do not want to be discourteous."
"Call me your Supplier if you must."
Moira nodded, "Not very original, but that's fine. You have more goods with you, I assume?"
"I do. Similar and higher quality than the sample. I can have them to you this afternoon."
"How about you describe them, and we can agree on a price to be confirmed upon receipt and inspection?"
She finished describing and numbering the goods for sale and agreed on terms with the deal to be closed before sundown. Moira even gave her a small advance-payment, leaving her with more coin than she had planned on having.
She got up from the table, bowed to Moira, and turned for the door.
"Supplier, a moment before you go," Moira whispered.
"What is it?"
Moira approached and whispered, "I know you are a dragonrider."
Her hand under her cloak went to her hunting knife.
"What?"
Moira shrugged, "Don't bother denying it. I only care about the coin, so I'm not saying anything. You're too valuable for me to tell anyone. How do I know? You show up with dragon parts, a very rare good for trade. I haven't seen you before, and no ships have arrived here in several days. Further, you must have gotten here somehow not by boat."
"Or maybe I've been staying with a relative."
Moira smiled, "Yes, we'll say that. I'll be ready this afternoon. Until then."
She cautiously left Moira's building without being disturbed by Moira's guards. She kept walking until it was clear she wasn't being followed.
Was the strange shopkeeper trustworthy? Being the sole supplier of new dragon parts would be very lucrative for Moira, so it was in her interest to keep the secret.
She paused, disappointed in herself. Her being called out was proof that she wasn't as skilled as she thought she was. Trusting in being anonymous hadn't worked out. Why hadn't it worked? Maybe they didn't have as much trade as she thought. She hadn't considered the need to have an explanation for how she got on the island. This was far too sloppy. More planning had to go into this in the future if she dealt with anyone else.
Next on the list was her visit to Skjall, the trader who could provide most of the supplies and maps. She arrived at a pair of storage buildings and a main structure which had several guards out front.
Skjall's Sundries, gotta be the place.
She approached one of the men out front, presently playing cards on a barrel, "Is Skjall available?"
"Yeah, he's inside. You here on business or begging?"
"Business."
The guard yawned, "Fine, but no begging, preaching, or bothering him. He doesn't enjoy fools."
"Good. Neither do I."
She entered his establishment, passed a guard who had his eye on her, wove between rows of shelves and random goods, and found the man himself at a desk in a side room. There were shelves of scrolls, books, and random trinkets all around the room.
"Skjall?"
A middle-age, dark-beareded man dressed in fine furs stood up from table and greeted her.
"You found him. Well met, traveler. Who might you be? Haven't seen you in here before."
She paused and looked around his store before answering, "Call me Helga. I've been staying with relatives for a few weeks. Been a while since I was ashore here last. I hear you can provide maps, tools, and various goods."
"You heard well. What do you need?"
She withdrew a scroll Fishlegs-Skald had written with all the tribe's needed goods. Whetstones, building tools, moulds, reams of parchment or blank scrolls, writing utensils, repair tools, and new clothing were the main items to be acquired.
"As much as possible from that list."
He frowned while running down the list, "I see. Those are in stock. Yes. Probably not those. Quite a list here. You buying for a whole tribe?"
She got up and stood by the chair after glancing to the door, "You might say that. I'm not buying just for myself. Do you want my business or not?"
"Straight to the point. Fine. Let me do inventory and tally everything up."
She took a seat and waited for him to finish. With nothing to do, she observed all she could of the shop and its goods. Skjall's Sundries had probably seen better days in the past. It had a run-down feeling on the inside, somehow, with empty boxes and random items littered in the corners. Skjall himself also appeared slightly haggard. Business had probably been rough recently.
He finally returned, "I can have most of this ready within a few hours. Everything crossed out is probably unavailable anywhere on the island. I can send a runner to check with other merchants. The bottom is my price, negotiable if the other items can be found. I assume you have coin?"
He handed her the scroll with several items crossed out and a sum at the bottom of the scroll. The total price was much more than she had now, but she would have it and then some by the end of the day.
"Certainly. I can have that amount to you by sundown."
"By sundown? This is highly irregular."
She shrugged, "My circumstances are irregular as I have a sale pending. I'm not asking for anything delivered right now. Worst that happens for you is I don't show up later. By the way, what's your price for maps?"
"Three silver pieces for the local waters. Six pieces for the largest coverage and greatest detail. Anywhere in particular?" he asked.
"Northern and coastal."
He retrieved several scrolls which she checked over, one of which she bought.
"Thanks. I'll be back at sundown to deliver payment on everything else. Can you have the goods delivered somewhere for me?"
"Sure. Anywhere on the island, for a small fee of two pieces. Off-island, for a larger fee."
She stepped back from the table and flipped him a couple coins, "I already have storage and handling arranged. All I need is everything delivered at a designated location after nightfall. A few hired hands to carry everything should be good enough. Keep that as a small down-payment."
He sighed and sat down in his chair, "Sorry if I was at all impolite earlier. I was just… frustrated about my last big deal. Why did I agree to that price? Completely insufficient. Must have been that fire-water. Anyway, see you around sundown. Don't be late."
"I won't be. On the topic of drink, where could I go for a drink around here?"
"The 'Sloshed Sailor' down in the square by the docks. They can get a rougher crowd, but the innkeep and attendants there keep everything in order. It's safe for a woman to drink there alone, if that's what you're wondering."
"Thanks. Until later."
She pocketed the map, left his shop, and headed deeper into town, slowly making her way through the streets and alleys while remaining alert. Every person was suspicious, possibly following her or out to get her. So many possible enemies were all around.
It had been many years since she walked in the human world, always on a mission to gather information about trapper movements or Drago Bludvist's shadowy fleet. The port's streets were filled with the smell of dung from livestock, abandoned crates and barrels, guards marching on patrol, scantily-clad women showing off for men, strong men carrying supplies, and drunks wabbling on their feet or wallowing in the mud. The homes she passed had smoke billowing from their chimneys or the vents in their roofs. The only sounds were the echoes of distant conversation, a blacksmith banging on metal in the distance, and barking of dogs.
How could normal life and activity in a port city feel so strange and unfamiliar?
She arrived at the main square, looked around, and saw the place she hoped to find. Every port had a preferred mead hall or ale house. The Sloshed Sailor was already busy, even before midday. There was nowhere better to find out what had happened in the human world over the last few years than a mead hall or ale house. Drinks made for loose lips and easily-shared information. Further, the attendants within were sure to have heard about everything that happened on and off the island.