In the first nights while she crossed the Warren Downs, Elisheva had avoided capture using different methods of throwing her pursuers off her scent. Setting traps would be a gamble, and crossing a body of water was not feasible.
Forest fires are out of the question. It would also lead every other predator into the area – she had learned quickly that the cows of this world were dangerous omnivores as much as the wild dogs, small rodent creatures with massive overbites and other dangers.
The area was known for its treacherous terrain, with steep cliffs, rocky ravines, and dense forests that could be difficult to navigate.
And she remembered something while camping when there was a lack of products for masking the B.O. Some of the herbs had strong scent. Just like… Sage, rosemary and lavender! And some looked like a little dry but that's all the better.
This gave her a good idea. But she's gonna need something extra.
Elisheva found some rags lying in the hollow of an old tree left behind by some woodsmen perhaps. She shook them out, then used water from a nearby brook to rinse her hands, feet, face, and hair with the water she placed in a rather large acorn cupule so that the water is contaminated with the dead skin cells. Finally using a small raft of plants, she sent the rags off down the stream so that it could gradually drip her scent along.
That night she climbed up in the much higher branches of a tree, rubbing her clothes in the needed herbs – it won't last long, but it may have to do. For she noticed something else while sitting up there: A town in the distance.
And once she gets into a populated area, that could buy her some time by mixing with the locals and finding out what she needed.
It was summertime, Elisheva could tell because the days were longer, and because it was late February when she and her family were captured.
She was fortunate enough, the people from several houses down the road house took her word that she was a stranger visiting the town for the upcoming holiday, instead of an escaped foreigner. Thanks to her track running skills, she'd helped bring back strayed chickens in exchange for a single cloak and a small bag of coins.
There were moments when Elisheva could pretend that this was just a happy stroll through the countryside. That she'd decided to go on a road trip and enjoy the sights before attending the university of her choice.
But there's nothing happy about this excursion. Dad and Zev were taken to who knows where in this bizarre Fantasy world that's being slowly taken over by a nameless psycho. And Mom… she was gone. She'd died in a car crash just a year ago. And one can't change the past.
There's a lump in her throat, her lip was starting to quiver. No, no. Gotta keep it together! She had to find her father and brother.
Finally, Elisheva makes her way to the small town on the coast called Glipwood.
As she approached, she paused. Uh-oh, Fang sentries. What's more, there was a long table, seated behind it were two Fangs. One was skinny with an eye patch over the left eye. The second one was portly, dressed in a red garment with a brown vest covered in watches and epaulettes on the shoulders.
"Next!" called the one in the eye patch, while the second one watched with disinterested hooded eyes.
Judging from the line of people, it looked like they had to pay an entrance fee. People walked up and paid in either coins or other valuables. One morose lady in a sunhat handed over a garnet ring, the eye patched Fang studied it with critical eyes.
"Just a moment!" The portly Fang had grabbed the other Fang's wrist to take the ring in his big hand. His voice was throaty with a notable accent. He examined the ring, then grinned before placing it on his left pinky. "Shiney." He smiled, admiring the ring. A closer look revealed that the corpulent Fang had several rings and bracelets on his pudgy, green fingers and wrists.
"That neck silver too!" He then pointed to the pearl and zircon necklace around the woman's neck.
The poor woman was dismayed. "But it was my grandmother's!"
The Fang grunted in derision. He held out his left hand, opening and closing it as if to say, 'Hand it over!' Reluctantly, the woman handed over her necklace to the portly Fang.
Elisheva anxiously dropped her gaze to her own necklace, the final gift from her mother which she'd just been able to recover along with Zev's during her escape. And she quickly arranged her clothes to hide it under her shirt and new cloak, then readied the money bag.
"Next!"
A family of five, a grown woman with a long dark braid, a grizzled, thickset man and three children approached. The woman held a crate which contained something that smelled pretty awful. When she placed it on the table in front of the portly Fang, who opened it and eagerly sniffed it. Judging from his delighted expression, it must be some kind of delicacy for Fangs. This was further confirmed when he reached in, took a handful of what looked like meatloaf – with maggots!
Gross! Elisheva felt her stomach lurch at the disgusting sight. A well-dressed man in front of her looked ready to hurl.
"I mixed in a few more rat tails than last time," the woman who brought the crate said. "And I dusted the spider eggs with hogpig dander."
The portly Fang looked pleased with the repugnant dish. "If you wasn't a people, I'd almost like you. Next!" he snarled, green spittle dripping from his sharp teeth.
The family passed. Elisheva tried to keep her composure as she waited in line. She had to pay the entrance fee to enter Glipwood, but would it be enough? She also had her necklace, but she couldn't risk losing it. She needed to find a way to earn more money.
As she waited, she observed the people around her. Most of them seemed scared and desperate, willing to give up anything to enter the town. The Fangs were taking advantage of their situation, exploiting them for their own gain. Elisheva felt a surge of anger and frustration. She wished she could do something to help these people, but she knew she had to focus on finding her family first.
"Next!"
"I can do this." she sighed. Might as well get this over and done with.
Elisheva stepped forward and placed her coins on the table. The two Fangs stopped what they were doing and looked up at her. She could feel their eyes on her, and she suddenly became self-conscious. She tried to keep her hands steady and her face neutral, but she couldn't help feeling nervous.
"Wait," Vop, the eye-patched Fang, leaned forward and sniffed at her curiously. "She smells different."
Elisheva froze, she wondered if they could smell her fear.
The fat Fang - Commander Gnorm - raised an eyebrow, and regarded Elisheva with hooded, slit-pupiled eyes. "Different how?"
Vop shrugged. "I don't know. Just different."
Gnorm stood up and walked over to Elisheva, making the waiting people nearby shift nervously. The portly Fang leaned in and sniffed her. Elisheva tried to hold her breath, but she couldn't help exhaling a little bit.
Elisheva felt a surge of nerves. Did they know?
Then Commander Gnorm grunted dismissively. "I don't smell anything unusual," he said to Vop. "She's just a human. Pay up and move along, girl."
Elisheva breathed a sigh of relief and quickly handed over the coins. Gnorm snatched them up and tossed them into a nearby sack. Elisheva stepped away from the table, trying to seem calm and nonchalant, but she could feel the Fangs' curious gazes on her back as she walked away.
As she made her way into the town, she couldn't help but wonder why the Fangs had been so curious about her scent. It was probably nothing, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. She had to keep a low profile if she was going to find word of her father and brother.
Once Elisheva crossed the stone bridge, she was surprised to see the town bustling with activity.
The Dragon Day festival was in full swing, and it looked like people from all over the continent of Skree had gathered to celebrate in Glipwood. There were snippets of conversation that there would most likely be games and entertainment and the sea dragons that were said to dance and sing in the ocean below the town during their annual migration.
She couldn't help but feel a little envious of the carefree atmosphere, as her own life had been consumed by the struggle for survival in this new world.
As she walked through the town, she took in the sights and sounds around her. The air was thick with the smell of saltwater and the sound of gulls crying overhead. The streets were bustling with people, many of whom were dressed in bright colors and carrying baskets of food and drink.
She noticed that the Fangs seemed to be everywhere. They were patrolling the streets, manning checkpoints, and even mingling with the townspeople. Elisheva kept her head down and tried to blend in, hoping to avoid drawing too much attention to herself.
It was redundant seeing as there were plenty visitors from different parts of the country visiting, nevertheless, Elisheva avoided being spotted by blending in with a group of people from Dugtown.
If a push came to a shove she'd run, hoping she hadn't lost the running skills she'd used for track and field.
Now Glipwood had one main street with several buildings on either side. Shaggy's Tavern stood on the left, its dark green shingle bearing a picture of a dog with a pipe hanging from its mouth. Beside it was the biggest building in town, Glipwood's only inn. Its sign read, THE ONLY INN at the top and below that, in smaller letters, "Glipwood's Only Inn." The Shoosters, a kindly old couple, kept the inn warm and dean, and the smells that floated out of the kitchen made the whole township hungry. Across the street was a barbershop called J. Bird's, where Mr. Bird usually could be seen sleeping in one of his chairs. Next to the barbershop squatted the town jail, where Fangs lounged on the stoop and hurled insults at passersby. Wide, mossy oak trees stretched their boughs over the streets, offering welcome shade from the summer sun. Children with sticky faces straddled high limbs, munching on various desserts.
Occasionally a horse-drawn carriage would squeak by, its occupants peeking smugly out the window.
An old rickety building housed a bookstore called Books and Crannies. A sign hung in the window:
OSKAR N. RETEEP PROPRIETOR / BOOKSELLER / INTELLECTUAL / APPRECIATOR OF THE NEAT, THE STRANGE, AND/OR THE YUMMY
Elisheva grinned then feeling a little thirsty, she takes a chance to step into Shaggy's Tavern. Sure, she still wasn't old enough to drink, but maybe they might have different beverages or some munchies.
Inside, the place was filled with people from most likely different regions of Skree. A fancy man in green, possibly from Torrborro, was drinking something with blue fire on the top. The thickset older man she'd seen earlier was chatting with another villager at the counter as the bartender mixed drinks, and in the corner seated in a red armchair, an old musician played the lute. This certainly felt like a renaissance fair.
"Hey, hi there. You er, got some soda pop?" Elisheva walked right over to the counter, then placed her coins on it.
"No." The tavern owner, Shaggy, shook his head.
"Well, do you have any coffee?"
"Not since yesterday morning, lass." The man shrugged.
Elisheva started to look a little sheepish. "Alrighty, do you er, have some mocktails – I mean, the non-alcoholic drinks, please?"
"If you like lemonberry and lavender mixed in honey syrup, I'll whip it up then." Shaggy offered.
"Yes please." Elisheva nodded.
The bartender mixed up her drink in a pestle with water before placing it in a tankard, adding a dash of culinary lavender. The lemon berry had turned out to be a kind of bluish citric fruit freshly squeezed then the honey syrup.
"One lemonberry lavender brew for the lady!" He slid the tankard towards Elisheva.
"Thanks." Elisheva nodded once, then took a sip. "Mmm! This is great."
"Enjoy." Shaggy had started cleaning one of the mugs.
"So Shaggy, what's the news?" one of the men at the counter asked.
"Well, it's our nineth dragon day under the slimy boots of these fangs. Not feeling it. In my creaky knees mostly-"
"I meant news from the world."
"I've heard things, Podo… dark things."
Elisheva stole a glance. The man who spoke to Shaggy, Podo, was the one who'd arrived with his family at the town entrance. She probably shouldn't eavesdrop but it was hard not to overhear, however, she kept her eyes on her drink just to be polite.
"Dark how?"
"Ships with black sails going into the Phoob islands… Dark like trolls on the move in the linnard woodlands. It enough?"
"Rumor is black carriage took three children in Dugtown last month."
"They're taking children now?" The green clad man remarked. "When does this nightmare end?"
Elisheva sighed to herself. 'I'm asking the same thing…'
"No one can fight the Fangs." The same man who mentioned the rumor said sadly.
"No one can? Or no one will?" Podo questioned. "It ends when someone finds the spine to do something about it. That's when."
"And where's your spine, old timer?"
"Keeping me upright."
The pub main door suddenly burst open. There is dead silence and all are staring nervously, giving off an eerie atmosphere. Elisheva raised her head to see a very burly looking Fang at the entry, it's long tongue briefly flickering out. She felt her insides grow cold, was there going to be a brawl or something?
The foul beast looked around, then walked inside, hissing at a seated patron, who hurried away. The large Fang took a seat, stabbing it's spear into the wooden floor, then placed money on the counter in front of the disgruntled pub owner.
Shaggy took the coinage then served the Fang some bizarre concoction. The Fang guzzled down part of the drink then hissed at the seated musician holding his lute. The poor man pulled out a fork, then began scraping at the top of his instrument making a horrid scratching sound yet the Fang moved one of it's index talons as though it were listening to an upbeat tune.
Yeah, no. Elisheva finished her drink quickly but calmly then walked to the door. She did her best not to make eye contact with the seated Fang. Though that didn't stop it from sniffing her inquisitively as she passed by.
Aw, drat! It has to be her b.o., it attracts Fangs! The herbs were probably wearing out, she'd better get some more to mix in soon.
Once she was outside, Elisheva let out the breath she'd been holding. Slowly, she turned then noticed her reflection in the glass window. No wonder she easily mixed in with those Dugtown folks. Her clothes weren't rags yet, but they'd seen better days. Her face was a little pinched. She looked just like one of New York's underprivileged.
Next she glanced around, some of the people might appear wealthy, but no one truly is anymore. Now that she looked a little more closely, she saw the suits and dresses the so-called rich folk are wearing are tattered and patched. No earrings or necklaces adorn the women. No rings sparkled on the men's fingers. It's not just the clothes. They're down in the mouth, and it's a sadness no amount of money could repair.
From what the random farmers further down the road explained, people come to Glipwood to see the dragons because it's one of the only freedoms they have left. Sure, they sleep under their own roofs with their own families, and broken though it is, this is still their own land. She saw the way the people cowered away from the sneering Fangs on the jail stoop. There was sorrow underneath all the merriment.
It's a sad fact, but she had to mix with the locals then try to get information. Maybe the rumors or gossip can give her a clue.
Elisheva walked past people and saw a strange fellow walking on his hands in the middle of a circle. He was chanting the phrase "wings and dings and purple things" over and over, kicking his feet to the rhythm. His cheeks were sunken, his eyes were shadowed, and the creases around them gave him the look of having just finished crying. He wore ragged clothes and was filthy, as were the dingy knitted stockings he wore on his arms up past his elbows. Poor guy, he must be homeless. This was Peet the Sock Man, the local recluse, from the comments she overheard.
Suddenly, the blast of a horn pealed through the summer air and the crowd cheered. The games were starting. All day long, games would be played on Dunn's Green, the wide lawn on the east side of town. Participants and spectators would stay there for most of the afternoon watching sack races, handyball, Zibzy, and wiggle the chicken. Everyone lay on quilts in the soft grass and watched the sports, nibbling treats purchased in town.
Right after the games, a wooden wagon was pulled up and a round man with a black mustache climbed to stand in it like a stage. He looked like the burger meister of a German town. That was Mayor Blaggus.
"Gentle folk of Skree, welcome to Glipwood's annual Dragon day. We are truly indebted to our brave and magnanimous hosts presence here as ever." The mayor spoke. "I would particularly like to commend Commander Gnorm, where is he?"
There was a very deep growl from the back. Alarmed, Elisheva turned and saw three fangs on a small hill just several yards behind. One was quite muscular in red garments, Brak, the other was the one with the left eye patch, Vop. But the chunky one who'd been there supervising the entry fees was seated in a chair right in the middle. He was Commander Gnorm, the fattest and meanest Fang in Glipwood. His scaly smirk showed how much he was enjoying the mayor's groveling.
Elisheva winced a little, hoping he and the other Fangs don't see right through her.
"There he is! Thank you for your generosity in allowing us this one day of gladdish celebration remembrance of our stories history up to our celebration at the hands er, claws of the Fangs! Whose guidance and order have forever changed our lives into something so… very different. From what they once were."
Lame speech. Elisheva rolled her eyes. Apparently both people and the Fangs thought the same thing.
"Well anyway, may I present…" Mayor Blaggus cleared his throat. His tone changed abruptly to the regal, inflated voice he had used for many years before the Great War. "A favorite of town's near and far, the one and only: Armulyn, the Bard!"
The people clapped politely. A bedraggled man with wavy brown hair stepped up to the wagon with a worn whistleharp under one arm. The smile on his leathery face was mischievous.
Elisheva sat up straight in pleasant surprise. That was the first Skreean she'd met. And that was when she first discovered the portal on the giant tree in the park. When she walked through the portal straight into Aerwiar, Armulyn was the very first person to figure out she was from a whole different world, and gracious enough to warn her about the lurking dangers.
Armulyn greets the crowd, "My, don't you all look beautiful?" He notices Elisheva somewhere in the back and winked at her, "Most of you anyway…" he then said behind his hand, "Fangs are ugly!"
The applause ceased abruptly, some gasped, Elisheva raised her eyebrows, the mayor sputtered in shock, and the disgruntled Fangs hissed. That was when Armulyn began to sing.
Can you see the half-moon rising?
From the sea so dark and wild
Now Elisheva noticed, the Fangs reacted differently to his singing, it appears that it sounds jarring to their ears. Whereas the humans quite liked the song. She wondered if the Fangs would react the same way if they heard a siren from Greek mythology sing…
Far beyond the east horizon
Lies an island on the tide
Where the land was fair and plenty
And the queen was fairer still
And she walked beside her noble king
On the green of Rysen Hill
Amulyn sang a with Elisheva listening contently. It's not gospel or a Broadway show tune, but it's pretty cool.
Once he finished with his second song with the people slowly spreading out for different activities, Elisheva had gotten up to talk to him. The bard was pleasantly surprised to see her. "Milady, I did not expect to see you in Gliwood for Dragon Day. I thought you... Wha..." He was stunned when got a closer look at Elisheva.
"It's kind of a long story."
They talked for a short while, Elisheva mentioned she was only staying in Glipwood to find her family – which was part true.
Hmm, it's the afternoon already. And people were headed for the cliffs, probably to watch the sun set.
Elisheva made to follow, maybe she can find shelter for the night somewhere. Then she'll do some sleuthing.
But then something else caused Elisheva's ear to prick up. Nearby, a dog was barking frantically and a little girl was screaming.
To be continued…
Author's note: There you have it. Elisheva's first visit to Glipwood on Dragon day, but she won't be hitting the road just yet. If she wants to find her father and brother, she's got some investigating to do.
