Tessa was older than Gray’s mother and taller than him. Over her lifetime, she had accumulated enough knowledge of soldiering and hunting to make her the envy of the family watchers. She remained at his side, still and silent, until she knew what she was looking at.
Tessa said, “I’ve spotted two of them.”
“The other’s out front. The scout.”
“I see him now. They’re probably from Princeton or the mountains. Not around here. Only idiots, or people who don’t know the drylands, would be out there in the late afternoon. What bothers me is their direction. Why go that way? There’s no water in that direction until they reach the Endless Sea, but they’ll never get that far. They’re as good as dead.”
Gray waited, allowing her to work it out for herself.
She watched until they were almost out of sight. “Their water is probably already gone. I’m still worried. Even though they’re ignoring the entrance to our canyon.”
“They think something dangerous is right in front of them.”
“Yes, they’re not sweeping for clues. They act like they know where they’re going, but there’s nothing in front of them but emptiness.”
This is the time. “If you send people after them, I want to go.”
Tessa pulled away before answering. “The council will decide. Come.”
Gray didn’t like the response. He waved an arm. “We can’t leave the watchtower with a triad out there.”
“Of course not. Anna will watch them.”
“She’s inexperienced and not here.”
“Even so, I’ll send her back, and she will watch and notify us if anything changes.”
Keeping up with Tessa proved to be difficult. Her long legs carried her up the valley faster than some people ran. She spotted Anna in the distance and waved to attract her attention. A fast explanation to the girl sent a hesitant Anna alone to the ‘watchtower’. Tessa and Gray traveled up the valley to where a spread of juniper and cacti grew so tightly packed together it appeared impenetrable.
She led the way into the thick shrubbery and ignored the branches and scratches that came with passing. When the branches grew too thick to pass while standing, she dropped to her knees and crawled. Gray followed in the soft sand.
He always appreciated that any stranger exploring the dead-end valley would never realize that beyond the impenetrable appearing juniper and cacti covered wall of the canyon was another blind valley. It butted up against tall, craggy cliffs of barren mountains. The family carefully cultivated the juniper and cacti, as had been the case for longer than anyone knew.
Just beyond the cacti, he stood up and climbed the last of the slope, well behind Tessa. Inside the second canyon, he paused at the rim to peer at the familiar sprawling valley where he could see sturdy houses, grasslands, and a stream that fed a lake. Most called it Oasis. A green place of water and gardens built in a desert. His home.
Even from the distance, he saw four children playing a game of tag near the shore. Someone was fishing in the lake from a rowboat. Near the small dock, a pair of teenagers shoved and pushed, each trying to get the other to fall into the water. In the rugged mountains beyond the valley, dragons roosted, usually the smaller reds. Now and then a black or green dragon stayed a season, but seldom more.
Last year Gray had listened to stories told by Fleet, a watcher from the Bear Mountain family. Raymer had become bonded with a dragon. Fleet visited the dragon lairs near his home for months until they finally allowed him to approach. While they never encouraged his visits, they, at least, tolerated him. After hearing Fleet’s stories, Gray started visiting the reds roosting near his home.
Only two dragons were there last spring. One of them sat on a clutch of eggs. He knew better than to go near her. The other dragon eyed him carefully but did not seem to object to his presence, as if it understood he was Dragon Clan. As they spent time together, Gray became more sensitive in recognizing the touch of pain on his back when a dragon was near. He could feel the tingling sensation now. The touch was light, persistent, and somehow reassuring.
Sawyer, the family clan leader, was already sitting in the shade of the apple orchard with the other council members gathered around. His white hair and beard gave him the appearance of age that his quick actions belied. Tessa glanced behind. Gray still followed, ignoring her impatient expression. She stopped in front of the council and without preamble gave her report. It was concise, abrupt, and it provided the brief account of the information about the triad, including her questions as to their direction. She ended her report by suggesting one of her watchers should follow those soldiers deeper into the drylands.
Only then did she sit. Gray found himself alone on his feet, yet he did not feel uncomfortable. After being on watch and lying down all morning, standing was a relief. Only four of the council members were present, but that was more than enough to send out a watcher.
“I want to go.” Gray heard words escape from his mouth before he was prepared to speak.
All eyes turned to him. He felt the judgment in them. In more than ten years of being a watcher, he had never once volunteered for family service beyond the canyon walls. He sensed their unasked questions but lifted his chin defiantly and waited. There was so much more he could say to them, but sometimes silence says more than words.
Sawyer looked back at Tessa. “Your opinion?”
She said, “We need someone to follow the triad. I don’t like the idea that it passed right by us. I also don’t like their direction.”
“Because they’re heading for Fleming?” Sawyer asked. “Or because they will never reach it?”
Tessa stood and paced as she spoke. “When Fleet and I were in Fleming, the others didn’t exactly welcome us. They had their green dragon attack Fleet’s. Considering that, do we owe them a warning?”
The clan leader remained calm and spoke softly. “We’re in danger because of their green dragons. One may fly over us any day and discover the location of Oasis. They may tell the king. Our lives here will end on that day. Yet, it’s true their greens continue attacking and killing the dragons we protect. You don’t know what’s best for us to do now, and neither do we. We’re fighting for our existence.”
“We’ve made changes,” Tessa relented.
“Yes. We now have three routes to escape our valley if we should be attacked. Each member of our family now knows of them, where to meet, and some know the routes to other families. We have made progress, but we can’t allow these circumstances to dictate our lives.” Sawyer gave a single nod to the other council members as if his words were stone.
Emma, a woman almost as old as Sawyer, and far more outspoken said, “We have two choices. We can venture out and protect our family by knowing and planning for what’s coming, or we can play turtle and pull our heads into our shells and pretend nothing dangerous is out there.”
“I want to go,” Gray repeated, seeing a chance to reinforce his position.
Sawyer turned and met eager eyes with his calm demeanor. “Tell me why.”
That was not the answer or question he expected. But he was prepared to fight for the right. They waited for him to speak. He chose his words carefully. “I don’t have a firm reason, at least not one I can clearly define. But I spotted the triad on my watch, and it’s time I do more than lay up there day after day.”
Sawyer and the others still waited for more. All looked at him expectantly, but patiently, as if knowing there was more to come.
“Ever since Fleet came here to warn us, I’ve had this feeling of inadequacy. Like I should do more. Fleet traveled all the way here from Bear Mountain. I’ve heard some of his stories. He’s a hero. So is Tessa. In a few days, Fleet accomplished more than I have in my entire life. Does this explanation make sense?” Gray lowered his eyes, knowing he sounded like a child and deserved their scolding.