The river also explained the expansionist plans, the reason they were looking to Princeton. Breslau existed in a thin strip of land next to the sea. On the other side were impassable mountains and nobody he’d heard of had ever crossed them. Most of the Breslau landscape was desert so dry that no plants grew.
A small river fed Breslau City, and he’d be willing to bet most of the inhabitants were forearm-tattooed Crabs. But he believed most other people lived along the river, the one so secret that it didn’t seem to have a name. The Royals would live there except for a few who occupied the decoy castle, that is if any actually did live there. The Freemen would all live along the river, farming, trading, manufacturing, and joining the army.
The two problems became over-population and irrigation. As the population increased, so did the need for farmland and water, but more people meant less space for farms. He had no doubt Carrion would find irrigation canals, but at some point, all the land that can be farmed is used, and the population continues to increase. Assuming the irrigation had reached its maximum farmland, there are only two possibilities. Shrink the population or locate new lands.
Tanner drew in a long breath and let it out slowly as the implications worked themselves out in his mind. They had stumbled upon a plot to invade Princeton that must have been devised at least two or three generations ago, perhaps longer. Breslau planned for the long term. They intended to get everything laid out where they would be successful.
It was not a choice. If they failed, Princeton would retaliate with a vengeance. Since the entire wealth and power of Breslau lay along the river in one concentrated area, the armies of Princeton would know where to attack. Their plan was put into motion with the arrival of their green dragons. The general population would not notice them among the other dragons, green, red, black or tan.
The only major problem in their way was the Dragon Clan. They realized the greens were invaders from the first. No, not from the first. Tanner felt the blood drain from his face. What if Breslau had always been behind King Ember’s fanatic extinction of the Dragon Clan? What if they had agents in place to influence the kings of Princeton to hate the Dragon Clan?
The Captain had told them he and many other ships had sailed across the sea until the last twenty or thirty years. In the Marlstones, the Harbor Master and all appointed officials were from Breslau. Any businesses friendly to sailors were purchased and closed in the last ten years.
But there was more. The warehouses and bunkhouses constructed in Shrewsbury. The ones Carrion’s dragon had destroyed, but were not essential to an invasion, he realized. While they would help, the army could camp in tents. The same could be said about the weapons stored at the monastery. They were gone, but the army would certainly bring their own. They just wouldn’t have the replacements they wished.
Which meant nothing that Carrion and Tanner had done would prevent an invasion. It might inconvenience one, but not stop it.
“Are you listening to me?” Carrion asked, breaking Tanner’s intense concentration.
“What? No, I didn’t hear you.”
Carrion said, “We’ve passed over two large cities, bigger than any in the Northlands or Princeton. The farmlands spread out beside the river as far as I can see.”
“Look for the military.”
“That was what I was going to tell you. Both cities have armies camped near the edges, rows and rows of tents. Parade grounds, cook tents, practice fields and so on. But that’s not the worst. Along the shore are military ships. Maybe a hundred in each city. All lined up ready to launch.”
“Let me guess. Medium size, wide bodies. Able to carry a hundred troops and their gear.”
“Close enough. I’d say they could be loaded and sailing in three days. Both cities.”
“You’re going to find three more just like it. I’ve been thinking and managed to put things together. When you’re finished, we need to talk, and you can try and find where I went wrong.”
Carrion sat up and said, “I just ordered my dragon to fly higher into the clouds and wait for me to return so I can talk to you. It seems like you’ve discovered more than me, and you didn’t leave the cabin.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Carrion listened to Tanner’s explanations, insights, suspicions, and guesses. In the end, he simply sat and nodded that he agreed with all or nearly all that Tanner said. When the known information was combined, it provided the needed basis to extend the thinking to fill in the missing pieces. In the end, Carrion didn’t disagree with anything.
Carrion sat and thought, much like Tanner had until he put it all together into one cohesive summary. He said in a sour sounding tone, “I guess it’s my job to confirm your guesswork.”
“Guesswork? I prefer to believe it is my critical thinking you’re defaming,” Tanner smirked.
Carrion shrugged, then in all seriousness, he said, “Now you are beginning to understand why the family council appointed you to be in charge. You’re the smart one. Don’t get all impressed with yourself from what I just said. I’m going back to join with my dragon while I think about this.”
Later in the day, Carrion again sat up and rubbed his eyes. “You were right, my friend. Three more military encampments, one in each city, and ships lined up on the shore. My dragon was not seen, and it’s now perched on the side of a hillside eating two deer that were too slow to escape.”
“Two?”
“Flying increases the appetite.”
Tanner said, “You know your dragon could attack and destroy the ships in all five cities, right?”
“And you know that if their king wants to invade our lands, he will simply seize merchant ships and sail on time. He can also wait while the others are repaired or replaced, but it’s like burning Shrewsbury. It’s an inconvenience that delays, but it prevents nothing. It would also get my red killed when they realize what happened. There would be plenty of witnesses. He might not even get to the second one before a dozen green dragons would tear him apart.”
“Slowing the invasion down isn’t enough. We have to look for a way to stop it.”
Carrion said, “If you’ve guessed right about Breslau wanting to destroy the Dragon Clan, we do have to look for more evidence. Invading Princeton and the Northlands is one thing, but if they have been behind the murders and near extinction of our families, it becomes personal.”
“And survival for our families.”
“Survival,” Carrion repeated as if the word was a threat or a promise.
The following day there were too few clouds for flying safely without being seen, and the same the day after. However, the third day was overcast with low clouds that allowed the red to fly north along the coastline. A few small fishing villages were near equally small streams, but the lack of flowing water kept most of the coastline devoid of villages, town, or cities.
For most of the flight, there were very few small trees, shrubs, or even dried grass. There were small patches of cacti and similar desert plants, but even they were shriveled, brownish, and desperate for water.
Carrion said he would keep the red hidden in the clouds until he reached the city. He would fly upriver and find a place to water and feed the dragon. If the clouds remained low, he would attempt to fly over the city at night. They had agreed that there was probably not a lot to be found out from flying over, but it was worth the effort.
They also agreed that setting foot in the city was risky, but it needed to be done for several reasons. That brought up the possibility that they might be killed or captured. What of the information they’d gathered if they didn’t return? What was the best way to make sure it reached the right hands?