So, no berries.
Once we’ve claimed Bogberry Island, they will be aplenty.
I look forward to it.
Jhiton sheathed his weapons and gazed at him.Do you?
Look forward to eating fruit and desserts made from fruit? Always.
You know what I mean. You’ve expressed concerns about the chiefs’ intent and whenever the queen is involved…
Their intents are questionable.
And the rest?Jhiton raised his eyebrows.
Vorik shrugged.You know I have feelings for her. It’s not my fault she keeps involving herself in our war.
Jhiton gazed toward the sea, the roar of the waves audible through the trees. Bracing himself for something he wouldn’t like, Vorik waited, though he also sensed Agrevlari approaching, and was that Ozlemar and Chieftess Shi’s blue dragon, Uxtar, with him?
Where have you been?Vorik asked Agrevlari.Those aren’t your usual hunting companions.
Ozlemar ordered me to accompany him to scout the Island of Bogs from above the shield and locate with certainty the entrance to the human salt mine. Your leaders also hoped to find that there might be other older entrances that are less well known and would allow stealthy access by your people.
Were there?
Not that we were able to determine. Even the main entrance is not obvious from high above. Only rail tracks leading away from a building suggest its locale. Mining activities ceased while we were in the area, and Wreylith came to glare up at us.
From under the shield? Is she still trapped there?Vorik wondered if the dragon and Syla had figured that out yet.
She did not answer my questions, saying only that she would mercilessly remove my every scale and roast me alive if I partook in an invasion.
So, her love for you continues to deepen.
We exchanged some spirited insults. I believe she has grown to appreciate me.
Undoubtedly. Will you compose another ballad for her?Vorik watched Jhiton, still waiting for whatever he intended to say, but his steady gaze toward the sea suggested he was communicating telepathically with Ozlemar.
I believe I may challenge her to a rigorous but nonlethal duel instead. She’s not proven as enraptured by my singing as I would have believed based on my success with other females.
She’s a special dragon.
Most assuredly. Let me share what I saw from above as Ozlemar is doing with Jhiton. We were supposed to take careful note of terrain features that might allow you to approach stealthily, something that will be difficult when the enemy anticipates your arrival.
Definitely.
Imagery of the sprawling Bogberry Island, as seen from high above, filled Vorik’s mind. He’d flown over it before and was familiar with its many lakes, meandering waterways, and shallow bogs with greenery between.
That’s the lake near the mine entrance,Vorik said when Agrevlari’s attention focused on a wide body of water with numerous fishing boats and barges trolling about. Freshwater fish tended to be less challenging to acquire than the dangerous and often razor-fanged, tentacled, electrified, or venomous creatures that survived and thrived in the Sea of Storms.And the mine entrance?Vorik added as Agrevlari shared a couple of unassuming wooden buildings a half mile from the end of the lake. The tracks Agrevlari had mentioned were the only thing suggesting their purpose.
We believe so, yes.
“Those boats and barges are interesting,” Jhiton murmured.
“They are?” Vorik asked. “I thought they looked remarkably uninteresting.”
“The only road leading up to the mine passes that lake. If we could get people there first and perhaps station them on the boats, we could use range weapons to attack Kingdom troops being transported to the mine. That would give our parties more time to search without interruption.”
“Syla has to be telling them all about our plans. They’ll get people there before we arrive.”
