“I’ve got an idea about that,” Herzer admitted as he loaded the mer-man back on his mount. True to his prediction the leather had stretched and was loose on the dragon.
“You mean other than siccing your girlfriend on them?” Pete asked.
The wyverns were warm, fed and balkish about flying. Furthermore there were no bluffs around and the omnipresent wind had died down to no more than a zephyr. So the dragons had to take off the hard way.
They turned into the wind and started hopping forward on their big hind legs, wings blasting downward with each hop. At each hop they got a little more speed and a little more height to flap with until they were finally, barely, airborne.
It was the first time Herzer had taken off that way and he didn’t like it any more than Pete, who complained vociferously. Herzer had to bury his face into the dragon so that his head wouldn’t be slamming into its back with each landing and he now understood, plainly, why dragon-riders hated to take off anywhere that there wasn’t a bluff, a good wind or, preferably, both.
“So, you guys want us to fight for you or what?” Pete asked, as they flew back to the rendezvous.
“Yes, and or what,” Herzer answered, honestly. “New Destiny is building a fleet to invade the UFS. We’re going to fight it but there’s a lot of the buggers. We’re looking for the help of the mer for scouting and, probably, to attack the fleet.”
“There’s not much we can do to ships,” Pete said.
“There’s a guy on the ship that’s on its way that could probably come up with some ideas,” Herzer said. “But New Destiny has some seafolk on their side. Specifically the orcas.”
“I’ll have to admit I haven’t met a single decent person who has turned themselves into an orca,” Pete muttered.
“And we’re willing to do more than just ask,” Herzer continued. “The ship has some materials on it, things we thought you might need. Beryllium bronze knives and spearheads. Beryllium bronze is more resistant to corrosion than the usual type. There’s even some things made of stainless steel that the dwarves dug up and we ground down. And wasn’t that a job.”
“Those would help,” Pete admitted. “But couldn’t we get the same things from New Destiny? Or by trading, for that matter?”
“It’s a long way from the dwarves,” Herzer pointed out. “What can’t they get from others that are closer? And Raven’s Mill has the best textile and rope manufacturing on the East Coast; we’re where the cord for your nets is being made. We can sell that closer, too. I wouldn’t say you need us more than we need you. But it’s close to equality.”
Pete didn’t answer that, just gestured at the ground, which was already dark although the dragons were still flying in the last shreds of sunlight.
“Can the dragons land in this?” he asked.
“As long as it’s not on a carrier,” Herzer said with a laugh.
“A carrier?”
“How do you think we got here?” Herzer said. “You’ll see. In a few days after it beats its way around to us.”
They landed by the lighthouse, without incident, stripped the harness off the dragons and unloaded Bast’s catch. The wyverns immediately hopped over to the shelter of the bluff to be out of the wind and tucked their heads under their wings, nodding off into sleep.
“I’ll go find Edmund,” Joanna said, walking into the water.
“I’m for town,” Pete said, gesturing at the fish and the lobster. “Can I take those?”
“And what do you think I caught them for, young mer-man?” Bast laughed. She picked up one of the fish and strode towards the water leaving her gear, and her clothes, in a trail behind her.
Pete picked up the string of lobster and looked at the other tuna.
“Herzer?”
“Got it,” he said, hefting the fish with difficulty. He had long ago realized that Bast was stronger than he was but it was a bit shaming to have to struggle with the single fish when she had carried two of them easily.
Pete crawled to the water on his hands and submerged without a ripple and Herzer quickly followed him, fumbling with the combination of fish, mask and flippers.
The water trailed green phosphorescence around him as he strode into the water and he submerged quickly, following the faint luminous trail that Pete and Bast left. Bast was in the lead and seemed to know exactly where she was going.
“Bast?” Herzer called. “Two things. One, slow down. Two, how do you know where you are?”
“I was here years ago, Herzer,” Bast said, slowing down to let him catch up. “I’m not sure how long ago, but I recognize it. And there’s only one place for a mer colony around here.”
“I’ve never heard of you,” Pete said. It was clear that he thought he would have.
“The great grandfathers of the mer today were not yet born when I was here, young mer,” Bast laughed.
“That was… a long time ago,” Pete said.
“There was a mer colony in the Isles before the AI wars, mer-man,” Bast said, softly. “Even then they were repairing the damage. I recall when the Port Crater was made. And why,” she added in nearly a whisper.
The response from Pete was an untranslatable whistle.
The town when they reached it was lit in a fairy tale glitter. Luminescent fish swam around the square while the entrance of each canyon was lit by glowing globes.
“The fish are attracted here by feeding,” Pete said. “Careful feeding. The lit globes are a type of sessile sponge; I think it was genegineered.”
“It was,” Bast said. “By the Bettel corporation as a type of underwater toy. Just as the wyvern were created by the Disney Brothers corporation.”
“You were there?” Herzer asked.
“No, but in days when I was created genesis was still well known,” Bast said. “These latter days… humans have forgotten most of their history. Fire lizards, wyverns, even great dragons, were all created by Disney genegineers. They’ve been tinkered with over years, but that is original genesis. Disney even did first work on mer, young mer-man. So owe your genesis to creators of dragons.”
The arrival of the fish, and the lobster, was greeted with acclaim, and Jason pushed himself to the front of the mob that crowded around Pete.
“Good job, Pete,” Jason said.
“Not me,” Pete answered, waving at the naked elf next to him. “Thank Bast here.”
“Bast,” Daneh said, swimming up through the crowd. “I think we need to find you a bathing suit.”
“Why?” Bast said. “I’m no more naked than the mer. Those slits on their fronts have a purpose, Daneh Ghorbani.”
Daneh just chuckled and shook her head. “Whatever.”
“This gift… it is a gift, right? This gift is much appreciated, Miss…?” Bruce said.
“Bast,” Bast replied, sticking out her hand. “Pleased to meetcha.” She somehow retained her position in the water even while shaking hands with the mer-leader.
“How did you…?” Bruce said, gesturing at the giant tuna she was holding by one gill-plate.
“Oh, no,” Pete said, waiting for the dread pun.
“What’s wrong?” Bast said with a grin. “Fish are curious. I just let their curiosity be their undoing. It’s an old trick.”
“Well, however you did it, we appreciate it,” Bruce said. “Pete, can you divide it?”
“Here,” Edmund said, swimming over most of the crowd. “Use this,” he said, holding out a knife.
“Heavy,” was all that Pete said as he used it to slide through the skin of the fish. “And sharp.”