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When Adalai first suggested using the fact that they’d eaten a dragon to make imprisoning them unappealing to the Benthic Cassian thought it was a clever idea. As he mulled it over he came to like it more and more. There really was no reason to think the prisoners were lying when they said they hadn’t heard of Cazador. If the Benthic hadn’t captured his brother staying among them wasn’t going to do Cassian any good and he didn’t see the point in beating around the bush when they went to visit the captain.

So he brought up the dragon’s fate immediately.

When she heard it Captain Trill burst out laughing and her subordinates joined in.

In the strictest sense it wasn’t laughter. The fronds and fins along their bodies rippled and spasmed, expanding and contracting rhythmically in time with a strange burping sound. It conveyed much the same meaning as laughter, though.

Cassian belatedly realized how absurd his claim sounded. There were plenty of stories about people killing dragons in Nerona. However he couldn’t think of any tales where a dragon was slain by fewer than ten people. Usually there were entire companies of men involved.

“Killed a dragon, did you?” Trill asked when she recovered herself. “I suppose you’ve spoken to all four Kings at the Corners of Eternity to confirm its death?”

“Just three of them,” Adalai replied, a surprisingly bitter tone in his voice.

Trill’s head moved to look at him with a looping motion. She studied him with a strange intensity then asked, “Which three were those?”

Adalai matched her stare for stare. “All save the King of Dawn.”

“Your thoughts on the Lord of Folded Waters?”

“We’ve never met. First time in the ocean after all.”

“These are not joking matters, dry born.”

“I didn’t invoke the Guardians of Eternity, captain.”

“And I was very serious about the dragon,” Cassian added, shooting Adalai a meaningful look. He wasn’t sure why the other a man was suddenly so irate. It didn’t really matter, either. The important thing was to convince the Benthic to let them go so that they could get back to searching for Cazador. “Two or three days ago it attacked us with several dozen of your people in its thrall. We lured it into the tunnels where your guards found us. Once it was there we collapsed the ceiling on it, which was enough to kill it.”

“Is this true?” Braxton asked, the question directed to Marta. “You will swear to it on the name of Clan Towers?”

“It is, Baron Green,” Marta said, placing her right hand on her left shoulder and half bowing from the waist. “Once the dragon was dead its hunger overtook us and we devoured it.”

“Then it must be so,” Braxton said. He turned his attention to Trill. “I’ve never heard of anyone eating a sea or river dragon but it could very easily grant the ability to breath water.”

“That may be so,” Trill agreed. “But it is very convenient, don’t you think?”

“How so?” Cassian asked.

The Captain’s frills twitched and she turned her attention to him. “The Baron tells me you are trying to retrieve a caravan you believe was stolen by the Benthic, are you not?”

“We are,” Cassian said, well aware that he was suddenly on very shaky ground. “However we have no reason to suspect that you did so. Most likely the dragon stole the caravan to sate its lust for gold and treasure. The signs of Benthic involvement no doubt came from its thralls. What use do normal Benthic have for air breather’s treasure?”

“Very little,” Trill admitted. “Though many things created by the most Gifted of you are just as useful to us as to you. But while the things we value are different the way we act to acquire them is not.”

Cassian pulled a your face. “You think we’re lying about killing the dragon so you will let us go.”

The fronds on her head lowered until they were nearly flat against her head. “A Benthic might do so. Are humans any different?”

“Not at all,” Cassian said. “However it’s very easy to prove we aren’t lying because I can take you to the place where we killed the dragon.”

Trill nodded, an action that looked very unnatural with the way it set her entire serpentine body bobbling. “That is a start.” She pointed at Verina. “Can you lead me to the place where the dragon was killed?”

“No,” Verina replied. “Cassian was the only one who could see in the mines. Adalai may be able to navigate there by touch, his Gift tends that way, but I couldn’t.”

Cassian resisted the urge to glare at her. The Linnorm had done a great deal more of the navigation than he had, Verina’s nature spirit would have a much easier time getting back to through the mines than he would. The deception didn’t make a great deal of sense to him. Undercutting her in front of the Benthic made even less sense so he let Verina’s gambit stand. “Is there something wrong with me taking you there?”

“I was simply wondering if you would take us to the same place,” Trill said.

“A fair thing to wonder,” Adalai said. “But there may be an easier way for us to prove the dragon is dead. Not that we ate it, but that the dragon is dead.”

“What does that a matter?” Trill leaned close to him to ask the question. “The Benthic are not quick to suffer the presence of dragon eaters but a dragon slayer? Dangerous in their own right, to be sure. However, not much more dangerous than any other dry born once in the ocean’s embrace.”

“It enslaved a number of your people, didn’t it?” Adalai asked. “They’re free now. I would think we deserve some consideration for that.”

“I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood the situation,” Braxton said. “Not surprising, we’re dry born after all. See, the Benthic in the Gulf and the Benthic outside are essentially different and very hostile nations. The sea dragon spends – or spent – most of it’s time on the ocean side of things. Although it abducted Benthic from both sides, ocean Benthic were the vast majority of victims. Any Gulf Benthic in its thrall when the dragon died were likely taken prisoner by the ocean faction.”

“Eaten,” Trill corrected. “The Benthic Tidallais are not of our ways. There are no treaties between us and them nor are the Benthic as a whole as given to mercy as the dry born.”

“And that’s saying something given how rare it is among us,” Adalai muttered.

Cassian folded his arms then quickly reversed the motion, remembering Braxton’s warning about Trill recognizing human body language. Better to avoid anything seeming too hostile. “It seems you don’t believe we slew and ate a dragon, which I suppose I can understand. That being the case, why did you call us here? It can’t be just to discover how we can breathe water.”

“That is a significant part of it, dry born,” Trill said. “The more we understand about the ways you can survive here the better we can be prepared for you. However we also wanted to know what part of the arid lands the dragon was hunting in. The Tidallais tend to avoid its movements and our patrols must shift to match theirs.”

“All the more reason to confirm the dragon’s death don’t you think?” Adalai asked.

Once again Trill swiveled about, bobbing along with the chamber’s gentle waves. “The dragon is not dead.”

“But we can show you where the body was,” Marta protested. “Part of the body will still be there, won’t it? It was on the other side of the cave-in and we couldn’t get to it.”

“The Benthic likely ate it,” Verina said. From the tone of her voice it sounded like the Linnorm had looked and seen exactly that happen.

“And a cave-in does not prove the dragon is dead,” Trill added.

Adalai turned to the table-like rock in the middle of the room. “Have you discovered where the sea dragon makes its lair?”

Cassian followed his gaze and realized the table was cluttered with rocks that created a passable map of the Drownway and, presumably, the surrounding sea floor. Trill considered him with her fronds prickling and twitching. “We have places we think it may be.”

“Then we can go to its lair. No dragon could possibly abide intruders in its lair so if it doesn’t come to kill us then it must be dead.”

“That would prove it,” Trill said after a moment’s thought. “However I don’t have any reason to risk my guards on this wild scheme of yours.”

“You actually do,” Braxton said. “In fact, you have two of them. First, as Signore Carpathea pointed out, you have an obligation to find out if the sea dragon is dead or not. Second, dragons collect treasures. Much of what a dragon values isn’t as valuable to the Benthic but their hoards often have at least a few Artifacts, Talismans or other powerful magical items scattered about. You can’t afford to let those fall into Tidallais hands.”

Her fronds snapped flat again. “And for a few trinkets I should risk sending a dozen of my best guards across the arid lands into the currents of the Tidallais?”

Sensing opportunity Cassian stepped forward and swept off his hat in spite of the awkwardness of the water. “Captain, I think you misunderstand what my friend Adalai was saying. When he said we should go to the dragon’s lair he didn’t mean the Benthic. He meant us – four of Nerona’s finest bravos. There are many tasks too important to ignore yet too dangerous for civilized folk. These fall to our kind. Humble servants who risk ourselves in exchange for a few coins and the promise of glory. You wish for someone to descend into the dragon’s lair and confirm its death? Look no further.”
The Benthic captain watched his speech dispassionately and let the silence after he finished grow long. Eventually she said, “What was your name, dry born?”

“Cassian Ironhand, at your service.” He considered offering a bow but decided that might be laying it on a little thick.

“Do you realize you’re a prisoner here?”

“If I didn’t would I try so hard to change that fact?”

“I have no gold or glory to offer you.”

“I will settle for our freedom, captain.”

Trill was quiet a second longer then she turned to the table map and said, “Show me where you met the dragon. It may help us narrow down where its lair is.”

A wash of intense satisfaction swept over Cassian. For the first time since his brother went missing he felt like things were definitely going his way. He eagerly approached Trill’s map to begin discussing the details when Adalai stopped him. He brought the underwater speaking pearl in his hand up until it almost touched his lips. “Cassian.” Surprisingly his voice came out in a whisper. “You do realize that a dragon doesn’t kidnap people unless it thinks it can ransom them, right? I’m sorry to say that if the dragon robbed the caravan your brother is likely dead.”

Cassian matched the other man’s posture and replied, “Perhaps. Let us wait and see.”

Adalai made a noncommittal sound but moved out of his way. Cassian joined the Benthic at the table and tried to hide how Adalai’s words killed his positive mood. He was growing more and more worried that Adalai was right.