Chap. 300 Dreadful Marsh

Chap. 300 Dreadful Marsh

They’d resumed the survey where they’d left off, that being at the northern edge of the marshland called Dreadful Marsh.

B’rost, flying point, swooped down to more closely examine a small clearing in the marsh sedge. It was roughly circular, with a sluggish stream bisecting it. The sedges surrounded it, creating an impenetrable barricade. There was a small flat ledge of basalt, poking just a meter above the sand.

“Look!” Risal said from behind B’rost, “I see tracks on the sand.”

“I do, too!” B’rost said. “K’ndar! There’s tracks on the shore!”

“This far out? Good grief, how in the world did they make it through all that sedge?” K’ndar called back. He and D’mitran were higher up. Raventh and Careth began to circle over the clearing.

“I have to get pictures of it,” Risal said. “Can Rath land in that small a space?”

B’rost was about to boast that Rath could do anything, but he stopped. It DID look cramped, even for a blue.

What do you think? Can you land in that?

Rath had been thinking the same thing.

See that ledge? I can land there, it’s almost in the middle. But it’s too small for Careth or Raventh Rath said.

“It’s much too small for Careth,” D’mitran called.

K’ndar judged it. “Same for Raventh.”

“I want to get some photos of the tracks, K’ndar,” Risal repeated. It was her turn to use the molecular camera.

“I don’t know, Risal,” K’ndar hedged. He wanted very badly to get photos of human activity in this miserable wilderness of vicious sedge, but was it worth it?

B’rost called, “Rath can do it. He’s agile. I can land on that slab of rocks. And it’s my turn to annotate proceedings.”

I hate being the leader, K’ndar thought. But B’rost and Rath were a good team. B’rost had outgrown some of his foolhardiness, but was still willing to take risks. And he knew Rath was not only agile, but had the sense not to do something rash.

“I’ll leave it up to you,” he called.

“Here we go!”

Rath circled the clearing, getting a good view. Then he lowered gently, flapping mightily in case he had to abort the landing. His hind legs touched the rock. It felt steady, so he dropped to his forelegs.

Well done! Once again, we show the big dragons just how good a blue is B’rost said.

Rath laughed.

“You can’t see a thing over the sedges,” he said, “And you’d have to be wafer thin to fit between the sedges. Who in their right mind would come here?”

“I don’t think it’s manmade, B’rost. It looks to me as if it’s just the remains of a flood,” Risal said. She took several pictures. “See the ripple marks? It has to have been left over from the rains.”

“The water must have been rushing to tear out the sedges. But in a circle? See how they line the clearing? Maybe you’re right. It shoved the sedges right in amongst the rest.”

B’rost took a deep breath. “It’s close here, muggy. It feels as if there’s only half the oxygen.”

He swiped at an enterprising bug.

“May I have a knee, Rath? I need to get a close look at those tracks. They don’t look human,” Risal said. She unbuckled. Rath offered her a knee.

She patted him. “Thank you, Rath.”

“Don’t get off the rock ledge without checking the sand, first,” B’rost warned. “It doesn’t look too firm.”

“I know. I can smell it. It stinks, that means anaerobic activity. I bet the water table is just beneath the surface.”

“That’s what I’m thinking,” he said, “So be CAREFUL.”

“Says B’rost the Bold! But don’t worry. I’ll be careful,” she said. How like B’rost, she thought, to be so caring and kind. He’s become such a good friend. I was so disappointed when he told me. We click on so many levels, he’s funny and smart, he’s offered to fly me to wherever I might want to go, and he’s so handsome! It’s not fair that he’s gay!

Above them, K’ndar and D’mitran circled.

“K’ndar, see that outcropping, to the east? It’s well above the sedges. I’m going to land there and take readings,” D’mitran said.

“Aye,” K’ndar said, seeing the outcrop. It was about half a kilometer away. It pierced the solid wall of sedges, only the top was visible. “Might as well, I don’t see another break in the marsh, even from this height.”

“Yes, but we’re just at the beginning. This marsh looks as if it goes to the horizon.”

Careth dipped a wing and sailed off to the east.

Risal put a tentative foot on the sand. Rath turned his tail towards her.

Tell her to grab my tail if she needs to.

“Risal. Take a step, just one. If you feel yourself sinking in, pull it back up. Grab Rath’s tail if you need to. I don’t want you getting mired.”

“I see where the sedges were. It’s all stubble, see? Someone cut all these sedges down almost to the sand.”

“I don’t know, Risal. There’s an awful lot piled up along the edges of this clearing.”

She tapped the sand under her foot. It quivered slightly, telling her the water was very close to the surface. But it was firm enough for the tracks, she thought. She put more weight on the foot. The sand bore it. Okay. She put both feet on the sand. She sank in, just a little. She took a step. The sand resisted releasing her for a moment, then released. Water immediately filled in where her foot had left an impression.

“It’s viscous. I’m sticking, a little, but so far I’m alright. Phew, it stinks.”

She stepped, tentatively, then with more assurance. The sand held her weight. She moved towards the stream. It looked shallow enough to be forded on foot.

“Is the sand firm enough for Rath?” B’rost asked.

“No. I wouldn’t try it, B’rost. This isn’t really beach, just uncovered riverbed. I think I’m probably pushing the limits here.”

Above them, Siskin, from his perch atop Raventh’s head, hissed, softly.

K’ndar, watching the proceedings below him, didn’t hear it. Raventh’s circling took him over the vast expanse of sedge.

I don’t like circling very much Raventh said.

We’re not accomplishing anything doing this, are we.

No.

Ask Careth if there’s room for us on his outcrop.

He says, yes.

“B’rost, how do you feel about my joining Careth? Do you need me to be hanging overhead?”

B’rost shrugged. “Not really, K’ndar. We’re good. This shouldn’t take long.”

“Get some good shots, Risal. Once you’re done, launch and then we’ll all continue on south.”

“Aye, boss!”

Raventh turned east, and as he flew towards Careth’s perch, Siskin launched.

Where is he going?

Siskin says he saw fish in the water

Always the fisherman, he thought.

Siskin flew to where Risal was making her way towards the shore of the river. He swooped over the stream, making several runs along it, then flew to Rath and hovered momentarily in front of the blue dragon’s face.

After a moment, he landed on Rath’s head.

“Amazing,” B’rost said, taking his eyes off Risal. Siskin had always been aloof, never really displaying any interest in humans-or dragons-other than K’ndar and Raventh.

What is he doing?

He asked me if he could sit on my head. He is interested in the water. I like him. Why don’t we have a fire lizard? Rath asked.

Um, I have no answer for that

Siskin stared fixedly at the stream.

“Ready to copy, B’rost?”

“Ready!”

Risal moved to the very edge of the stream. “The beach is composed of stubble from cut sedges. The sand is very sticky. The stream looks about waist deep, shallow enough to be crossed on foot. The water is crystal clear. I see small creatures stirring up the mud on the bottom of the stream bed. Lots of little fish are darting in and out of what looks to be a thick bed of filmy green strands. It’s floating with the direction of the flow. The footing-it looks, well, treacherous. It might be shallow but I don’t think I’d want to cross it,” she said. “Much of the stream bed is covered with a thick, hazy bed of filmy green strands of algae, I believe. There’s a large patch of the algae, similar to a cloud in form, that’s right at the surface. I see what looks like bumps poking out of the film. Lots of life in the water-invertebrates crawling on the bottom and flies on the exposed cloud of algae. It looks gunky.”

“Bumps?” B’rost repeated.

“Oh, wait, now they’re gone. Never mind. The film looked bumpy where it breaks the surface of the water. The strands are flowing downstream at a fairly decent speed but they’re anchored on the bed.”

“Ah, here’s the tracks. Whoa!” She began to photograph them. “They’re definitely saurian. Six legs, of course, long sickle shaped claws on some. I see a drag, a trail, between left and right. I bet that’s a tail,” she said.

“How big are the tracks? Dragon sized?”

“Um, there’s one set, and a second set over there. They came from the water, and oh, there’s a third set, it comes OUT of the sedges and into the water. I can’t say if it’s three creatures or just the one. They’re big, but not dragon sized. I’m going to say they’re approximately 15 to 20 centimeters wide and half that long. The claws, good grief, they’re huge. Hmm, some of them look like they’re serrated. And this one, this one, oh, I get it. The front feet have these claws, the back ones are webbed. I think this camera can measure?”

“I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter. Put your foot next to one of the tracks for comparison.”

Siskin is wary Raventh said to K’ndar.

What is he saying?

He’s not. He’s uneasy? He’s on Rath’s head, watching the water.

He’s on RATH?

Yes. It’s the only place to perch. He doesn’t like the stream. I don’t know why.

Tell Rath to tell B’rost.

B’rost, hearing Rath’s report, wondered if he should touch Siskin.

Instead, he said, “Siskin? What is it?”

The fire lizard hissed softly.

He touched Siskin’s tail. The fire lizard jerked it out of the way, not angrily, but more as a ‘don’t’. He turned to look at B’rost. His eyes were a brilliant orange.

His chest tightened with fear. I don’t need to have that translated, B’rost thought.

He says there is something in the water Rath said.

“Risal! Get back here. Now!” he shouted, his heart suddenly racing.

“Why?” Risal said, turning her head. She was about to protest but the urgency of B’rost’s tone sent a chill up her spine.

She turned around and headed for Rath.

B’rost saw a long, narrow form erupt from the stream’s green film, its flattened tail propelling it. It’s head had finger length fangs lining the open jaws. Its first jump brought it twice its length up the beach.

“RUN!” he shrieked.

She bolted. Her feet caught the stubble and she stumbled. The beast jumped again, landing right behind her. She heard a hissing “CLOP!” behind her and screamed.

A scudding blue form darted at the beast’s head. Siskin, rattling his battle cry, slashed at its eyes.

The beast stopped, the protruding eyes vanishing into the top of its head, then reappearing. It hissed and snapped at Siskin.

Rath roared. Risal reached him, jumped without needing his knee and landed on her stomach behind B’rost. She grabbed the harness.

“HANG ON!” he shouted, and Rath leaped skyward.

Panting in terror, Risal managed to swing a leg over Rath’s back. She settled into her seat between his spine ridges and gripped B’rost’s waist.

“What was it? What was it? I tripped, I almost fell!” she cried.

“It was, I don’t know what, it jumped out of the water! It had to be three meters long! It was all teeth! If you’d stopped to look, it would have gotten you! It went so fast!” B’rost said, his heart racing.

The beast clambered atop the ledge and hissed at Siskin.

“Siskin saved you, Risal. He went for the beast, he stopped it just long enough for you to get on.”

Careth and Raventh launched.

“What happened?” D’mitran called. Rath joined them and the three dragons circled.

Siskin started sending images. K’ndar got a disturbingly close view of a maw full of teeth.

Let’s go see what he’s shouting at

Raventh dropped lower. The beast swung its head back and forth, fruitlessly snapping at the darting Siskin. The lizard landed behind the beast’s head, and clawed at the backs of the eyes. The eyes vanished into the head, then popped back up. The beast slashed its tail, bending almost double, without success. Siskin launched, then danced in front of the beast, taunting it.

He’s teasing it Raventh laughed. He’s holding it for you to get a better look at it.

Tell him to be careful it doesn’t catch him!

It doesn’t have a chance of catching him. It is stupid. He is enjoying this.

“Are you okay?” he shouted at Risal.

“I’ve had the shit scared out of me and oh shaff, look at that thing! What is it?” she called.

“Photo it, Risal! Can you?”

“I’m not buckled in!”

“Buckle in, Risal. Now! THEN shoot it,” D’mitran called in his wingleader’s voice. “It won’t do for you to fall off right back into that bugly thing’s jaws. Think of the reports K’ndar would have to do.”

“At least then no one would ever ask me to be a leader ever again,” K’ndar laughed.

Risal giggled despite her still pounding heart.

“Siskin saved her, K’ndar. That thing was THIS close to her legs,” B’rost called.

“Okay, I can shoot now. What IS it?”

“I think I know,” D’mitran called, “I think that’s the wallawait the Lagoon kids warned us about.”

Rath dropped and Risal took several pictures.

“I hope this thing compensates for movement, I’m shaking like a leaf,” she said.

The beast, seeing three dragons over head, slid off the ledge and trotted back to the stream. Siskin rode its head until the beast sunk into the stream. Then he flew up to Raventh, chortling in glee.

“Risal! Did it bite you?”

“No, no, I’m okay. I didn’t even see it! I just heard this sound behind me, and then B’rost screamed to run.”

“Don’t worry. I got a really good look at it as it jumped at you,” B’rost said, “I won’t forget that, not for a lifetime.”

Siskin landed on K’ndar’s shoulder, still laughing.

He says that was fun

“GOOD LAD,” K’ndar said, reaching for the blue. “You’re the bravest lizard ever!”

Siskin’s eyes whirled a happy blue. He raised his wings in victory, then hopped to Raventh’s head and looked forward.

“Ah, I get it. Lead on, Siskin!”