Minestus Addresses the Burgesses

Minestus serenely flew into White River, ignoring the patrol of Gliders that was sent to intercept and harass him. The spears stuck in his hide were annoying, but they did not strike near any vulnerable spots, such as the eyes. Minestus did not even fight back, but landed in the clearing that served as the theater.

"I would like to see your captain." Minestus said. "I offer a deal - which, if accepted, will rid you of me and beat back the thinking prey."

A messenger was sent from the patrol to fetch the captain. Curious Gliders were told to disperse, and ignore the dragon. This was a severe test of self-discipline in some cases, but the Gliders being Gliders, the townspeople kept their distance, and there were no crowds around the theater. The captain came down to the theater. Minestus was expected, based on the warning of Vilinitiz. Regretably, he had picked White River to make his entrance.

"There have been some lies spread by the thinking prey," explained Minestus. With some truth, he continued, "I have no desire to stay here, or to cause harm." He then started to lie. "Thirty years ago, I was deceived by the prey into believing that you had attacked them, and that I was to intimidate you. I have since learned how deceitful and immoral that they can be. I wish to talk to the Burgesses, in secret, to see if we can reach an accomodation and end this war."

"Could you just leave?" asked the captain.

"Perhaps. But the enemy of my enemy is my friend. The thinking prey are out to exterminate the RDL. They wanted me to help them capture as many Gliders as possible alive, for processing. Apparently they have some new techniques for developing especially strong cloth the requires that the Glider be alive. I do not know the details, but they have been experimenting on a few of the ostracized that are captured, and from all accounts they suffered horribly before they died. I did not think that the prey would sink to the depths that they have."

The captain betrayed no emotion, but said simply, "I shall get some burgesses. Please do not move, or it shall be interpreted as hostile." The dragon complied.

Within minutes, five Burgesses, including Cronici, met the dragon at the theater. Selimeni, the most respected burgess in White River, opened the conversation.

"The Captain has told us what you said about the thinking prey. We have not seen any of them gathering."

"They have not yet. They are recruiting in the Eveninglands. Their aim is not to destroy you. They wish to enslave, breed, and 'process' you for the valuable materials your wings yield. The dragons have been informed of their atrocious plans, and will not take part in them. Unfortunately, there are no other powers in this world that will lift a finger to help you." Minestus observed, exploiting what he knew about Glider xenophobia.

"This would not be the first time. We can defend ourselves. Why have you told us this? Why does our fate matter to you now?" asked Letinel, another burgess.

Minestus did not want to explain his vulnerability, and that he had to keep the Gliders alive to stay alive himself. "The men of the West have cheated me. I wish to extract revenge upon them. I have been banned by the Great Dragons from aiding you directly. However, if you will leave me alone, I will burn a demilitarized zone on your western border. No farm can be established, and the prey will be afraid to approach. I will loot the prey and beat them back. I would also ask to address the Great House of Burgess periodically. That is all."

"How do we know that we can trust you?" asked Cronici.

"You don't," replied Minestus.

The burgesses agreed to summon a meeting of White River's House of Burgesses that afternoon. Minestus was asked to return to a location outside of town the next day, when the answer would be given. Minestus flied off to the scrub region, confident that his plan would work.

1. The House of Burgesses meets.

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