Ballentine

The first Glider said, "What do you think, Hawkeye? About another hour?"

The second one replied, "Yes, Rocky, that looks about right. The star Borealis has dipped below the horizon, so it can't be much more than that."

"I hope that they are not late. I had a long day, and I get duty on top of that. I am having trouble keeping alert. I would rather be walking around or flying. At least I wouldn't have to struggle to stay awake."

"Yes, but we have to guard the road, as you know."

Another voice answered. There was a short conversation in this language. As the conversation ended, Hawkeye came out of the brush to join Rocky. Both stood erect. Two other Gliders emerged from the shadows. One could easily be mistaken for a short, compact, older man. He did not have the characteristic wings of a Glider. The other was a male Glider either in his late youth or early middle age, by Astra's estimate. Astra could see his wings.

This Glider said, "Is there any news to report?"

Hawkeye replied, "All is quiet on the Lightning Pass Road, Captain. Alati and Filadani are on patrol, and are not due back within an hour."

The strange Glider replied, "Excellent. Good job on checking on the sign of the day. The enemies, both glideri and anglideri may pull tricks, including disguising themselves as Gliders."

The two Gliders smiled, but still stood stiffly at attention. Astra noticed that this stranger, who seemed so unlike the others, seemed to dominate the other three.

The stranger continued, "Rocky, what do you think about the kinta course at the Autumn Festival?"

"It will be a challenge, Sir. I hope that I do my family proud."

"I am sure that you will, Rocky. I think old Sparky may have put in too many water traps. He loves those things. He must think that every kinta participant needs to be soaking wet by the end for it to be a proper course. Of course, if we get a storm like the one we had last week, then that would be a kinta to talk about!"

The stranger took his fist, and tapped his knuckles on Rocky's chest in a friendly gesture to emphasize his point, and laughed, as if the thought of the storm during whatever event this was would indeed be fun. Astra had no idea what the kinta was. It seemed like a sporting event or an military exercise. Perhaps it was the Glider equivalent of the steeplechase.

The stranger then turned to Hawkeye. "Hawkeye, I have to congratulate you on your alertness. You brought news to the Patch far before I would have expected it. One question though. Just where were you when you first saw the storm?"

"Right at the edge of no-man's land, Sir, on patrol."

"Are you sure that you were not perhaps a bit into no-man's land?"

"As sure as I can be, Sir. Out there, in Pelican Valley, the landmarks are not that good. But I do not think that I strayed beyond the boundry."

"Rocky, can you confirm that?"

"Yes, sir. I am pretty sure that he did not stray beyond the boundry."

The stranger nodded his head and smiled. He gave Hawkeye a pat on his right wing, and wished them luck.

The stranger and the captain left the two senties at their post and started walking back to town.

The Captain said, "I do not believe Hawkeye. He had to have been deeper into no-man's land than he let on."

The stranger replied, "I know that he was."

"Shall I start an official inquiry?"

"No need. Some things never change. I did the same thing that Hawkeye did, except that I was bolder. The statue of limitations has run out on me, so I can admit it. I went over into anglideri territory to swipe one of their artifacts, on a dare. Damned near got killed doing it, but I remember the rush of excitement. I also remember how people talked about me afterward - discreetly, of course. An official inquiry isn't going to change things. I think that the fact that we asked the question will provide a break on that behaviour."

The Captain asked, "Ballentine, Sir, may I ask a question about the ban on crossing into anglideri land?"

"Sure. I am not sure that I can give you the answer that you want."

"Is there any thought of reversing the policy? Amongst the Burgesses? I have always thought that we made a mistake by not striking when the humans provoked us on Signal Hill."

Ballentine raised his hand to his chin. He thought, and then answered, "In the main, I agree with you. We have always had the dragon to contend with, but anymore he is more like the plagues of fruit flies that we get from time to time - an undesirable but managable pest. The anglideri are the threat that has to be dealt with. Here on the frontier, we know it. That is part of the reason that I was elected Burgess for Blueberry Patch. Although I think that some of the Elders may have thought that I was such a pain in the a--- that sending me to Celestial Mountain was the easiest way to get me to go away."

Ballentine continued, "But I will not second-guess Penta Catbird. I was there that day, and I was ready to fight, along with everyone else. But it was not clear what was happening. The ogres tried to burn the forest, but we could not be sure whether it was a deliberate provocation or just being ogres being ogres. Penta chose to talk, and both sides backed off. Nobody got hurt. So in the short run, Penta was right."

The Captain answered, "But you have seen the signs. The Dolmite Gliders enjoy peace in part because the ogres are divided. Those in the know have always been worried what would happen if the anglideri united under a strong leader. Like Stan of Westmark."

"Yes. You and I can see it clearly. Being farther from the frontier, the Burgesses from places like Celestial Mountain are going to be slower to respond to the threat, as they do not live with it every day. It is my duty to convince them to take more effective action."

"So when are you going to Celestial Mountain to take your seat?"

"I will be there by the end of the week. One of the wonders of our Republic is that by the time that you get to be a Burgess, it becomes a nuisance to get to Celestial Mountain, because you don't have wings any longer. It's part of getting old. But it beats the alternative."

1. Astra wakes up.

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