As A Stranger Or A Friend?: The Swallow And The Drowned Sailor

Axtapor - 6 Evening Star, 1245 A.D.

"Tell me, what does the rune Altur represent?"

I scratched my neck and sighed.

I really should have been paying more attention when he gave his lessons. Still, they were terribly uninteresting, and I failed to see how learning the basics was useful instead of trying to treat my night terrors more directly. They were the real problem, weren't they? And the lack of sleep because of them did nothing to help the dull nature of his hours-long tutoring sessions. He constantly admonished me for dozing off, but I couldn't help it. I was just so tired.

"No wonder your father gave up on you." He said with an exasperated sigh, "I'd sooner teach a monkey to write..."

"Have ye thought that 'haps ye be a shite tutor?" I snapped as I got out of my seat to look out the window.

"Ha, you and your little jabs...you are a boy in a man's body."

I didn't respond and heard him sigh again as he shut one of his many useless books.

"Assure me that you at least know the origins of our clan."

I frowned hard and whirled around to look at him. "Why?! I asked ye to teach me to Dream, and all ye have done been lecture me and say over and over again how I nay be enough! I know I be daft, but I form that much together right well! I nay need to keep hearin' it!"

He didn't react and simply put his hands behind his back, studying me with a frown of his own.

Perhaps many would be intimidated by the sight of Lord Rojundrog, Seer of Clan Oxlo, laying eyes on them like this, but to me, he was just a crooked old man with a talent for making himself bigger than he ought to be. He was born from my grandmother's first clutch and had unusual crimson scales, or rather, unusual for Clan Oxlo. While we lizards came in a variety of colors, certain clans tended to favor certain shades. Ours were hues of blue, black, gray, and purple with the exceedingly rare orchid pink that appeared once every few generations, so his crimson was, at the very least, curious.

As a result, a swirling cloud of rumors about his true parentage hung above him. For how could the rich sapphire of my grandmother and the deep fuligin of my grandfather come together to create red? He always relied on witnesses present at his birth to corroborate that he was indeed their trueborn son, which would be enough to silence the rumors. Momentarily.

Eventually, they were silenced entirely when he took his place as Seer after my grandfather passed away. Speaking ill of a Seer was considered highly disrespectful; however, the sudden quelling of those dissonant voices was suspicious to many since, just like his supposed father before him, he was known to be cutthroat and unfeeling. While there was no law prohibiting a Seer from committing murder, it was highly contradictory to the way they should carry themselves. Seers were meant to be unbiased messengers of truth, so in an ideal world, they would let all speak and keep a record of their words. Though, as with many things, it would be foolish to believe that such a being could exist now.

He, just as any other Clan Patriarch and House leader, must have his pockets lined with underhanded deals and his closest advisors handpicked to do his bidding. Still, there was no denying that he was our clan's most talented Dreamer. He had the honor of advising Emperor Quetza regularly on strategy, diplomacy, and other such matters. He also held the only seat allocated to our House on the Council of Eight in the House of Law. Still, those chips on his shoulder made him that much more of a high-nosed bastard to deal with.

"Clan Oxlo started as nothing more than one of those trifling tribes centuries ago in these very deserts. Our first Patriarch, Uesteph of Venya, was said to have prophetic dreams and traveled from tribe to tribe to share his gift of vision with them. In one of these towns, he met one Antia of Rafka, who also shared his gift. While fascinated by this discovery, he did not let himself be distracted by her; he simply carried on with his journey. However, shortly after their meeting, they shared a dream that would lead them both here, to Ihama. Once they were together, they began to hone their abilities and eventually formed a theory; dreams might occur in a realm parallel to this one and one in which the sleeping mind can visit freely. They called that place The Realm of Dreams and, with further study and experimentation, not only proved their theory to be true but also managed to enter that place in their waking state. They managed such a feat many times and quickly made the choice to marry and have children, establishing our clan so they would have someone to pass their gifts and knowledge to. A prudent decision on their part."