by Logan Jacobs
“No need to apologize.” I smiled at the soothsayer. “In all honesty, I don’t see this being more than a two-day trip at the worst. The Isle of the Slumbering Dragons is less than a day’s trip away, and I could maybe, maybe see us staying there for the night. Otherwise, this should be a fairly painless experience. Unless the orcs decide to show their ugly mugs, that is.”
“At this point I’d almost count on that,” Nerissa sighed. “They continue to rear their heads at the most inopportune times.”
“Well, if they do show up, we’ll be ready for them,” I reaffirmed. “I’ll have a small force of top-notch warriors, and we’ll be armed to the teeth. There’s no way in hell I’m letting those bastards get a hold of a dragon. I’d rather die than let them get that sort of power.”
I wasn’t lying. If the orcs were somehow able to get a hold of a giant, fire-breathing dragon, it would be the end for all other civilizations. They’d fly their horrific beasts from island to island, incinerating entire villages, killing whoever opposed them, and then pillaging whatever remained.
I wasn’t going to let that happen. Never in a million years.
We’d get to the island first, and we would bond the dragons with our own people. Then, once we had such devastating firepower on our side, the ongoing conflict would take a sharp turn in our favor.
But first, we had to get there.
We stood around chattering for a bit longer before we decided to get to work on provisioning the ship. So, I took several of the Coonag, Niralope, and dragonkin women out to the beach and then began to instruct them on the kinds of things we’d need. Then they all went off on their separate ways, so Nerissa and I hung around on the beach alone while they were off collecting supplies.
It was the mid-afternoon by this point, and the sun was at its highest point in the sky. The shimmering yellow orb projected an intense heat, but it was counteracted by the brisk breeze that rolled off the briny ocean.
I held the queen as we sat on the beach and stared out at the waves, which crashed against the shoreline before they turned to fizzly white foam and retreated back into the ocean. Finally, after a long, romantic rest, we heard two sets of footsteps rushing down the path behind us.
“Daddaddaddaddad!” Arrick’s over-excited voice started off distant and then grew louder as he raced toward us.
I glanced over my shoulder to see the gangly pre-teen appear through the pathway as he ran like a marathon runner, and right behind him was Malkey, who easily could have overtaken his bondmate but was instead just running leisurely across the sand. The water dragon’s eyes were bright with amusement, and his tongue flopped out of his mouth and flapped behind him as he ran.
Arrick skidded to a stop right in front of his mother, and we both had to twist our heads to avoid getting assaulted by the sand he kicked up.
“Easy there, son,” I coughed and spat out a few grainy bits of sand.
“Sorry…” Arrick lowered his gray eyes down toward the ground. “I just wanted to show you the sword they made for me.”
My son somberly unsheathed his new weapon, placed the flat side of the blade in his hand, and then presented it to me like a knight offering his sword.
I picked up the blade delicately and looked it over carefully.
It was a damn fine weapon.
The sword was shaped much differently than my own weapon. The blade was thick at the base and curved up into a near-oval point, and it reminded me a lot of the swords you’d see in history books wielded by Viking warriors. I had to give my compliments to the blacksmith on this one… It was a weapon that could still be deadly, but it was more for stabbing rather than slicing. This meant Arrick wouldn’t accidentally chop off one of his limbs if he tried to get fancy with his fighting techniques.
Naturally, the blade of the weapon was made out of opaque, aqua blue seaglass, and the hilt seemed to be constructed of a thick, sandy-colored wood that reminded me of palm tree wood back on my world. The branches were thin and hollow, but they were glued together to form a much sturdier hilt that had been carved into the very shape of Arrick’s hand. Finally, a rather large, white shell was stuck to the bottom of the weapon and acted as the sword’s pommel.
“This is a very nice sword,” I admitted to my son as I gave it a small twirl in my hands. “Fit for a future king.”
“More like ‘fit for killing orcs,’” Arrick announced cockily as Nerissa and I exchanged glances.
I let out a deep sigh, placed my hand on Arrick’s shoulder, and then leaned down so I could look him in the eyes.
“As much as I know you want to go out and take on the entire orc army all by yourself,” I warned, “I don’t want you trying anything foolish on this journey, alright? Hopefully, we won’t even come across any orcs or wargs, but if we do, don’t engage unless you absolutely have to. Alright?”
“But, Dad…” Arrick frowned and hung his head. “I just wanted to be a mighty orc killing king, just like you.”
“There’s a lot more to being a king than killing, Arrick,” I promised the boy. “Hopefully, you’ll learn that once you start going on these missions with me.”
“As long as I don’t have to sit in that dusty old school room and listen to Isla giving me lessons.” The boy gagged.
“There’s no way around that, unfortunately,” I chuckled and shook my head. “But this little trip should give you a well-needed break.”
I handed Arrick’s sword back to him and then watched the lanky teenager flip it around, catch it, and slip it back into its sheath.
Yeah, it was definitely a good idea to not give him a razor-sharp blade.
Not long after Arrick’s weapons demonstration, several dragonkin women emerged from the jungle carrying a caravan of wooden chests. I instantly knew these were provisions for our journey ahead, so I jogged over and offered to help.
The Coonag and Niralope women came onto the scene not long after, and they were carrying armfuls of weapons, tools, and food.
It was a huge logistical undertaking to load up The Dragon Queen, but it was something we were used to doing with our larger ship all the time. The schooner vessel may have been smaller, but its rigging system was much more intricate, and it didn’t have as much room for extra storage. Anything we put on this boat needed to be something we intended to use, or something we absolutely needed in the case of an emergency.
All in all, it took us about two hours to stock up the ship. Then, once we were done, we headed back to the palace to prepare for the next day’s journey, and I spent the remainder of the daylight enjoying Hali’s wonderful dish of fish and carrots and then doing a perimeter sweep of the border wall and all of its components.
Even though I wasn’t going to be gone for long, I never wanted to leave the island with even the slightest crack in its armor. All it would take was one bad section of the wall or a sudden sinkhole out of the blue, and the whole structure could come down.
And if that happened, all of my women would be sitting ducks.
However, everything seemed to be “up to code” for the moment, so I wiped the sweat from my brow and headed back into the jungle as the sunlight began to fade.
I got back to my room, where Talise and Mira were both waiting for me, but as I opened my mouth to greet them, Mira’s yellow finger pressed against her lips and silenced me.
Then the jade-haired warrior pointed to the bed, where Talise was already snoozing intensely.
“She had a long day of watching the kids,” Mira joked as she walked over.
I kissed her on the forehead and rustled my hands through her green locks before I responded. “Honestly, I got the easy job. I think watching those little balls of energy day in and day out is way more tiring than any journey we’ve ever been on. Speaking of which, are you ready for tomorrow?”
“Are you kidding me?” Mira grinned. “I can’t wait. In only a few moon’s time, we will have a small army of full-grown fire-breathing dragons on our side. We’ll be unstoppable.”
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“If everything goes well,” I noted. “For all we know, the orcs could get there first. Or the ceremony might not work. Or--”
Mira placed her finger against my mouth again and clicked her tongue.
“Don’t worry about those things, Draco Rex,” she promised. “As long as you’re leading us, we will make it through to the other side. Hopefully, all in one piece.”
“That’s what I’m worried about,” I said with a slight yawn. “At least I’ve got the best crew I could possibly ask for.”
We walked over to the bed and lowered ourselves onto it slowly so we didn’t wake up our sleeping companion. Then we snuggled up next to each other, and Mira’s soft, warm body seemed to cast a spell straight into my very brain.
Soon, my eyes fluttered shut, and I felt myself drifting off to sleep.
I awoke fairly early the next morning to find myself alone in the room. I sat up and stretched my tense body before I slid out of bed, tossed on a cream-colored shirt and some brown slacks, and then fastened my weapons belt to my body.
By the time I made it out to the beach, the rest of the crew seemed to already be there.
“There he is!” Jemma called out with a wave when she saw me approaching. “The Draco Rex has arrived!”
“Finally, Dad,” Arrick snickered. “I thought you weren’t ever gonna show up.”
“I needed my beauty sleep.” I winked at my son, and then I came to the front of the group to address my people. “Alright, everybody… You know the drill. This should be a quick journey, but the danger from the orcs persists every single second of every single day. All of our fortifications are still in great order, and I know you guys will be able to handle things while I’m gone. If all else fails, just look to my lovely mate and your leader, Queen Nerissa. She’ll know what to do.”
“I’m flattered,” the pearl-scaled Queen chuckled. “Have a safe journey, my love. And Arrick? That goes double for you.”
“I’ll be fine, Mom.” Arrick waved his hand dismissively, which drew a dirty look from his mother.
I began up the ramp of the ship, followed by Arrick, Jonas, Mira, Nadir, Sela, Lezan, and Jemma. Tirian fluttered in the air above us before he landed on the deck of the ship and let out a small chuff of excitement. Meanwhile, Malkey lumbered slowly up the ramp, which creaked underneath his weight and threatened to break with every step.
Safe travels, dear one, George offered through our dragon bond.
“Thanks, buddy,” I responded. “Look after everyone while I’m gone, alright?”
George gave me a bow from his spot on the shore, and I knew everything would be alright. As long as my people stuck together, they would survive anything that came their way.
Of course, having three water dragons watching over them didn’t really hurt, either.
Tirian and Malkey pulled up the ramp, and then I had everybody get into their positions. Tirian flew up to the crow’s nest to act as our lookout, while all of my women and Jonas took their places underneath the sails. I kept Arrick close by my side, and his copper water dragon remained close to his.
“Are we ready, captain?” Mira called out from across the ship.
“Raise the anchor and release the sails.” I grinned as I looked out onto the sea. “Full speed ahead!”
The crew let out cheers of excitement as they turned the large wheel that pulled up the anchor. Then they ran over and tugged on the lines that released the giant, stained white pieces of fabric that acted as our motor. The sails dropped down as far as they could go and were instantly caught by the drafts of wind that were blowing at our backs, and every piece of wood on the Dragon Queen let out a loud creak as we lurched forward and set off onto our next journey.
We set a course for the volcanic island I’d dubbed the “Isle of Dragons,” due northeast at about ten knots. Arrick and I both watched as our home island grew smaller and smaller behind us, and soon we were out on the open sea.
Even though my son was very brave, I could tell he was a bit weirded out being surrounded by nothing but water. His water dragon must have sensed his unease, as well, because the overgrown copper puppy rested his head against Arrick’s shoulder and released a deep dragon hum.
Arrick’s body seemed to relax as he reached up and scratched his bondmate behind his ears.
I couldn’t blame the boy. The first time going out into the ocean was a stressful experience for anybody, let alone a young preteen for whom this was the first time leaving his island. That was another reason I wanted to bring Malkey along. Arrick and his water dragon were practically inseparable, and having them together on this trip would make it a million times easier for both of them.
We sailed on for about an hour or so, and my brain was on autopilot as we floated across the calm, brisk waters.
Then Tirian’s voice suddenly broke me out of my trance.
Guys? The little silver dragon gulped. I don’t know if you can see it from down there, but we’ve got trouble approaching.
“What is it?” I demanded as I squinted and looked out onto the horizon. “Orc ships?”
Worse, Tirian grumbled. At least you can sink an orc ship. The sky is super dark up ahead, and I think I can see rain…
“Okay,” I chuckled. “So, we’ll get a little bit wet. That’s not a big--”
Before I could finish my sentence, a large bolt of lightning struck down in the ocean, a few miles ahead of us, and the clap of thunder rolled across the ocean and echoed like an angry giant whose slumber had just been disturbed.
“Dad?” Arrick gasped, and the fear in his voice was obvious.
“It’ll be alright, son,” I promised. “Tirian? How far does the storm stretch across the horizon?”
Uh… a-all the way, the dragon stuttered.
Well, shit.
This storm had snuck up on us quickly, and it didn’t look like there was any way we could get around it before it was upon us. If we tried to turn and outrun it north or south, we would get caught in its headwinds, and the ship could possibly be capsized. Turning around now wasn’t really an option, either, since it would hit us long before we returned home.
There was only one way we were getting past this thing in one piece.
We had to sail straight into this motherfucker and hope we popped out on the other side.
Chapter Five
This was bad. This was very, very bad.
Even though we were out on the endless, sprawling ocean, we had no recourse but to attempt to drive straight through the heart of the incoming storm.
The air around us quickly became muggy and pungent, and the smell sent me straight back to that fateful day when the great storm knocked me off my ship and I was transported to the world of the dragonkin. Darkness engulfed the skies around our vessel as the loud crack of thunder echoed across the waves, and up ahead, I could see the dark storm clouds unloading gallon after gallon of rain down onto the sea.
“Uh… Dad?” Arrick asked, and his voice was high-pitched with fear.
“It’ll be alright,” I promised the boy. “But you’re going to need to tie yourself to something sturdy. In fact, everybody needs to tie themselves to something sturdy! But first, we need to reef the sails! Quickly!”
“We need to what?” Sela demanded.
“We need to pull in the sails,” I explained. “Give them less surface area. If not, the force of the winds could break the masts. Now, everyone, hop to!”
The women and I scrambled around the deck as we fought against the rising winds to secure the sails, and I kept checking over my shoulder to gauge the rapidly approaching storm. I estimated we had maybe ten or fifteen minutes before we hit it, so once the last sail was secured, I addressed my crew once more.
“Alright, it’s tie down time!” I hollered over the wind. “Everyone, find something sturdy and tie yourselves down!”
“What do you mean by ‘tie ourselves?’” Jonas questioned. “Do you want us to wrap a rope around our bodies so we cannot move?”
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“Don’t do that,” I commanded. “If we want to make it through this in one piece, I’m going to need you to still be mobile. Just put one end around your waist and the other around something stable, and leave a lot of slack. That way you can still move around, but you won’t get tossed over if the winds and the waves try to sweep you away.”
“A lot of good that will do if our whole ship capsizes,” Sela muttered, but she obeyed my command.
Meanwhile, Arrick’s gray eyes were open wide, and his pupils were huge and dilated. “Are we really going to flip over?”
“Not if I can help it,” I vowed as I found a nearby piece of rope and then got down on one knee so I could tie it around Arrick’s waist. “I’ll keep the ship upright, you just hang onto the wheel for dear life, okay? Also, don’t panic. Even if something were to happen, Malkey’s a pro when it comes to water. He’ll jump in and save the day. Won’t you, Malkey?”
The adolescent copper dragon was quaking in fear himself, but he tried to pull it together for his bondmate.
I’d never let Arrick get hurt! the dragon proclaimed. Not even if the mighty Oshun herself shows up to take him.
“That’s some commitment.” I winked at my son as I tied a figure-eight knot around his body and snugged it up tight.
Then I sliced the rope off its spool, went over to the base of the ship’s wheel, and formed a bowline to make it secure. Once that was done, I repeated the process with myself.
Meanwhile, the rest of my crew was helping each other secure themselves to the ship. Mira and Sela were already good to go, so they went around and assisted those who weren’t exactly the best at knot-tying. Soon, everyone was secured, and I looked to the mighty ocean.
The waves before us had grown so large they rose up nearly to the deck of the ship before they crashed down with a thunderous wave, and the wind howled around our bodies and threatened to tear any loose clothing straight off. Meanwhile, the air was heavy and briny as pellets of hail rained down on us from the clouds above, and our ship was rocking intensely as it was whipped back and forth by the deadly waves like a spider in a flushing toilet.
