The Dragon Tree

by Kavich, AC

  Art was the last man on deck. He held up his hand to shield his eyes from the rain and looked up at the wheelhouse at Humphries.

  “Not a chance, you cowardly bastard,” Humphries whispered. “The captain goes down with the ship.”

  Humphries caught a fleeting glimpse of the packed yellow raft as it rode up a swell and disappeared over the other side. The current would carry the raft away quickly – oh so quickly – and the distress beacon with it.

  Humphries cowered against the wall of the tilted wheelhouse – what had become the floor – and screamed a savage stream of curses. He could hear his own voice above the gale outside the wheelhouse windows but he screamed anyway until his throat was raw and throbbing.

  “End it now!” he screamed at the sea. “Take me under!”

  He crawled his way up the control panel and reached up blindly. He latched onto the wheel, but the tilted ship’s rudder was out of the water and the wheel spun easily in his hands. He was jarred loose and lost his grip on the wheel. He tumbled through space, falling ten feet before he landed hard against the wall. His head slammed against the case where Art had triggered the Coast Guard signal, and strange warmth spread through his skull until there was nothing left but darkness.

  ***

  Eva burst free of her parents’ house with such force that her momentum carried her directly into the boughs of a massive oak tree. She smashed through a tangle of limbs, numerous branches jabbing her in the belly. Her scaled skin was so thick and hard, however, that the branches could scarcely give her a scratch.

  The trunk of the tree splintered, but it didn’t break. The tree tilted back and its thick roots rose from the ground, launching a cascade of dirt into the air. She hung on with her talons and tail as the mighty tree fell to the ground and struck with a thud, dislodging her and sending her tumbling.

  She was sprawled on the asphalt in the center of her residential neighborhood.

  Get up, Eva. Get up, Eva! GET UP!

  She clawed her way upright and tried to run, but her legs were too short and her body too heavy. Her tail dragged behind her, scraping against the pavement and ripping out softball-size chunks. The wind buttressed her body from one side, threatening to knock her over.

  Gotta fly… now.

  She flexed her arms – what had been her arms – and her yellow wings responded. She felt her feet leave the ground, and her tail a moment later. Her stomach went cold and gurgled with nausea at the sensation of suspension, but she ignored the discomfort and pumped her wings that much harder. She struggled to gain lift under her wings, and so she flew down the street a few feet off the ground. The powerful wind blew her off course and she smashed into a parked car. Its alarm shrieked and its headlights flashed as she dug into the door with her talons, then pushed off and spread her wings.

  The heavy wind lifted her higher, at last, but she was flying straight toward Mrs. Healy’s house. As the wind carried her over the house she couldn’t lift her legs high enough to avoid ripping ten feet of shingles off the roof. Her dragging tail worsened the damage, but she kept pumping her wings and finally – finally! – felt herself rising.

  Still terrified that someone would see her, Eva turned into the storm and flapped her wings furiously. She wouldn’t feel safe until she had escaped her neighborhood. She wouldn’t feel safe until she was with Billy and Hiroki on the cliffs.

  ***

  Hideo Tanaka sat quietly in a hard wooden chair and watched the rain slide down his second story window. He tried to count the raindrops as they struck the glass, but the storm only worsened and the droplets came much too fast.

  I cannot control the rain. I can control… nothing.

  Hiroki had hurried out of the house that morning after eating three plates of breakfast. Reiko had laughed as Hiroki shoveled food into his mouth with no end in sight, but Hideo had not been amused. He knew firsthand what a terrible appetite Hiroki was feeling.

  Long ago, he had felt it himself.

  Tears came to Hideo’s eyes and further obscured his view out the window. He thought he saw a mustard-yellow shape in the sky, blinking in and out of view, too low to be an airplane.

  “Dad?” Reiko called as she opened his door. “The news is saying the storm may have produced a tornado. We need to go in the basement.”

  Hideo wiped his eyes dry to get another look out the window, but the object – the hauntingly familiar object – was already gone. He rose slowly to his feet and allowed Reiko to take his elbow.

  “Where is Hiroki?”

  “He’s studying at the library with his friend Billy. The building has a basement and I’m sure he’s fine. Let’s hurry, please.”

  ***

  William Rasmussen bent low as he ran across the gravel road that weaved through the RV park. He carried nothing but a lockbox that held important papers – Billy’s birth certificate, his marriage license, his military discharge papers – and a few small bundles of cash. He normally kept the box screwed to the underside of a kitchen cabinet, hidden from view for all but the most industrious thieves. But with the storm bearing down on Hudson he would be a fool to leave it in the flimsy trailer.

  Other residents of the RV park were also in the road, hustling toward the storm shelter in the center of the property. Some carried nothing at all while others carried multiple suitcases bursting with clothes.

  Where are you Billy? Of all the nights to be out getting into trouble…

  When William reached the storm shelter, he waited in the pelting rain and helped guide several families inside. His clothes were soaked through and his hair whipping in the wind, but he turned his back to the storm and gritted his teeth.

  Dammit Billy… dammit!

  That moment, in the seconds between thunderclaps, he heard a terrible screech overhead. It sounded like a cawing bird of prey but had an unusual metallic edge. And unless the bird was perched on his shoulder, the sheer volume of the screech was much too loud. He looked up to spy its source but saw only dark storm clouds.

  William stepped into the storm shelter, still cradling the lockbox against his ribs.

  Find shelter, son.

  ***

  An ice-white bolt of lightning illuminated the water ahead of Billy. He saw huge waves rolling chaotically in every direction at once. He thought he saw something else. Even with his superb night vision, the constantly changing waves made it difficult for Billy to be sure.

  No, a ship would have lights. Unless…

  Several more bolts of lightning tore through the night sky in quick succession just as the dark vessel rose to the top of a wave. The fishing trawler was as long as him and, by all appearances, completely helpless. It had turned sideways in the water so that every wave smashed into its side and threatened to capsize the boat.

  Hiro, do you see it? Get down here, man!

  He had done his best to keep track of Hiroki’s mind telepathically so they wouldn’t be separated, and sensed that Hiroki was just overhead. He looked up expecting to see a narrow green body cutting in and out of the storm clouds, but he saw… nothing.

  Then he remembered. Hiroki’s underside was reflective just like his. He looked up again and strained his keen eyes until he made out a distortion in the shape of Hiroki’s long body. A bolt of lightning shattered the darkness and ruined Hiroki’s camouflage, illuminating is underside like a disco ball.

  On cue, Hiroki dove like a missile.

  Billy thought he would go crashing into the water just like he had on his first kamikaze dive, but Hiroki flared his wings and pulled up abruptly. He swung his tail back and forth to steady himself, then fell into flight next to Billy.

  That kicked ass! You’re already a better flier than me, Hiro.

  Hiroki screeched an affirmative response, his jaws parting in a cocky smile.

  There’s a boat up ahead. Dead in the water.

  Hiroki’s dragon smile turned into a growl. He screeched unpleasantly and rose on a gust of wind.

  They won’t see u
s in the dark, Hiro. We gotta do something.

  But Hiroki wasn’t listening. He used the strong wind to steer him sideways and veered away from Billy’s course.

  Come back, Hiro!

  Billy growled with frustration, then lowered his head and pumped his wings furiously. He dipped left and right to keep his wings out of the black waves rising up to meet him. Cold spray washed over him, but he hardly felt the chill.

  The boat disappeared from view in a deep trough.

  Billy let the wind lift him higher.

  The crippled vessel was trapped in the trough and taking on water. Wave after wave struck the starboard side and pushed it over. One barnacle-riddled side of the ship tore free of the water as the other side of the hull slapped down with a mighty splash. The deck was nearly vertical and everything on board that wasn’t bolted down tumbled into the churning ocean.

  As Billy swooped closer, he couldn’t see any sign of life on the ship until… a flicker of light inside the wheelhouse! There was a figure moving frantically inside the cabin overlooking the deck, swinging a flashlight wildly.

  Must be more men below deck. No time to waste.

  Billy arced wide, slid through the white crest of a wave then barreled down toward the ship. He drew a deep breath into his cavernous lungs then plunged into the water directly under the submerged side of the hull. As cold water littered with the ship’s contents enveloped Billy, he turned his back to the ship and pushed against it with all of his strength. He used the length of his tail to hold the ship in place while he kicked hard with his legs and forced his wings to flap under the water.

  Like flying in slow motion. With a boulder on my back.

  The ship groaned against Billy’s powerful body. The metal hull buckled inward. But the weight of the ship was too great. He couldn’t push it upright. The pressure of the ship against his skull forced Billy’s jaws shut like a vise. His triangular teeth scraped against each other as water forced its way between them and trickled down his throat.

  You can’t do this on your own! Let the ship go or you’ll drown!

  ***

  Lightning crackled on all sides and rain lashed Hiroki relentlessly.

  What are you thinking, Billy?!

  If there were people on the ship and they saw two winged reptiles flying over the ocean, this glorious night of flying would be their last. The world would know that dragons had returned. There would be constant danger for Hiroki and Billy, constant threat of greater exposure and eventually… They would have no choice but to eat the ashy black leaves. They would have no choice but to give up their wings. This amazing adventure had just begun, but it would all be over.

  No, Billy. I can’t give it up. I cannot give it up!

  But what if there were people on the ship? Actual people. They were human beings, clinging to the last moments of their lives and praying for a miracle. Time was running out for them.

  You can’t just let them die. Billy’s right. And if Billy’s already there… if they’ve already seen one giant blue dragon…

  Hiroki swung his head and unleashed a deafening screech. Flame erupted from his throat and lit up the night sky. He bent his long tail and spun, then flexed his wings and flew hard back toward the heart of the storm.

  Hiroki saw that the crippled ship was on its side, trapped under an endless onslaught of waves. By all appearances it should have been sinking. But then a sudden cataclysm of lightning illuminated the scene and Hiroki saw the dark shape of Billy’s body under the water and pressed against the ship.

  Help him!

  Hiroki swung down between hulking waves and landed on the railing of the ship. The railing crumpled in his powerful talons but Hiroki would not relinquish his grip. He spread his wings to steady himself as he edged along the railing to the bow of the ship.

  Then he opened wide his mouth and drove his teeth into the metal hull. He slammed his jaws closed and clamped down. He leaned back and dug his talons into the metal beneath his bite. Fully anchored, he unfurled his wings and pounded the air with all his strength.

  Just as Billy’s breath ran out, he felt the dead weight of the ship move above him. It rolled away from Billy, lifting the submerged side where he was pushing. He followed the ship up and rose out of the water. Coughing up the water he had swallowed, he greedily gulped down cold air. His wings were soaked and exhausted, but he ignored the soreness and pumped them anyway.

  Moments later, the ship slapped down upright.

  Billy clawed up the side of the ship and stretched his muscular neck to look over the railing. He saw a slender green dragon perched on the bow, jaws clamped down on the hull and wings still flapping.

  Hiro! You came back!

  Hiroki pounded the side of the ship with one wing in answer.

  We have to drag the ship back to shore! I’ll push from the back and you pull from up here!

  Hiroki pounded the side of the ship again to show he understood the plan, then leaned to one side and started turning the ship. Billy dropped low and pushed against the hull from the other side, pushing the same direction. The wind fought the two dragons every inch, but they spun the ship until it was pointing directly at the waves.

  Billy scratched his way to the rear of the ship. He dug into the hull with his front legs and pressed his head against the metal. The rest of his body was horizontal behind the ship, wings thrusting up and down so powerfully they further churned up the water that lapped his body from below.

  Hiroki adjusted his position at the bow of the ship. He wrapped his tail around the winch crane and dug his rear claws into the hull. He let go with his front legs and allowed the wind to lift him a few feet from the ship, then flapped his wings to match Billy’s pace.

  I can’t see anything from back here, Hiro! Steer us back to shore!

  Hiroki unleashed a thunderous screech and dragged the helpless ship due east.

  ***

  Eva found that her eyes were capable of cutting through the inky black night. She could clearly make out the contours of the coast, and she saw the familiar plateau she had visited more than once with Billy and Hiroki. The wind and rain continued to lash the shore, but the spot was large enough she thought she could pull off a landing.

  If only her strange new body would do what she asked it to do.

  She hit the ground going much faster than she intended. Her strong legs buckled under her weight and her wings tangled. She tumbled forward end over end, her tail slapping the wet rocks again and again looking for purchase. Her momentum carried her all the way to the edge of the cliff where she slid over the edge.

  Don’t fall, Eva! Fly!

  She frantically flapped her wings again and averted her fall, but the powerful wind from the storm slammed her against the vertical face of the cliff. On impact she scratched at the slick rocks until, at last, she dug in her talons painfully and hung on for dear life.

  Climb, Eva. You can do it.

  She was only twenty feet below the plateau and her talons gave her the necessary grip to scale the rocks despite their slickness. She vaulted over the lip of the plateau with a final burst of strength and collapsed on the rocks.

  Her entire body was throbbing with soreness. The transformation itself had been excruciating, but the battering she took when she broke loose of her bedroom and crashed through the neighborhood – and her crash landing only moments ago – had made her pain much worse. She lowered her skull to the rocks and closed her thick eyelids, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep and wake up to find that the whole affair was nothing but a nightmare. She knew it wasn’t so. She knew that everything she had seen and experienced over the past few days was very real. There was no way to undo Hiroki’s camera sliding off the cliff. There was no way to take back Billy climbing down and discovering the tree. There was no way to stop Billy from eating the fruit or to prevent Hiroki from following him down that path. There was no way to push the juice back out of her tongue where it had soaked in and entered her bloodstream, dooming her to
this nightmare. There was no way to—

  Her eyes shot open.

  The leaves. How could I forget about the leaves?!

  Eva forgot the weariness of her long yellow body and rose up on four shaky paws. Ignoring the wind and rain that continued to lash the shore, she scrabbled toward the edge of the plateau and stepped out into space.

  She found new strength in her wings as she lowered herself to the height of the rocky shelf. The curtain of rock blocked her view of the tree, but her nostrils flared and she was sure she could smell the blood coursing through its branches. She tried to maneuver herself around the rocky curtain, but her body was far too large to squeeze through.

  Eva panicked.

  She pushed off from the cliff to make space, then pumped her wings to vault herself back into the rocky curtain at speed. The surface cracked and crumbled on impact, but not enough to clear her path to the tree. She pushed off again and flew farther from the rocks, then drove her body forward with more force. A large chunk of rock split off from the curtain and tumbled down to the bay. Now she could see the tips of several black branches. It was working! Pain radiated through her body from the shoulder she used to bash the rock, but she ignored it. She pushed off a third time and flew halfway across the harbor before swinging around, tucking her wings and barreling into the rocky curtain at full speed.

  Half of the curtain broke away in a single sheet of rock. She used her talons to latch onto what remained and tore off chunk after chunk. The storm was breaking to the west and the moon had crept out from behind dark clouds. It cast a silver glow on the side of the cliffs as more of the tree came into view.

  Eva threw her body behind what remained of the rocky curtain. She snapped at the branches with her bony jaws. Her mouth was much too clumsy to tear free the clusters of black leaves protruding from the trees branches. She contorted her body and reached inside with her front paws. Her movements were so frantic that she only succeeded in smashing black fruit against the rocks and breaking branches loose. They spun as they fell to the water before disappearing under the surf.