The Captain's Dragon

by Bianca D’Arc

  “Good point,” was Liam’s only comment.

  “We’re going to need help,” Rivka spoke up, voicing the only solution that made sense to her.

  “But from who? My people are good fighters, but none have experience with overland chases or tracking. We’re all seamen, not ground trackers,” Liam explained.

  Rivka smiled. “That’s all right. I happen to know some folks who are very good at traveling on short notice, and are experienced fighters, trackers, and spies.”

  “The Jinn?” Liam looked intrigued. “Will they help us with something like this? It could be a long chase.”

  “The Brotherhood is committed to protecting this land—all lands—from the evil that could be released if Fisk makes it to the Citadel with that page,” she assured him. “They’ll help. Heck, we tend to get restless when we’re in one place too long. I bet there are quite a few of my brethren willing to saddle up at short notice.”

  “Good,” Skelaroth said. “That is just what we need.”

  Liam seemed to come to a decision. “We should probably take the most direct road North. Fisk isn’t usually one for subtlety, and he’s got to be just as uncomfortable on land as any sailor who’s spent most of his life on the water. Although he might be on one of the longer routes, just to confuse things, I would bet against it. The less time he has to travel overland, the better. That’s probably the thought uppermost in his mind. I know it would be mine.” Liam shook his head, the hint of a rueful grin on his lips.

  “So, we’ll need two parties of Jinn willing to take the outlying roads,” she surmised. “That shouldn’t be too difficult to arrange. My people excel at backroads travel, and I can send word to the capital where the others of my kind are gathering about the king. They can fly down to intercept.”

  “It wouldn’t hurt to also ask the king to send some of his dragon knights, I suppose,” Liam allowed, though Rivka knew he was uncomfortable with the concept of his daughter’s recent marriage to two knights, from all accounts. “If you have those kinds of connections.”

  “Don’t worry,” she assured him. “We’re kin, of sorts. I will send word to Nico, and the Prince of Spies will fill his brother in on everything, I’m sure. As soon as we can get word to them, they will send everything they can to intercept Fisk. Our job will be to stay on Fisk’s trail from this direction, long enough for the cavalry to fly in from Castleton. That’s the closest Lair, at this point.”

  “But how do you propose to get word to Castleton faster than we can get there ourselves?” Skelaroth asked.

  Rivka grinned. “I will send a Jinn messenger to the closest dragon, and he or she can fly for Castleton immediately while we follow Fisk.”

  Skelaroth was silent a moment, his great, jewel-like eyes blinking slowly in the moonlight. “If I knew where I was going, I could fly for Castleton,” he said, at length. “Unfortunately, my land navigation skills are poor, at best.” He set his jaw and shook his head. “This is something I need to address as soon as there is time, but I regret to admit, I do not have the skills—nor do any of my kind who are close enough—to carry this most important message.”

  Rivka’s heart went out to the big sea dragon. “I would fly for Castleton myself, but I think it’s more important that I keep watch over his trail so that we might be able to identify which of the three roads he had taken. When more winged help arrives, that will be vital.”

  Skelaroth sighed, looking a bit defeated. “And we sea dragons do not have the skills to track over land,” he said in a subdued tone before his neck straightened and he seemed to come to a decision. “Nevertheless, I will go with you. I am bigger than you, Lady Rivka, and I can fight equally as well on land or in the ocean. I have pledged myself to this quest, and I will do what I can to see it through.”

  “If Fisk left as soon as possible after putting in to port, then he has a significant head start on us,” Liam said, his voice contemplative, but his expression pained.

  “Yet another reason for me to go with you,” Skelaroth said, conviction in his tone. “Although I have never carried anyone before, I am willing to try, if you are, Captain.”

  Liam was shocked by the sea lord’s words. He met Skelaroth’s eyes, nonplussed by the very idea of flying aboard this behemoth’s back. He wasn’t sure if he was more appalled or afraid, which didn’t sit well. Liam had faced death many times, in many ways, over the years. He honestly hadn’t thought anything could frighten him, anymore. Apparently, he’d been wrong.

  “I’m not sure what to say,” Liam hedged, playing for time to process the idea.

  He heard Rivka’s soft chuckle, but she was only faintly smiling when he looked at her. “That would help a great deal, my lord,” she told Skelaroth. “We could make excellent time and catch up to Fisk in a matter of days, depending on how big his lead is. You’re right that I am not big enough to carry a rider, though I am well familiar with tracking over land. I would be happy to explain what I’m seeing from above, as we fly along.”

  Skelaroth bowed his head briefly. “I am grateful for the offer, my lady. It is kindly done, and I will take you up on it. The sooner my kind increases our skill set, the better. I will send word to the Island Lair with my fellows to seek additional training from the dragons and gryphons there. Though, of course, that will not help us at this moment.”

  “Still, it’s a good idea, my lord. We don’t know if, or when, such skills will be needed in the future,” she told the sea dragon leader. “We Jinn believe that it’s always best to be prepared. Now,” she turned to Liam, who had taken the few minutes while they were talking to regain some of his equilibrium, “will you fly with us, Captain? I may not be big enough to carry you far, but I promise to catch you if you fall.”

  The teasing light in her dark green eyes tempted him beyond all reason. Liam found himself nodding. “I will try, milady. That’s all I can promise for now.”

  “Good.” She beamed at him.

  He turned to Skelaroth. “Thank you for your generous offer, Lord Skelaroth. I have never flown before, and frankly, I’m not sure how it will affect me, but I’m willing to try. If I find I cannot handle flight, I will take to the ground, and you two can go on without me. This quest is too important.”

  “Well said, Captain, but I believe you will do well in the air. After all, your daughter seems to enjoy it, and she takes after you, doesn’t she?” Skelaroth offered him a toothy, dragonish grin.

  Liam sighed heavily. “Sometimes, I wish she didn’t,” he said before he could stop himself. He realized he was still stroking the little virkin as Ella moved under his hand. He’d thought she’d fallen asleep, but her eyes were wide, taking in everything.

  “I go, too,” she said when he met her gaze, surprising him. She looked around to meet Skelaroth’s gaze. “I go wif Leem.”

  Skelaroth seemed as surprised as Liam felt, but after a couple of eye blinks, he lowered his head to the rail—the level of the virkin. “You shall come with us, if you wish, Mistress Ella, but it might be an uncomfortable journey for you. Are you certain?”

  “Yes!” she said, butting her head into Liam’s hand. “Go wif Leem. Hunt.”

  Liam wasn’t sure what kind of hunt the little creature had in mind, but he had a feeling that, if he didn’t take her with him, she would probably try to follow on her own. He didn’t want that to happen. She would, no doubt, get lost in the city, and he never see her again.

  “All right, little one,” Liam said to the virkin. “You can come. I will bring a soft carrybag, and you can sleep in there while we fly, and you can guard our campsites when we stop for rest.”

  “Yes! Guard! Can do!” She chirruped, sounding excited. “I help. You see.”

  The trip was arranged very quickly. Liam marveled at the way Rivka and Skelaroth set things in motion. He swam away to confer with his sea dragons while Rivka went back to The Smiling Dragon to enlist the aid of the Jinn. She’d told Liam to pack what he needed for himself and Ella and meet her there.


  It hadn’t taken him long to gather his things, but by the time he reached the tavern, it was late. Long after the time when regular folk were in their beds and the tavern was supposedly closed, but when Liam pushed open the door, he was met by a bustle of folk taking their places for what looked like some kind of briefing.

  Rivka was at the front of the room, and Liam slipped into a dark corner in the back to watch while she brought everyone to order. She explained the situation as clearly and concisely as any soldier giving a report. Liam was impressed. She used a piece of chalk on the slate the barman used to write out the daily food offerings, for those who could read, drawing a rough map of the roads leading out of the city and the general direction in which they went.

  She claimed the North road for herself and asked that two groups form to take the roads that were Northwest and Northeast. About twenty-five Jinn were in the room. She had them split up into three groups—two of ten, each, and one group of five specialists, who seemed to know already that they would be doing something different. The two groups of ten were given the roads they were to take, and a leader for each group was chosen from among them. They went off to different parts of the great room to confer privately within their own group while Rivka went to speak directly to the five who were left.

  Liam moved closer, wanting to hear what those five would be doing. He had an idea, but he wanted to hear it for himself. Rivka didn’t seem surprised when he stepped out of the shadows and joined the smaller group.

  “Each of you will go in a different direction,” she told the five. “Find a dragon. Get him or her to take my message to Castleton, then return here. Your task will be done, and you’ll have my thanks and the reward I will arrange through my Clansmen.”

  Liam took that to mean that she would arrange for her Clan to send payment to the messengers after the fact. Liam could help there. He cleared his throat to get their attention.

  “If you go to my ship upon your return, I will leave instructions that each of you are to be paid by my quartermaster, if that is acceptable.” He bowed his head slightly to Rivka to see if it was all right with her. She nodded back and gave him a small smile.

  Ella chose that moment to raise her head out of the satchel he had slung around his shoulders. The strong leather had a flap that whipped up when she popped out under his arm, making everyone aware of her presence. Liam had lined the leather bag with the softest cloth he had aboard, making a warm nest for the little virkin. She had taken to it immediately and hadn’t come out since he’d opened the bag to show it to her.

  “I carry message to Benyon,” she said. “Then come back here.”

  Liam was stunned by her offer. Just how much of what he was doing, did she understand? The virkin was proving that she was more aware of her surroundings, and the situation, than he had ever expected.

  “Are you sure you know the way?” Liam asked, focusing on the virkin and ignoring the startled glances of the gathered Jinn.

  Ella nodded vigorously. “I can always find you, Leem.”

  Huh. Now, that was an interesting idea. He hadn’t realized the creature was so closely bonded to him. He had enjoyed her company these past months, and she certainly seemed to like him better than almost anyone else on the ship, but he hadn’t realized how very aware she was of everyone and everything.

  Rivka handed him a scrap of parchment and a quill. One of the other Jinn retrieved a small pot of ink from under the counter of the bar and gave it to him. Liam nodded his thanks and took a seat at the table, writing out his orders and signing his name. He then rolled up the parchment and gave it to Ella, who had stepped out of the bag and stood beside him on the table, watching him.

  “Can you hold this or do you want me to tie it around you, somehow?” he asked, unsure of how to proceed.

  Ella seemed to know exactly what to do, however, and took the roll in her fore-claws. She pushed off with her hind feet and took to the air, hovering for a moment before heading out the open transom window above the door of the tavern. Just about everyone in the room paused to watch her go. Speculative looks were sent in Liam’s direction, but then, everyone returned to their planning after a moment.

  “It is known that the virkin of Elderland bond only to special people,” the man who had brought the ink said in a quiet voice as he took the ink pot back and replaced it behind the bar. “We Jinn take it as a sign of your integrity that one has chosen you, Captain.”

  Liam wasn’t sure what to say to that. He merely nodded and thanked the man again for being willing to take on the task of getting word out about their mission. He hadn’t known that virkin were so choosy. He hadn’t known that Ella understood so much about everything. He supposed he was probably in for a lot more surprises if he kept hanging around with Jinn temptresses, but it couldn’t be helped. Not at the moment, at any rate.

  Ella returned faster than Liam expected, and just in time. They were about ready to take off. Rivka wanted to fly out of the city under cover of darkness so her presence wouldn’t be too visible to Fisk’s men that remained nearby. Skelaroth would come in from the sea and meet them at a spot they’d picked. There was a tall hill beyond the city, over which their chosen road climbed, that even an inexperienced sea dragon couldn’t miss seeing from above. He would meet them there at daybreak, and they would continue together from that point.

  Liam would ride on horseback with one of the messenger Jinn to the meeting place, then leave the horse with the messenger to take with him. It was all arranged. Liam left first, with Ella safely in her satchel-nest at his side. She didn’t like the jostling, but she told Liam that she wrapped herself up tight in the soft “blankie” and after that, it wasn’t too bad. No worse than a storm at sea, she said in a sleepy tone. After that, she was silent, and Liam assumed she was asleep.

  He wished he could rest, as well, but there would be no sleep for him, this night. Not until he met up with Skelaroth and Rivka. She had to fly under cover of darkness, so that meant that he had to ride fast for the meeting place to be there when she arrived. Skelaroth was taking a longer route, coming in from the sea. He would go ashore farther down the coast and make his way over uninhabited lands, also under cover of darkness, though he would need at least a hint of the sun in order to find the right hilltop on which to meet.

  Liam planned to get to that hilltop as soon as he could, take the packs off his horse and allow the Jinn messenger to keep going. He’d find an out-of-the-way spot and grab whatever sleep he could while waiting for the rest of his party to arrive. Ella had promised to guard him, though he wasn’t sure how well that would work, yet. He supposed she could at least wake him up if she saw anyone approaching. That would have to be good enough.

  Ella was getting more and more vocal, now that she had started talking. He liked hearing her thoughts, even as they surprised him. She definitely had a different way of looking at the world that he had never expected. She reminded him of Skelaroth, in a way. She saw things in more dragonish terms than human, which he supposed was to be expected. Ella looked almost like a tiny dragon, though there were some differences, of course.

  She communicated in the same way as dragons, as well, and seemed to be getting better at it by the hour. She learned fast and was quicker on her tiny wings than he would have expected, even having watched her hunt aboard his ship for nearly a year. She was…evolving. Or, perhaps, she was just growing up in the way of virkin. In a sudden spurt, gaining language and greater strength, all at once.

  Liam and the Jinn messenger—a petite woman named Maize—didn’t speak as they pushed their horses into a gallop once they were outside the more populated parts of the city. The horses were faster than any Liam had been on before. Living his life on the sea, he hadn’t done a lot of riding, but he knew how to stay on, which was apparently all his horse needed him to do.

  Liam clung to the saddle like a burr and did his best to move with the beast. Maize rode like she had been born in the saddle. He was no longer surprised at her w
illingness to be a messenger on this quest. Liam had little doubt that she and the horses were holding back from their top speed on his account, but he wouldn’t waylay them much longer. Already, he could see the meeting place in the near distance. Once she dropped him off, she could make better time.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Liam was asleep when Rivka arrived at the meeting place several hours before dawn. Ella was keeping watch. The little virkin was curled up like a cat, sitting on Liam’s broad chest, but her eyes were open, and she spotted Rivka overhead and watched her descend. Rivka could see the flash of Ella’s eyes following her progress.

  Rivka landed on the road and then shifted shape into her human form. Ella watched the whole thing, and Rivka wondered what the little virkin must think about Rivka’s ability to shift shape. She didn’t have to wait long to find out.

  “You fly and walk,” Ella said into Rivka’s mind in an awed tone.

  Rivka had to smile. “I am half dragon and half human,” she confirmed for the little creature, silently, so as not to wake Liam.

  “How?” Ella’s little head tilted far to one side, regarding Rivka with potent curiosity.

  Rivka sat on the ground near Liam. He’d chosen a spot under a tree on the side of the road, mostly hidden from view. It was as good a place as any to grab what little sleep they would get that night. She had spotted no one on the road for miles in either direction. They should be safe enough to take a few hours rest.

  “A very long time ago, there was a great wizard,” Rivka told the virkin as she settled beneath the tree, just a few feet from Liam and his little friend. “His name was Dranneth the Wise, and he was one of the last of the great wizards. He was a good man who worried about the fate of his friends should he die. He became the first like me—half dragon and half human. It was part of his agreement with dragonkind, so that he would understand their concerns and be able to rule justly over the land of Draconia, where dragons and humans would live together in harmony. I am a distant descendant of Dranneth the Wise’s youngest son. The king and all the royal family of this land are also like me but descend from Dranneth’s eldest son. Their family has ruled Draconia in peace for many generations.”