by Logan Jacobs
Lezan’s catch was safely stowed in the bag slung across her shoulders, Mira carried three in hers, Sela and Nadir’s packs wiggled with the protesting roosters inside, and Jemma and I each had a hen in our packs as well.
Not bad for a few hours work, if I did say so myself.
“Alright,” I said once we were all ready to go. “Let’s get back to the tunnels as quickly as we can. Even though the roosters can’t crow with their mouths wrapped, I don’t want to risk getting any predator’s attention on the way back.”
Nadir nodded curtly, and she turned to lead the way. Lezan fell into step beside me, and she cast me a sideways smile that warmed my blood. Jemma and Mira walked behind me, and Sela took up the rear-guard position.
It didn’t take us long to reach an entrance to the network of tunnels created by Nadir and her people, and I let out a sigh of relief when we were safely below ground.
“I like the way these women made safe routes across their island,” Sela commented as we walked. “We should try to think of something similar we can do back home.”
“I’d want to make sure we had plenty of strong lumber before we made our own tunnels,” I said as I mulled it over. “The ground is a lot moister and sandier in our jungle, so there would be a higher risk of cave-ins.”
“Are we going to take any of the trees from this island?” Mira asked in a curious voice from behind me.
“I think so,” I replied. “I want to experiment with different kinds of trees to see which ones make the best building materials, but I’ll need to gather more than one kind before I can make a comparison.”
We discussed the different trees we’d seen on the island as we finished the journey back to our campground, and by the time we arrived, we’d made a plan for harvesting the wood we wanted.
The dragonkin healer Anora rushed forward to greet me as soon as we neared the bonfire, and her sunflower yellow eyes danced with joy at the sight of me.
“How did it go?” she asked, and she turned a curious eye to our bulging packs.
“Perfect.” I grinned. “Hali’s going to love these chickens’ eggs. I can’t wait to see her face when she tries them.”
“You continue to amaze me, my king,” Anora murmured appreciatively.
“How did things go here?” I asked as I turned to scan the camp area. Several baskets heaped with fish sat next to the fire, where a spit filled with them roasted over the flames. A group of racoon women sat nearby munching on some raw fish or scratching their ears, and further down the beach I spotted George and Tirian lounging on the fine, white sand.
“Good!” Anora replied as she followed my gaze. “Jonas went in search of some plants he thought looked medicinal, but he has only been gone a short while.”
“And the racoon women?” I asked with an arched eyebrow.
“They’re fine,” Anora laughed. “They keep staring at the ship and whispering amongst themselves, but they haven’t voiced their opinions very loud.”
“I’m sure all of this has been very overwhelming for them,” I observed.
“If anyone can reassure them, it’s you,” Anora declared, and then she took the pack from my shoulder and transferred it to her own. “I’ll get our clucker birds on the ship.”
“Thank you,” I said, and I kissed her forehead.
“It’s going to be an interesting trip home with all these birds on board.” Mira smirked and hefted the strap on her shoulder into a more comfortable position.
“You’re right about that,” I laughed. “We’ll need to bring enough fresh water for them, but they’ll probably eat vegetable scraps from our leftovers.”
“It is not a long journey,” Jemma said with a smile, and she handed her bag over to Mira as she cast a longing look in Tirian’s direction. “I wonder what Tirian will think about leaving… I-I haven’t asked him if he’s coming with me, but I can’t imagine living without him.”
“Of course, he’s coming with us,” Mira reassured her with a sympathetic smile.
“Go play with your dragon,” I urged the deer woman with a grin, and I gave her a playful shove toward her companion. “Talk to him.”
“Thank you, Ben,” Jemma said softly, but she didn’t hesitate further, and she quickly trotted across the camp to her dragon. “I will!”
“I would like to go with your green-haired healer to see the boat,” Lezan announced as she kept a firm hand on the strap of her bag.
“By all means,” I said, and I flourished my hand toward the little row boat and Anora’s departing figure. “Go right ahead.”
Nadir handed the other woman her bag, and as Lezan jogged toward Anora, the leader of the Coonag people turned her steel gray eyes to me with a piercing look.
“We’ll give you two a moment,” Mira said with a knowing gleam in her gold eyes, and then her and Sela followed Lezan and Anora toward the water’s edge.
“When are you leaving my island, Ben?” Nadir asked without preamble, and her face was unreadable.
“If everything goes as planned, we should be able to leave the day after tomorrow,” I said. “The only other thing I want to do is cut down a few trees and get them on board.”
“My people will help with this task,” Nadir stated, but I still couldn’t put my finger on what she was thinking behind those cool gray eyes.
“I appreciate it.” I grinned and wrapped my arm around the small of her back. The dark-haired woman stiffened for a second, and then she relaxed into my touch. Her bushy black and gray speckled tail curled around my legs in an affectionate gesture, and my blood warmed in response.
Suddenly, a scream pierced the air, and my head swiveled in the direction of the sound. Lezan was huddled near the water’s edge, and a few paces away Anora stood next to the small row boat. Her face was pale and full of fear, and her blue tinted arm shook as she pointed toward the ocean.
I followed the direction of her finger, and my mouth fell open.
A giant, black, sixty-foot-long, prehistoric looking alligator monster lunged toward the shore on thick, muscular legs that didn’t look like they should be able to move that fast.
And it was headed straight for Anora and Lezan.
Chapter Two
I was running before my mind fully processed what was happening, and my ears rang as I rushed to my women’s defense.
“Surround it and keep it distracted!” I shouted my commands to all three cultures of women who occupied my campground. Everyone had rushed forward at Anora’s scream of alarm, but the beast would touch the shore at any moment now.
“Fucker of mothers!” Mira shouted, and she dropped the bags from her shoulders to pull out her sword. “Anora! Get back!”
A few paces ahead of me, Mira and Sela had also seen the approaching alligator, but I barely registered the two women as I sprinted past them at breakneck speed.
The jade haired warrior and Sela immediately ran after me, and in my peripheral vision, a flurry of activity told me many others were doing the same.
“What is that thing?” Sela demanded as she drew up beside me and leveled her spear in the direction of the beast.
“A giant asshole!” I yelled as I pulled my sword free and skidded to a halt in front of the blue skinned dragonkin woman. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Ben, thank you,” Anora said as she backed slowly up the beach behind me. She wasn’t armed, and the healer in training hadn’t spent as many hours practicing with weapons as my other warriors, so I was proud of her for getting herself to safety.
Lezan stayed huddled near the boat about ten paces to my right, and her black eyes were wide and watchful as she kept her gaze locked on the beast. While she didn't look like she was eager to attack the monster, she wasn't rushing forward into battle in a reckless rage, either, and for that I was grateful.
Once I knew Anora was well out of the way of the alligator’s waddling path, I gave the massive creature my full attention as I edged closer to Lezan. Every muscle in my body was pumping with
adrenaline, but I had a crew of warriors with me this time, and I wasn’t going to let this monster get the upper hand.
I’d fought against one of these beasts before, and a shudder ran down my skin as I remembered how thick and impenetrable its armored hide was. I’d shoved my entire sword into its body, and only the tip had broken through to its mushy insides.
Aside from the fact that it looked like a humongous black alligator, it had gills on its neck like a fish, which seemed to be its only weak point, and it had to be over fifty feet long from the tip of its snout to the end of its tail.
So, it was longer than a school bus, and way angrier than any driver I remembered from my youth.
It looked almost exactly like the last beast I’d fought before leaving the deer women’s island, but this one was slightly smaller and leaner. Given its prehistoric appearance, I had to wonder if this was a female, and just how many of these creatures lurked out in the ocean.
“Ayayayayaee!” Nadir screeched as she raised her crude stone ax over her head and sprinted toward the alligator monster.
“No, wait!” I called out, and I dashed forward in an effort to catch her.
I wasn’t quite fast enough, and Nadir dashed past my hands without even looking at me. The other racoon women echoed their leader’s call to battle, though, and they all rushed forward with snarls and brandished weapons. Even Lezan answered with her own war cry as she sprinted forward in a crouched position, and her dark eyes were wary, but fierce.
“Everyone be careful!” Mira shouted as the beach was soon crowded with warrior women armed with spears, swords, and bows. “It’s fast!”
Nadir was only ten feet or so away from the animal, but as it reached the edge of the sand, it suddenly scuttled forward at an alarming speed. The dark-haired racoon woman sprung to the side and rolled across the beach beneath the monster’s torso, and then I saw her clamber up onto its back.
In my next breath, the giant monster was covered in bushy tails as the racoon women scampered up its legs and latched onto its thick, leathery hide. The beast thrashed and whipped its tail in an effort to dislodge its attackers, but then it spotted the dragonkin warriors as they edged forward with their spears.
The monstrous creature gnashed its teeth and charged up the beach, which sprayed fountains of sand behind each of its abnormally strong legs. The racoon women squealed and clung on as they rode on its back, but Nadir used the alligator’s momentum to fling herself onto its head.
Mira took up a position to my left with Sela on her other side, and we inched closer to the gigantic creature with cautious steps as we brandished our weapons and shouted at it with every stride. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw several of my deer women with bows drawn and arrows trained on the beast, but not one shot had been fired.
They must have been worried about hitting the racoon women, because Jemma’s people watched fearfully like they were frozen in place.
“It's too strong!” Lezan shouted toward her leader, who straddled the creature’s neck right behind its head.
Nadir’s brow was creased in a frown of concentration, and it didn’t seem like she had heard her warrior’s words. Then her black and gray tail twitched, and the racoon woman rained down a flurry of blows onto the alligator’s skull with her tiny, crude stone ax.
The beast bucked and roared, and spittle flew out from its gaping maw as it shook its head with a violent force. Nadir lost her grip and flew from its head, and my stomach clenched at the sound of her body slamming into the sand. She didn’t move for a long, heart stopping breath, but then she jumped up and growled like a pack of angry chihuahuas.
The alligator monster charged toward the dark-haired racoon woman, but before it took more than a few steps, my warriors had lunged forward to jab spears and swords into its legs and flanks. The creature swiveled to face its new attackers, and the dragonkin women jumped out of the way.
This situation almost reminded me of rodeo clowns taunting a bull, but a million times more dangerous.
I had to do something, but with the racoon women covering the alligator’s body, I’d have to get close to it so I didn’t accidentally hurt one of them in the process.
“Where the hell is George?” I shouted to Mira as I waved my arms over my head to get the beast’s attention.
Before she even had a chance to respond, however, the alligator monster responded to my motion and charged toward me at breakneck speed.
I gripped my sword tightly and let out a growl as I ran forward to meet it, but just as the beast opened its gaping maw to snap its massive two-foot-long fangs around my head, I slid to the ground and rolled beneath its body.
“Get off!” I shouted to the racoon women. “Its skin is too thick, and we can’t attack it if we might hit you!”
“Ben!” Lezan yelled, and her two-toned hair flapped around her head as she wrapped her arms and legs around the beast’s waving tail. “Help!”
“Son of a bitch,” I muttered as I rushed toward the back of the massive animal. “I’m coming! Just, hold on!”
I sprinted below the beast’s body as fast as my superhuman legs would take me, but I had to duck to avoid getting clotheslined by the alligator monster’s thrashing tail movements.
Lezan clung to the monster’s hide with her nails dug in, and her tail swayed violently as she tried to keep her balance, but at least she wasn’t freaking out. If the situation hadn’t been so dangerous and terrifying, it would almost have been comical the way she bobbed up and down and side to side like she was on a circus ride.
“Hurry!” she growled between clenched teeth, and her black eyes were wide with fear I’d only seen her have for the wildebears.
If I could hold its tail still long enough for her to get off and to safety, then maybe the rest of the racoon women would follow suit and make a break for it.
So, I dodged and ducked until I was behind the creature, and just as its tail whipped back toward me, I dug my feet into the sand, took a deep breath, and grabbed a hold of it with one arm.
I was immediately pulled off my feet and into the air, so I changed my plan. The world spun around me as the campground and the ocean flashed across my vision, but I had a firm grip on the monster’s tail, and I turned my focus to Lezan’s flicking tail a few feet ahead of me.
Like a bear climbing a tree, I wrapped my arms and legs around the massive leathery tail and inched my way up at an agonizingly slow pace until I was right behind her.
“I’m here,” I said in my most reassuring voice. “Everyone needs to get off, there’s nothing you can do against this skin!”
“How will you kill it?” Lezan’s tail was vibrating in terror like a rattlesnake’s, and all I wanted was to pull her into my arms until she calmed down.
“The gi--” I started to say, but another violent sway of the tail jerked us to the side so fast the air rushed out from my lungs.
We are here, dear one! George’s voice was like a gift from the gods in that moment, and I felt my heart rate slow by a degree just from the simple words.
A loud, rumbling dragon roar came from the tree line, and then George, Jonas, Jemma, and Tirian burst out from the cover of the foliage and onto the shoreline. My water dragon ran down the beach at a surprisingly quick pace, and Tirian flew swiftly overhead like a silver bullet shot from a gun.
Suddenly, the alligator monster roared and twisted around in a blur of motion as it faced its new opponent, and screams filled the air as dozens of racoon women merry-go-rounded from its back to land with little thuds onto the beach. The massive beast spun around to snap at Tirian and George, and its tail flicked in a wide arch.
My stomach lurched, my head jerked to the side, and I lost my grip. I was hurled away from the creature as the clear, blue sky filled my vision, but then I landed fifteen feet away next to Lezan.
Every muscle in my body screamed in protest as I pushed myself up from the sand, but I ignored the pain as I rushed over to check on the black-and-white-haired woman. Just
as I reached out my hand to roll her onto her back, though, she jumped up into a sitting position and blinked up at me with her deep, black eyes.
“Are we dead?” she asked in a curious tone.
“No,” I laughed despite the situation, but then I looked back over my shoulder at the alligator monster, and my stomach twisted into a knot.
George snapped at the monster then darted away again while Tirian flew at its face to distract and annoy it, only to zip higher than the alligator could reach when it lunged for him. George was a full-grown water dragon, but he looked small against this massive creature, and Tirian was only a few days old, so he was even smaller than that.
Still, the dragons were powerful, magical creatures, and if anyone could take this thing down, it was them.
Get everyone away from the beach, George ordered, and I could sense his intentions through our connection as strongly as if he’d explained them in words.
“Into the trees!” I shouted, and I hauled Lezan to her feet to shove her ahead of me. My head swiveled from side to side, and I made sure everyone had heard me and was following the order.
The racoon women scampered up the beach, and Nadir paused to make sure they all went ahead of her. When I caught her eyes, she gave me a curt nod, and then she dashed forward beneath the cover of the trees.
Arrows flew over my head and pinged into the beast behind me, and as we all ran up the beach, the deer women backed away while shooting their bows to give us cover. Jemma and Jonas waited at the edge of the trees and urged us forward, and I skidded to a halt right behind them.
“Ben!” Jemma gasped, and she threw her arms around me. “I was so worried about you!”
“I’m okay,” I breathed into her ear as I returned her embrace.
“Tirian told me to stay back,” she informed me as she sent a fearful glance toward the beach.
“The little dragon seemed confident he could handle the beast,” Jonas added, and I could tell from the sweat dappled across his brow and how he still gasped for breath that he’d run quite a distance to reach us.
“That fucker of mothers messed with the wrong people,” Mira declared vehemently as she gripped her sword in a white knuckled fist. “I hope Tirian burns him to a crisp!”