by Logan Jacobs
I nearly swallowed my tongue as that last bit escaped my mouth. At least three of the four remaining ships were galleons, which meant the orcs were preparing for something big. This wasn’t just another simple band of invaders, sent off to capture beautiful women, kill their men, and raze their villages to the ground.
No… This was a small war party.
Sure, it was meant for the dragon island, but it could very easily be turned against us in a hurry.
“What’s the matter, Ben?” Jemma’s angelic voice cut through my inner monologue. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”
“The orcs have a war party.” I gulped. “Those ships out there might be slower than molasses on a cold day, but I can almost guarantee you they’re packed to the gills with orcs.”
“Are they… Are they coming for us?” The woman’s chartreuse eyes went wide.
“Let them come!” Lezan proclaimed as she pumped her fist up into the air. “I can’t wait to feel the warm blood of more orcs as their throats are torn away with my teeth.”
“Don’t kid yourself,” I warned the Coonag woman. “If they really have four ships full of soldiers, it would take all of our combined might just to try and fend them off.”
“We have multiple dragons, though,” the woman with the ring tail argued.
“As powerful as our dragons might be, they’re all still young,” I explained. “Tirian, Malkey, and Cerin are all literal infants, and George and Nixie are less than a year old. Let’s also not forget that, as strong as a dragon might be, they’re still mortal, just like you and me.”
“We also cannot forget the purpose of these particular orcs,” Jemma added with a frown. “They were here to capture fire-breathing dragons, which means they probably have the right tools to counter these majestic beasts.”
Jemma was right. Surely, the orcs on those boats had mounted crossbows with giant bolts, oversized nets, and other precautions against these killer beasts. The orcs might have been brutish and primal, but they weren’t quite as dumb as they looked. If they were, they wouldn’t have conquered so many islands.
“All the more reason to try and sneak away,” I commanded. “If we sail around this island and take the long way back home, I’d estimate it would give us at least half a day’s head start on these guys. They will probably come and investigate this island when their search party doesn’t come back, if they weren’t already on the way from seeing the giant fireball in the sky. And when that happens, they’re going to be pissed, and they’re going to be looking for answers.”
Then they will come looking for their ship, George noted somberly.
“Which may or may not bring them to our island,” I sighed. “We might be able to get out of this scot-free, but I’m not going to hold my breath.”
“So, that gives us, what, half a day to prepare?” Lezan shrugged. “Nadir will have the Coonag ready for battle in a matter of minutes.”
“More like a day,” I corrected. “We’ll already have the half-day lead on them thanks to this new ship, but we’ll also gain some more time when they sail to this island and investigate.”
“Oh, Ben…” Jemma’s bottom lip was now quivering. “How are we going to manage four whole ships full of invaders?”
I walked over and held the auburn-haired deer-woman close to my body. Her hair smelled of honey as I kissed her forehead, and my lips felt like they were touching pure silk when they brushed against her skin.
“We’ll handle them the same way we always do,” I whispered to my mate. “Superior battle strategy, lots of fortifications, and an army of badass warrior women with equally badass dragons.”
Jemma looked up at me with a small smile and sighed. “Now, there’s the Draco Rex we all love.”
“We need to get going, then,” Lezan noted, and she bared her sharp teeth in a savage grin. “My people will be over the moon when they find out there is a battle approaching.”
“A potential battle,” I reminded her. “If all goes well, they might just forget about the ship and run home with their tails between their legs.”
Yeah, right. There was a slight possibility that might happen, but it was mostly just wishful thinking.
Still, we needed to get back and warn the others as soon as possible. So, I walked over to the wheel of the schooner and took my place as its new captain.
“Please tell me you know how to sail this thing,” Lezan chuckled.
“It’s not much different than our other ship.” I shrugged. “I’ll need you and Jemma to work the sails, one for each mast. The sails on a schooner are light enough for one person to raise, so it should actually be way easier than what you have to do on the other ship.”
“Right away, Ben!” Jemma nodded, and then she ran over to the mast near the front of the boat.
Lezan got into position behind the second mast, though she looked a bit more confused. She looked at the rope in her hands for a moment before she turned back to me and raised an eyebrow.
“How does a rope help me raise the sail?” she questioned. “There’s nothing attached to this end.”
“All you have to do is pull when I give the signal,” I reassured her. “It’s pretty simple, even for somebody who’s never manned a ship before.”
Lezan didn’t look convinced, but I knew she wasn’t going to question an experienced sailor like myself.
What can we help with, dear one? George offered. Tirian and I want to make ourselves helpful!
I thought about it for a moment before the lightbulb went off.
“Tirian, I want you to float around above the ship,” I ordered. “Make sure we aren’t being followed, and periodically check the sails and masts for any signs of tangled ropes or knotted sails. As for you, George? I want you to handle the other sails. There are three more that need to be lifted when I give the order. Lezan and Jemma could handle them individually, but we’ll sail a lot smoother if we raise them all at the same time. They’re the ones up at the front. But first, we need to pull up the anchor. And since you’re the strongest one of us here…”
George instantly bounded down the boat, found the rope dangling over the edge, and then grabbed it up in his mouth. Then I watched in awe as the water dragon tugged on the rope, pinned the loose bits down with his paws, and went back to pulling. It only took him a few seconds to get the anchor back up onto the deck, which he plunked down like a dog who’d just brought his owner their favorite toy.
Now that we were no longer anchored in place, I felt the boat lurch forward as it began to drift away from the shore.
What now? George questioned.
“Untie those ropes at the front of the ship.” I pointed to the small masts near the vessel’s hull. “Then raise them up when I give the order.”
George dashed over and used his teeth to delicately pull the ropes loose from their position. Now that everybody was in place, all I had to do was wait until we were far enough out to catch the wind.
Everything looks clear up here, Ben! Tirian’s voice called to me telepathically. I can barely even see the other ships right now, and there’s nothing but blue sky for as far as I can see.
That’s what I liked to hear.
“Now,” I cleared my throat to make an announcement, “I christen The Dragon Queen for her maiden voyage!”
A fitting name, George noted, in every way possible.
I let our vessel float out a bit more, until we were about half a mile out from the shoreline and away from any potential reefs or sandbars. Then I gave the command.
“Hoist the sails!” I called out to my friends. “Full speed ahead!”
The sails of the schooner ship went up in near unison, and I had to hold onto the wheel for dear life as the wind caught us and shoved us forward. Once I recomposed myself, I began to navigate carefully around the perimeter of the volcanic island. We slowed down a few times, though, mostly so we could round corners or keep ourselves from being blown off course.
It took us nearly an hour o
f sailing before I felt confident we were fully out of the sight of the orc fleet, at which point I charted a course for our home. I gave the wheel a mighty spin, and The Dragon Queen pivoted out toward the open ocean.
Whooooaaaa, Tirian whispered in awe. I can’t even turn that smoothly.
“I’ve had some practice,” I chuckled to the silver dragon. “Now, drop the sails and let the wind take us where we need to go!”
All of my crew allowed our sails to drop down fully, and we took off at full speed across the deep blue sea. It was a pleasant day out, so there wasn’t much incident as we glided across the surface of the ocean like an ice skater on a freshly-shaved surface.
With the larger, faster ship, the wall of our home island sprouted out of the horizon in a matter of hours. However, when we got closer I saw the beach was crowded with people, including Nixie the water dragon. Everyone had their weapons drawn and at the ready, and I could see there were dozens of arrows already pulled back and ready to fly.
Once we got closer to the shoreline, I had the mainsail be released, and our momentum slowed down to a crawl.
“It’s us!” I called out telepathically to whoever could hear us. “Don’t shoot, it’s your king!”
It took a minute for my message to spread, but soon I saw the warriors on the beach begin to lower their spears and swords and bows.
Welcome back, Draco Rex, Nixie’s soothing voice greeted me in my head. I see you’ve picked up some new toys during this journey?
“Not enough, I’m afraid,” I admitted. “This thing is nice, but wait until you hear what we found on that island…”
Finally, we were barely moving in the water, and I had George toss the anchor back over the side of the vessel. Then Jemma and Tirian took to the sky, while Lezan and I mounted George.
Hold on, the water dragon warned, which I echoed out loud.
“Why would we need to--” Lezan began, but then George barreled forward toward the edge of the boat.
He leapt up over the edge, held out his legs to the side, and belly flopped into the shallows with a giant splash. The briny water splashed up onto our bodies, and Lezan let out a squeal of both fear and glee when it soaked us in its cold embrace. Then George quickly swam up to the beach, where he promptly let us both off and meandered over to Nixie.
I tried to hold in my amusement at the sight of the Coonag woman beside me. Lezan’s black and white locks were now in a wet tangle, with several strands plastered across her forehead and neck. All of the hair on her tail was dripping wet, and the appendage itself looked like a thin, oily snake.
She shook herself like a wet dog, but that only made things worse. When Lezan finally finished her feeble attempt to dry off, all of the fur on her body was puffed out as if she’d stuck her finger into a light socket.
“Thanks for that, George,” Lezan grumbled.
You’re welcome! the water dragon responded, though he knew damn well she couldn’t hear his sarcasm.
As my wet feet sloshed up the white sandy beach, we were greeted by all of the warrior women of the island. Mira, Sela, Zarya and Darya, Ainsley, and Nadir were all at the front of the pack and leading their respective peoples into battle. Jonas was there, as well, but the old soothsayer was at the rear of the gathered troops.
“A new ship?” Mira joked with a wink. “You didn’t have to go out and get me such a nice present.”
“What are you talking about?” Sela grumbled beside her. “He didn’t get the ship for anybody.”
Mira shot her kin a look that could peel paint off a wall, but Sela didn’t even flinch.
“Now, there has to be a story behind that,” Ainsley gasped as she marveled at the ship. “You go away with a rowboat and come back with an actual sailing ship?”
“We stole it from the orcs,” Lezan explained with a grin. “Who we butchered.”
“I would expect nothing less.” Nadir grinned savagely, ran forward, and placed her hands on Lezan’s shoulders.
The Coonag leader proceeded to pat Lezan’s arms in unison as she made small, happy chittering noises, and the other woman responded with similar sounds, so I assumed that must have been some sort of greeting between the Coonag people.
“That’s not all we found, either…” I trailed off, since I was afraid of the reaction my story would get.
However, I just took a breath and dived right into it. I told them all about how we followed the orcs into the empty jungle, all the way to the volcano filled with sleeping dragons. I told them how we feared the orcs were planning on taming the dragons, and killing them all if that wasn’t possible. We also talked about how the orcs may eventually come looking for their missing ship, and how we needed to be prepared for them if that happened.
All the while, the women looked on with expressions somewhere between awe and terror, but when I was finally finished, Sela puffed her chest out and spoke.
“Shall I send word to Queen Nerissa?” the blue-haired dragonkin suggested. “She is currently holed up in the castle, with your children and the baby dragons.”
“You should definitely tell her,” I agreed. “But don’t bring her out of the palace quite yet. I don’t want any of the innocent people around if the orcs decide to invade.”
“If?” Sela questioned with an arched eyebrow. “You made it sound like it was a forgone conclusion.”
“If… When…” Mira grumbled. “It’s all the same. We shall prepare for the orcs, though we may not need to.”
“What I want to know is how they found that fucking island in the first place,” I pondered aloud. “They came prepared with nets and all that, so it’s not like that was the first time they’d ever been there. They knew the dragons made their nest in that place, and that was where they laid their eggs. But how the hell did they know? I don’t know exactly the chances of accidentally stumbling across a volcano full of sleeping dragons, but it has to be pretty fucking low.”
“If I may, Draco Rex?” Jonas asked as he stepped forward with a finger raised. “I think I may have the answer you are looking for.”
“Oh?” I questioned with a raised eyebrow. “Did you see it in a vision?”
“Not at all.” The old man shook his head. “But I know a lot about the behavior of dragons, and the behavior you’re describing leads me to some… less than great conclusions. Are you familiar with the reasoning behind why a water dragon goes into a deep hibernation?”
“Their bondmate dies,” Sela stated plainly. “That’s why we don’t have any water dragons around on this island anymore, because they’ve all retreated and gone into hibernation.”
“Those are water dragons, though,” Mira noted. “It sounds like the dragons on the island Ben found were like Tirian.”
“It doesn’t matter, my dear.” Jonas shook his head. “When it comes to dragon species, they are all pretty much the same, behavior-wise. No offense, you guys.”
None taken, George reassured. We are all cut from the same cloth, so I guess that makes sense.
Speak for yourself, buddy! Tirian interjected with a huff. I’m a fire-breather, through and through. There’s nobody else like me, even if we look kinda the same.
“I didn’t mean any offense,” Jonas repeated with a roll of his eyes. “But even you can’t deny there are similarities between the way you act and the way George and Nixie’s children behave. So, I would bet the rest of your kin act similarly to the water dragons, as well.”
“So, what does that mean?” I pressed the soothsayer further. “Are you trying to tell me all of those fire-breathing dragons were once bonded with other people? Ones the orcs have killed?”
“That doesn’t make any sense, though.” Mira tried to wrap her head around the situation as she scratched her green hair with the hilt of her dagger. “How could orcs have wiped out a civilization that had flying, fire-breathing dragons at their disposal?”
“Perhaps they were pacifists who didn’t believe in violence or killing,” Jemma suggested. “Like my people we
re when you first met us?”
“Maybe.” I shrugged. “But there wasn’t anybody on that island at all, remember? Granted, we didn’t search the whole place, but there wasn’t even a single sign of another living creature or any civilization the whole time we were there. It was just a bunch of ashy trees and volcanic rock.”
“Unless the orcs literally wiped out the entire island…” Ainsley shuddered at the thought. “The men, women, children, and all the rest of the living beings?”
“Then why would the dragons still be there?” I rubbed at my temples as I tried to figure it all out. “Wouldn’t they have just killed them, too? Or at least captured them?”
“Dragons usually don’t remain where their bondmates fall,” Jonas clarified. “Even after a bondmate dies, their spiritual presence lingers in their final resting place. It’s usually too painful for the dragons to handle, so they go away and hibernate somewhere they can find peace.”
“That would explain why they were sleeping on a desolate island…” I admitted. “But it still doesn’t explain how the orcs knew they were there. Plus, that bastard we interrogated specifically mentioned they were looking for eggs and baby dragons.”
“They’re orcs, my king,” Sela chuckled uncharacteristically, “they are very stupid. They probably got wind about the egg on the Coonag island, and thought they could just go around snatching up dragon eggs from any dragon, even though a hibernating dragon can’t lay an egg or mother a child.”
“That’s the part that keeps puzzling me,” Jonas admitted with a sigh. “Our friend Tirian here was born on the Coonag island, yet you said his mother was sleeping down in the volcano with the rest of the dragons. If her bondmate was out of the picture, she would never have come out of her slumber, not even for childbirth.”
“Unless---Nooooo,” I murmured, and then I smiled.
“Unless the person who was bonded with Tirian’s mother is still alive!” Jemma gasped.
“But then why was she hibernating?” Jonas groaned, and I could tell the soothsayer was growing more confused by the minute.