by Logan Jacobs
“The dragons.” I smiled. “They’ll definitely come in handy once the fighting starts.”
“I wasn’t talking about the dragons, Ben…” Mira looked up at me with her golden eyes, and I nearly melted into the bed. “I’m talking about you.”
Goosebumps rose on my scaly body at her words. She was right.
Since I’d come to this island, these helpless women had not lost a single person to the orcs, nor had they lost a single battle. And, under my leadership once more, we would kick these orcs back under whatever rock they crawled out from.
I closed my eyes and prayed that Oshun would be guiding us tomorrow. We needed all the fucking help we could get.
Chapter Thirteen
The next thing I knew, the deep bellow of a seashell horn broke me out of my slumber. Mira and I both sprang straight up in bed at the noise and then quickly hopped out and tried to gather up our weapons.
The conch alarm may have been something new to the world of the dragonkin, but we already knew damn well what it meant.
A ship on the horizon.
Mira and I fastened on our weapon belts to our hips as we exited the primitive huts that acted as our beachside Airbnb, and all around us, our friends were scurrying out onto the beach and taking their places on this side of the wall.
“Remember the plan!” I called out to all of my people. “We wait until they hit the beaches, and then we come over the wall and kick their orc asses. Swift and precise, just like we practiced.”
George and Nixie both looked like they were just waking up from their slumber as they trudged out from the tree line, but they were also as tense as a dog that had just spotted a squirrel.
It’s time? Nixie asked Mira and me telepathically.
“It is.” Mira nodded. “Good luck, bondmate.”
We won’t need it, Nixie reassured her friend. As long as you guys take care of things on this side, this will be nothing but a leisurely swim for us.
Don’t get too overconfident, dear, George warned. But I completely agree. In the best-case scenario, we won’t be doing anything at all!
George let out a few hurried chuffs, which was his way of laughing, before he rubbed his head lovingly against his mate. Then the two water dragons turned and lumbered away in opposite directions as they prepared to make their way out to sea.
Meanwhile, the rest of our soldiers were lining up in formation, and several of the deer women climbed up to the top of the wall using the newly-installed stairwillow. Just as I’d hoped, the new addition to our defensive structure allowed our soldiers to ascend it a million times faster than if they’d just used a ladder, and it also let them go up two-by-two.
The Coonag and dragonkin women waited at the bottom of the wall, each one with their primary weapon in one hand and their seaglass daggers strapped to their sides like a trusty sidearm.
“I still don’t see why they get to have all the fun,” Lezan teased as I walked by.
“Don’t worry.” I winked at the multicolor-haired Coonag woman. “You guys are going to be the ones who are actually fighting on the frontlines. But we need our best archers up top, where they can pick off those bastards from afar.”
Tirian flew up to me with Jemma already on his back, and then the little silver dragon tilted his head curiously.
Are you sure you don’t want us out there? he questioned as if his feelings had been hurt. I don’t like waiting.
“You’re a toddler,” I chuckled, “of course, you don’t. But yeah, you guys stay out of sight until I give you the signal. You can do a lot of damage, Tirian, but you’re not going to be any help if you end up captured or killed.”
Alright… The dragon hung his head sadly, but then quickly perked up when Jemma scratched him behind his ears.
Tirian let out a loud, earth-shaking dragon hum before he jumped up off the ground and rocketed up into the cover of the clouds above.
So, with everyone now in position, I drew my sword, walked over to the rest of my soldiers, and waited.
My small army waited patiently for the orcs to land, and once they did, we were going to fuck them all up in ways they couldn’t even imagine. Surely, the stories of this island and its people had spread to the mainland orcs by now, but they wouldn’t know about the Coonag yet. They wouldn’t know our forces had grown exponentially in the last few weeks, or how we’d trained each and every woman on this island to be a certified, high-class killing machine.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that, true to type, the Coonag women were shifting back and forth on their feet like a toddler on Christmas morning. The mighty raccoon women had a lot of strengths, but patience was definitely not one of them.
Meanwhile, the dragonkin warriors held their spears at the ready, and I could tell they were prepared to use the weapons as both a stabbing and a bludgeoning instrument should the need arise. Even though these women had been trained intensely since I got to the island, their weapons were just the same as when I’d first met them: simple wooden spears bedazzled with seashells and with a point made out of the durable, deadly seaglass. They were the same weapons that had held up for generations, and there was no point in trying to change them now.
Finally, Darya turned around from her post atop the wall and called down to us.
“Draco Rex?” she boomed. “I think you should get up here. There’s something you need to see.”
“Uh-oh.” I sheathed my sword and began to make my way up the trunk of the stairwillow, and my boots clunked against the staunch wood of the tree as my mind raced with the possibilities of what awaited me.
Did the orcs figure out how to use a long-range weapon? Were they already storming the beaches, and we were too late? Or maybe they simply realized they stood no chance and fled before we could hand them their asses?
After a few minutes of climbing, I came to the top of the wall and sauntered up next to Darya.
“What’s up?” I asked, but the golden-scaled warrior just pointed out to sea.
Before us stood the pristine, blue ocean we’d grown accustomed to sailing, and there were several pirate ships, all galleon-style, about half a knot out from the shoreline.
However, I quickly saw what had perplexed Darya so much.
All four ships were sitting still, as if their anchors had been dropped. Their sails were curled up, too, and there didn’t seem to be any sign of a war party outside of about a dozen crewmen who manned the vessel.
But heading straight for the shoreline was a rowboat with only two orcs inside.
The smaller of the two orcs rowed each paddle with all his might, which propelled the ship forward like it had a miniature motor attached. The other figure in the boat was much larger, and he was adorned with clothing that looked fancier than any orc we’d ever seen before.
In his hand, he waved a white flag.
“I don’t like this, Draco Rex,” Darya growled as we watched the rowboat slow to a halt on the sandy beach. “I say we rain hell down upon them the second they’re within range.”
“They want to ask for terms,” I reminded her. “I know they’re heartless bastards, but we also need information as to where their main island is. Maybe this guy can point us in the right direction. Before we kill him, of course.”
“So, what do you want us to do?” Darya muttered.
“You don’t have to do anything,” I explained, and a look of horror spread across her face. “I’m pretty sure that’s their captain, so I’m going to go down there and talk to him.”
“My king…” Darya pleaded.
“That’s how this works,” I continued. “The orcs might be stupid, but there’s no way they’re dumb enough to try and attack with just two invaders against a whole mounted wall of archers. Just keep your arrows pointed at those two bastards the whole time, and I’ll be fine.”
Darya and Zarya both looked like they were about beg, but they sighed in unison and shook their heads somberly. Then the twins stepped to the side, and I began to make my way
down the stairwillow that had been placed on the other side of the wall.
When I finally got down to the ground, I carefully made my way past the fortifications we’d built to keep any invaders out. Then I moved around the seaglass shards and the barbed wire, and I even slipped around a few of the deep holes we’d made in the ground.
Finally, I came out to the clearing, where the orc captain was waiting for me, alone.
Now that I was up close, I could see his uniform in all its glory. The dude was a little bit taller than the other orcs, but only by a foot or so. Bulging muscles rippled underneath his seaweed-green skin, as did thick veins that could put the Governator to shame, and he wore what appeared to be an ill-fitting frock coat over his shoulders and a large cutlass against his side.
His most defining feature, however, was his left eye. Or the lack thereof. There was a gnarly slicing scar from the left side of his nose all the way across his cheek, and where his left eye should have been there was only a milky piece of seaglass.
“Do you speak common, Draco Rex?” the orc snarled when I was within earshot. “Or do you only speak Dragontounge, like these whores you call your people?”
“I’d watch what you say, fucker,” I warned as I approached. “Or the only tongue you’re gonna be speaking is gibberish, because you won’t have one. Also, we all speak common, dumbass.”
“Fuck, you’re just as crass as us!” The captain threw back his head and laughed. “I like ya already!”
Ugh. The mere thought of being liked by these disgusting creatures sent a shudder down my spine.
“I’m not here to play friends,” I growled. “Now, what are your terms of surrender, orc?”
The captain stopped laughing for a moment to make sure he registered what I had said. Then, once my words had sunken into his tiny skull, he roared once more.
“My surrender?” he cackled. “You’ve got this all wrong. I’m here to negotiate your surrender. And you’d best call me by my actual title, you little shit. Captain Carnog.”
“Carnog?” I snorted and tried to get under the orc’s skin. “Man, your parents must really not have loved you.”
“Nope!” The orc grinned oafishly. “They sure as fuck didn’t. Now, are you gonna hand us over the dragon, or do we hafta tear your skull off yer body and take it?”
I felt my jaw clench instantly. So, they did know about Tirian.
“That’s what you want?” I scoffed. “A worthless baby dragon?”
“You lot really do think us orcs are dumbfucks, don’t ya?” The captain shook his head. “Sure, my crew are pretty knuckle-draggin’, but do ya really think that little of us?”
“Trust me,” I grunted. “However low you’re thinking, my real thoughts on you assholes are much, much lower.”
“Ohhhhhh.” Carnog whistled. “Ya got spunk, Draco Rex. Tell ya what… Our original terms were to just ask for the dragon, and we’d leave you alone for good. But--”
“There are no ‘buts,’” I shot back instantly. “We’re not giving up the dragon. Also, why the fuck would I trust a bunch of backstabbing brutes like you?”
“Well, that’s just rude,” the captain growled. “Are you gonna--”
“Why would you even want a baby dragon, anyway?” I lied as I tried to get more information out of him. “There was a whole island of dragons that didn’t have people waiting to murder you on it.”
“Don’t be playin’ dumb!” Carnog stuck his stubby finger toward my face. “You and I both know we need that there dragon to wake up the rest of ‘em! That’s why you wanna keep him so badly, ain’t it?”
So, that’s what they thought… These idiots had no idea how to actually bond with a dragon, and they didn’t know anything about the rebonding ceremony.
I held up my hands to feign being caught. “Alright, you got me… But you’re not leaving here with our dragon.”
“Listen here,” Captain Carnog said through his cracked, dry lips. “We came all this way, and we ain’t goin’ home empty handed. Now, at first I was just gonna offer to take the dragon and then be on our merry way, but now I’ve got a better idea. How’s about this? Instead of giving us the dragon, you and your dragon buddy join us? You’d make a damn find orc captain, you know…”
“Fuck that.” I shook my head, and my fists clenched at the very thought of working with these ugly, evil bastards.
“Why not?” Carnog chuckled to himself. “Think about it. You’d still get to sail the high seas, finding islands full of beautiful women and bringing them back to the ship with ya. They might be a little less willin’, but that ain’t much of a problem.”
“You’re fucking vile,” I growled. “And if you say I’d make a good orc one more time, I’m going to pop your head off your shoulders right here and now.”
“So, that’s a ‘no,’ then?” Carnog took a step back and frowned. “Ya won’t even consider the first option?”
“Take your terms and shove ‘em.” I spat onto the ground as a rage built up inside my very core. “I don’t negotiate with evil bastards who rape, pillage, and kill people just for fun. In fact… If you get back into your ship and sail away right now, I might consider letting you live.”
“Have it yer way.” Captain Carnog shrugged, and then he drew his sword.
What a fucking dumbass. Now that my women knew the negotiations had broken down, they were going to turn him into a giant green pincushion.
But then I heard a series of loud booms, and my heart sank into my knees.
One-by-one, puffs of smoke arose from the sides of the galleons, and large dark round projectiles erupted from their port side.
Cannonballs. Oh, shit.
I was distracted by the incoming projectiles, and I only had seconds to duck out of the way before Carnog’s sword slammed into the ground where I’d just been standing. Then I instinctively pulled out my dagger and rammed it into the back of his leg, which caused him to howl in pain and go down onto one knee.
I hopped up to strike again, but was forced to leap backward by a horizontal swing of the orc’s sword.
The cannonballs slammed into the wall at full force, and bits of the concrete went flying into the air. A quick glance back told me the wall was still standing, but there were now half a dozen massive craters in its structure.
At the same time, I saw several rowboats descending upon the beach from the galleons.
It was time for war.
“Charge!” I called out to my warriors, who responded with a battle cry.
I ducked out of the way of another sword swipe and stabbed up at Carnog’s right arm. My seaglass dagger stuck him like a roasted hog and, much to my dismay, became lodged in his thick muscles.
The orc captain jerked his hand back with a grunt, and my weapon went with it.
In an instant, he slugged me across the face with his giant fist, and the world went blurry for a second as I stumbled and spat out some irony blood onto the sand. I didn’t have time to be hurt, though, because as my vision returned, I saw the orc bastard’s blade heading for my stomach.
I tucked and rolled off to the left and drew my sword as I sprung back up to my feet. Then I whipped around and took a shot at Carnog’s torso.
My blade clashed with his, and for a fleeting moment I saw the orc’s eyes light up with fear.
“Where did ya get that much seaglass?” the ugly fucker gasped.
He was about to find out.
“George?” I whispered in my mind. “Nixie? You see what’s going on here?”
We see it, dear one! George’s voice echoed through my head. How can we help?
I dispelled Carnog’s sword again and then threw up my foot and kicked him in the chest. He fell back down to the ground with a dull thud before he rolled over and out of the way of my incoming blade.
“The cannons seem to be on the port side,” I explained telepathically. “Halfway up the ship. If you can take them out somehow, that would give us a huge advantage.”
That
was the understatement of the year. If these cannons kept firing on our wall uncontested, the whole thing was going to come down like a house of cards.
Carnog and I clashed swords once more, but this time he was ready to fight dirty. He used his force to shove me back onto my ass and then sent a spray of sand into my face with a kick of his boot.
The gritty particles scratched my eyes and made them burn like a mother, and I let out a cry of frustration as I tried to see through my watery vision. Everything was cloudy, but I could still see the captain’s massive figure lunging toward me.
So, I rolled out of the way and threw up my foot haphazardly, and thankfully it connected with something.
Carnog let out a grunt as his watery silhouette fell back onto the ground, and I blinked rapidly to try and get the sand out of my eyes. I knew rubbing the damn things would just make it worse, so I did my damndest to try and flush it out naturally, and slowly but surely, my vision became clearer.
However, I didn’t really have enough time to get back to full capacity.
There was another explosive boom as the cannons went off again, and I saw more chunks of the wall fly off as my warrior women descended the stairwillow.
“Hold on, Captain!” the other orc from the rowboat cried out. “I’ll deal with this blue-scaled bastard for ya!”
“Damn it, Harg!” I heard Carnog’s voice sneer. “I told ya to stay on the boat!”
I turned around just in time to see the second orc running straight for me. He had a club in his hand, and it was raised and ready to bash my brains in.
Too bad for him I could counter that in my sleep, let alone when my vision was just a little hazy.
So, I waited for him to get close, and then I crouched down and used my full force to fling myself into his body. The move did two things. First, it got me out of his attacking range, since bludgeoning weapons weren’t going to do much good if your attacker was right up on you.