by Logan Jacobs
I held onto the wheel as tightly as I could, but The Dragon Queen threatened to lose control at any second.
Sela and Mira both began to mutter something under their breaths in their native tongue, and I heard the words “Oshun” and “Hydrom,” so I assumed they were doing some sort of a prayer to their ocean gods.
Probably a good idea.
Jemma comforted Tirian as the dragon’s silver head cowered against her shoulder, and Jonas was completely frozen with terror as he looked off to the darkness.
Lezan and Nadir, on the other hand, had the polar opposite reactions. Both of the Coonag women had climbed a few feet up a nearby mast, hung off with one arm, and raised their free hands to curse the sea. Both of their faces were plastered with wide, toothy grins, and they snarled at the incoming storm as if they wanted to take it on all on their own.
The Coonag were certifiably crazy in every sense of the word, but I wouldn’t want them to be any other way.
Then the rain began to fall.
The thick droplets of briny water pitter-pattered against the deck of the ship slowly at first, but soon those soft sounds turned into rapid thuds, almost as if The Dragon Queen was being assaulted by a machine-gun super soaker. The droplets stung against my skin, like thousands of tiny, warm liquid bullets splattering into oblivion as they hit my scales at high velocities. Then came my worst fear…
The wind began to pick up.
I felt my clothes rippling against my body as the fabric was whipped back and forth by the high-velocity of the air blowing past, and I began to cling onto the nubs of the wheel as my footing began to give out on the slippery ground.
Meanwhile, the masts creaked and groaned above us, but suddenly one of the secured sails snapped open with a groan and the flutter of the heavy fabric. The ship immediately pitched to the side as the wind caught the sail, and my crew cried out in alarm.
“Fuckers of mothers!” Mira called out over the sound of the howling wind.
Even though the rain was coming down hard now, I could still make out the outline of Mira as she was yanked up into the air by a rope that was attached to the loose sail and tangled around her. The harness around her own body went taut a few feet in the air, and the beautiful dragonkin warrior let out a cry of pain as she was pulled in both directions by the tension of the ropes.
“Fucking hell…” I spat. “Tirian? Malkey? Mira’s gonna get torn in half if she doesn’t get some help!”
I felt helpless at this very moment. As much as I wanted to abandon my post, cut my rope, and go save Mira, I couldn’t. The second I let go of the wheel, the wind and the waves would bash against the rudder and send us out of control.
So, I had to hope and pray one of our resident dragons could get the job done.
I got her! Malkey announced, and then the copper water dragon bounded away into the downpour.
My eyes watered and stung as I opened them wider to try and see what was going on, but I eventually saw the large, adolescent dragon jump up into the air, catch the rope that Mira held in his jaws, and then lower it back down to the ground with the dragonkin warrior still attached. As soon as Mira was back on the ground, Sela ran over and untangled her from the sail rope, and the two of them re-tied Mira’s harness as tightly as they possibly could.
“Great job, Malkey!” I called out through our telekinetic bond. “Now, get back here and hunker down before the waves start getting too bad!”
The copper water dragon darted back over to my position, held his head high, and then placed his foot down on Arrick’s tether rope.
I did good? he asked like a puppy wanting a treat.
“Better than good,” I praised, “but don’t get too cocky. We’re not even in the worst part yet.”
The Dragon Queen continued onward for what seemed like hours. The loose sail was still unfurled, but I couldn’t risk any of my crew climbing up to re-secure it in the heart of the storm. As we got deeper into the raging tempest, the waves started to get more violent, and they smashed against the hull of our vessel with an intensity that shook the boat with each impact. I gritted my teeth and held firmly onto the wheel with each strike of the ocean water, though I feared what our ship would look like if we didn’t get through to the other side soon.
That’s when it happened.
We all heard a loud splash, and then a massive storm wave rose up over the starboard side of The Dragon Queen and washed over its deck like a tsunami wave. The salty sea slammed into my body and, try as I might, I couldn’t hold onto the wheel. I let out a grunt of frustration as my body was thrown across the deck of the ship like a ragdoll, and if not for the rope wrapped firmly around my waist, the ocean’s pull would have almost certainly taken me to a watery grave.
The wave subsided, and I came up spitting seawater out of my lungs as I hopped back to my feet. Then, without a second’s hesitation, I dashed back toward the wheel and reached out to grab it.
But mother nature wasn’t done with me yet.
Another giant wave smashed into the side of our schooner and rolled the vessel to the left. My heart sank as I felt the boat almost go onto its side, but somehow she caught herself and fell back onto her hull.
I scrambled back to the wheel once more, grabbed a hold, and tried to right our course, but now I was starting to wonder where the fuck we were actually headed. Between the darkness of the landscape around us and the fact our ship had just been knocked around like an amateur boxer, I was sure we’d been blown off course.
But right now, that didn’t matter. All that mattered was my crew and I got out of here in one piece.
So, I raised my voice as much as I could over the howling wind.
“Someone drop a sea anchor!” I bellowed. “Whoever is closest!”
“Yes, Ben!” someone shouted back, but in the chaos, I couldn’t tell who it was.
A moment later, though, I knew my order had been obeyed because our speed dropped a little. The anchor would help slow the ship drift, and I steered the bow into the wind to reduce the impact of the waves.
That was all I could do for now.
Then I surveyed the ship to make sure all of my friends were still alright, and Arrick coughed up a few mouthfuls of water as he leaned against Malkey for support. My son’s clothes were absolutely soaked, and the way they clung to his lanky frame made him look like a drowned scarecrow.
Mira, Sela, and Jonas were all used to this sort of weather, though, since they were dragonkin, and they stood their ground at their posts, tugged on ropes, and held parts of the ship in place.
Jemma’s eyes were as wide as saucers as she clung onto the netting of one of the masts. Her tunic was sopping wet, and it clung to her tall, toned body like a second skin. Meanwhile, Tirian was down on his belly and pressed up against the inner lip of the ship’s deck, as if that was going to somehow protect him against the elements.
Then there were the Coonag women.
Lezan and Nadir were not as arrogant now as they had been at the start of our voyage. Their furry tails were matted down into thin, fuzzy pencils, and their hair was caked against their head in large, uneven strands. Most different of all, however, was the fact their faces now wore deep frowns.
“Everybody alright?” I called out over the roaring thunder of the storm.
“I’ll admit, Ben,” Jonas’ voice yelled back, “I’ve been better!”
“At least we are still buoyant!” Sela noted. “I thought we were about to capsize.”
“Don’t count your clucker birds before they hatch…” I grumbled. “There’s a lot more storm left to go.”
My crew members did their best to try and keep the ship in working order. They attempted to raise and lower the sails and keep us on course, but it was no use.
Whether we liked it or not, we were now at the mercy of the tempest, and we just had to hope we would make it out with our ship and our bodies intact.
Then my heart suddenly sank into my knees when I heard the sound no captain wants
to hear.
From up above came the long, loud sound of tearing fabric, and I looked up to see one the loose main sail had torn straight down the middle.
“That’s not good, is it, Dad?” Arrick gasped.
“Tirian!” I commanded the silver dragon through our mental bond. “I need you right now, buddy. You’re the only one who can get up there and hold that torn sail in place. If it goes any more, we’re royally fucked.”
That wasn’t an overstatement. The ship might be able to still sail, but it wouldn’t have the speed advantage that was so important for a schooner when it came to combat or fleeing our enemies. Without a mainsail, I was basically captaining a smaller, less armed version of the regular orc ships.
And if we happened to come across any of our green-skinned enemies? We’d be completely fucked.
I-I don’t know if I can do it, Tirian whimpered. The wind is too strong.
“I know you’re scared,” I tried to comfort the dragon. “Trust me, you have every reason to be afraid right now. But if you don’t help us out, this whole journey might be compromised, as well as the ship itself.”
Please, Tirian… Jemma pleaded with her bondmate. You’re our only chance.
Even though the little dragon didn’t say anything, I could sense he was weighing his options inside of his head. He wanted to help out his friends, for sure, but he was also petrified with fear. He’d only been hatched a few weeks ago, which meant this was the first time he’d encountered any storm, let alone one as bad as this one.
Finally, the dragon’s silver figure stood up and tried to strike a majestic pose.
If it’s what I have to do to save all of you, he announced, then it’s what I’ll do.
“Atta boy.” I smiled. “Just hold those sails together until we’re out of the storm. But be careful… The higher up you go, the stronger the wind is gonna get.”
Tirian gave me a concerned look, but then he ran over to the mast that contained the broken sail. The silver dragon took a running jump at the mast, fluttered on his wings for a moment to boost his leap, and then wrapped his four legs around the girth of the mast.
I watched with a pounding heart as Tirian ascended up the wooden pole foot-by-foot, until he eventually reached the torn sail, and with his two lower legs still firmly on the mast, Tirian pinned down the flapping half of the sail against the wooden pole. Then he reached up and took the bottom of the other half into his mouth.
His body seemed to be trembling from exertion, but he seemed to have it under control. At least, for now.
Tirian performed his act of bravery just in time, too. About five minutes after he grabbed onto the mast, Nadir dashed to the bow of The Dragon Queen and pointed excitedly toward the horizon.
“Daybreak!” she called out. “I can see the light!”
Almost there. We only had a few more miles to go, and then we’d be home free.
I’m not sure how much longer I can hold onto this, Ben, Tirian warned. It’s already slippery, and my arms and legs are getting tired.
“Just a few more minutes, Tirian,” I reassured our friend as I continued to wrestle with the wheel. “Once we’re out of the strong winds, you can let go and come back down with the rest of us.”
I’ll do my best, the silver dragon sighed, and then he seemed to grip the sail even tighter.
My eyes stung like hell from all the saltwater that had been sprayed into them, and my lungs felt like they’d been filled with a gallon of fluid. Meanwhile, my entire body ached from trying to brace myself and keep control of the wheel, and I knew I was going to have bruises all over my body when this was all said and done.
Then we hit the light.
The waves around us began to calm as the sky brightened up, and the rain turned to nothing more than a light sprinkle. Finally, the clouds and the downpour disappeared completely, and we were back in the calm, crystal-blue ocean.
This world and its storms were insane. Storms never cleared this fast back on Earth, but I couldn’t be anything except grateful right now.
“Holy shit,” I gasped as I fell down onto my knees and looked around at my crew. “We did it. We actually fucking survived.”
“Uhhhh… ” Lezan raised her hand. “Did you not expect us to?”
“No, no,” I laughed before I stood up and fumbled with the rope around my waist. “I knew we’d make it through alright. I just thought we and the boat would be in a much, much worse condition. Malkey? I hate to ask, but could you hop into the water and check the hull for any signs of damage? Mira and Sela? You two can go down to the lower deck and see if there’s anything wrong with the inside of the ship.”
“Right away, Draco Rex,” Mira sighed before she brushed her wet, green locks away from her face.
Sela responded with a tired, unenthusiastic nod, and then the two dragonkin warriors headed over to the stairs. At the same time, my son’s adolescent water dragon meandered over and stuck his head over the side of the boat, and he sat there for a solid minute and stared down into the blue abyss as the gears whirred around in his head.
“It’s alright,” I promised the majestic copper creature. “Trust me, anything that’s down there is more scared of you than you are of them. You’re an apex predator of the sea, at the top of the food chain.”
S-Still… the dragon stammered. That’s a big, biiiiig ocean, and I bet there’s something in there that’s bigger than me!
Honestly, there probably was a bunch of stuff bigger than the teenaged water dragon down there, but nothing really seemed to bother George or Nixie when they were out at sea, unless they were provoked.
Obviously, I wasn’t going to say that out loud, though.
“No way!” I lied with a wave of my hand. “Nobody messes with a water dragon.”
That’s not what Mom and Dad say, Malkey scoffed as he lifted his head. They say a kraken will gobble a water dragon right up like it was a scallop! And then there’s Cthulhu…
“Malkey,” I chuckled and shook my head, “if a kraken or Cthulhu show up in this spot, we’ve all got way bigger problems.”
Arrick finally walked over to his bondmate and scratched him between the shoulder blades, and the copper dragon lowered his entire front end in response, closed his eyes, and let out a long, happy hum that vibrated the entire deck of the ship.
“I’ll go with you, Malkey,” my son promised his bondmate. “Would that help?”
Would you do that? Malkey’s eyes opened wide. I’d feel a lot better if I wasn’t down there alone.
My palms began to sweat as the thoughts of everything that could go wrong flitted through my head. Arrick was a strong swimmer, but the skill wouldn’t do him any good if he were being dragged under by a creature of the deep. Also, Malkey might have been an apex predator, but Arrick was just a young dragonkin boy, so I didn’t think there was a single thing in the world that was afraid of him.
“Dad?” Arrick’s voice cut through my zoned-out thoughts. “Is that okay?”
I bit my tongue as I pondered my options in my head. What kind of a hypocrite would I be if I told Arrick it wasn’t safe for him to be down there and then sent one of my other friends down there alone?
I promised Nerissa I’d protect our son, and I was going to do that at any costs. However, I supposed just being around Malkey would keep potential predators at bay.
“That’s fine.” I forced myself to smile. “That actually sounds like a great idea, son. Just make sure you don’t spend too much time in the water. I want to get a move on as soon as possible.”
“Thanks, Dad!” Arrick dug his left hand into Malkey’s neck, and he hoisted himself up onto the water dragon’s back. He then positioned the bottoms of his feet back against the hind legs of the copper beast, wrapped his arms around its neck, and let out a whistle.
Malkey took a few steps back and then ran at the side of the ship at full speed. Arrick’s long, silver hair whipped back in the wind as they galloped forward, and then his dragon leapt into the air.
The force of Malkey’s motion caused the entire deck of The Dragon Queen to creak and groan under his feet, but then the two figures were out over the side. Seconds later, we heard a loud splash, and I tensed up as my thoughts returned to the unknown creatures that lived unseen, under the surface of the ocean.
“It’ll be alright, Ben,” Jonas reassured me as he placed his hand on my shoulder. “Your children are just as strong as you are. Remember the first time you met me? When little Marella came up to the mountains all by herself?”
“Oh, I remember,” I chuckled. “Talise and I were worried sick.”
“Yet, she was fine.” The old man smiled at me behind his weary eyes. “In fact, I bet she would have found her way back home eventually.”
“She also had the help of a bunch of griffins,” I reminded the soothsayer. “Having giant bird creatures at your side can go a long way in ensuring survival.”
“I know you’re being sarcastic,” Jonas mused, “but you’re right. That’s why it’s important Arrick and Malkey stick together, no?”
The old man had a point. As much as I worried about my son, he was with good company. Malkey might have still been an adolescent water dragon, but he was a water dragon nonetheless.
Besides, the last thing I wanted to be was a fucking helicopter parent.
So, I tried to guide my mind toward more happy thoughts, though I continued to fidget my hand around my balled-up fist as I walked around the deck.
After a while, I heard Sela and Mira’s voices bickering as they came up through the hole in the floor.
“There’s no way that’s going to hold,” Mira argued as she appeared over the edge. “I give it ten minutes before it starts to leak, and maybe twenty before it fails catastrophically. That’s being generous, if you ask me.”
“I’d like to see you do better,” Sela shot back. “Especially given what we had to work with down there.”
Oh, no. I didn’t know what they were talking about, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
“Something wrong?” I raised an eyebrow at the approaching dragonkin warriors.
“The winds must have thrown us into a rock or reef,” Sela sighed, “because there were three holes about the size of my fist on the bottom of the starboard side.”