by Logan Jacobs
“Yeah?” I whispered back, just as quietly. I wasn’t sure why she hadn’t spoken at a normal volume, but I didn’t want to give it away to anyone else until I knew.
In response, Mira pointed behind me, out toward the open ocean. Her gold eyes were dark with nervous energy, and that energy quickly filled my own body when I turned to see what she was pointing at.
There, out in the open ocean behind us, about half a mile away, was a big black thing.
At first, that was all I could really see, and if I’d still only had my human eyes, I would have never been able to make out anything more than a black mass in the middle of the crystalline blue water.
But, thanks to my dragon vision, I could see the big black mass had a distinct shape. It wasn’t a boat or ship of any kind. Rather, it looked like the rounded, bumpy back of some very large creature.
As we watched, a head came up out of the water. It had a long snout and beady black eyes, with shiny black skin that resembled the texture of an alligator’s skin.
What stood out the most, though, was the two sharp, giant fangs that jutted down from its top jaw.
The thing was massive. I guessed it was about forty feet long, but I couldn’t be totally sure, since half its body was still submerged in the ocean.
Wonderful. Now, not only did we have giant, carnivorous squids to contend with, but now there was some sort of massive, alligator-like sea creature as well.
I watched the monster for a moment to see if it would come any closer, but it dipped its head down and disappeared back underneath the water.
“That thing looks nasty,” I hissed.
“We should hope we don’t encounter it while we sail home,” Mira replied. “A monster that size would ruin our journey.”
“The new ship might be too big,” I thought out loud, “but then again, I only saw what it wanted us to see. It could be three times that size.”
“What should we do?” she asked.
“I’ll figure something out.”
“You always do,” she said as she reached out to squeeze my ass. “You are the powerful Draco Rex, and you always protect your mates.”
I gazed at the spot where the monster had disappeared with a sense of unease. It had looked an awful lot like a giant alligator, despite the fact it was out in the open ocean, and I couldn’t help but wonder if that monster, like an alligator, could also walk on land.
“Hey, ladies, I think we’ve got enough fish,” I called out to the group. If my suspicions were right, I sure as hell didn’t want to be on the beach if that creature decided to make a trip ashore.
“We will feast well tonight.” Theora grinned, completely oblivious to the tension Mira and I both felt.
We all took our catches and headed home just as the sun dimmed. The meat Jemma, Mira, and I had hunted earlier was now perfectly dry, and we swapped out the rods for makeshift grills to cook the fish for that night’s dinner.
Half an hour later, we were all gathered around the low table and seated on the platform as plates of fish and grilled vegetables were passed around.
“Your gardens have really blossomed,” I commended the women as I took a bite of a roasted potato. “This is an amazing improvement.”
“You know, we could use such help back home,” Mira said with a sly smile. Her gold eyes sparkled as she eyed the deer women, but they were much too astute for her.
“Or you can take all that you have learned from us and put it to use yourself,” Sarayah replied in a diplomatic tone. “Ainsley has not decided to go, and the rest of us shall not, either.”
“Actually, sister, I have changed my mind,” Ainsley corrected the brunette. “I cannot imagine my life without Ben, and I wish him to be around the child I will soon bear for him. Jemma and I will go, but I will not force anyone to leave if they do not want to.”
“I also hope to soon feel Ben’s child in my belly,” Jemma declared with a blushing smile. “I am sure Ben will also bless any of you with his seed, if you so desire.”
“Uhh, I mean … ” I cleared my throat. “I will gladly--”
“I am going, too!” Nima stood suddenly and nodded. “I also wish for a child with Ben, and I will bring Netta to these water dragons and pray the Goddess will help the creatures heal her. I know if we stay here, she will be locked in a living sleep forever.”
Sarayah glanced around at her sisters as she waited to see if anyone else would declare their plans to travel, but the women were all silent.
“I am happy for the three of you,” Sarayah finally said as she glanced at me. “And as much as I wish for a child… I cannot leave my homeland, not after we fought so hard for it. Ben has given us the tools we need to survive here. We cannot be afraid anymore.”
Once again, I thought of the massive possible alligator thing Mira and I had spotted earlier that day. I dreaded to think what would happen if it decided to come ashore after I’d left. The women might be able to fight off a few orcs and wargs now, but they’d be no match for such a monster.
“But we need you,” Mira stated. “That ship is much too big for five of us to sail well. With all of your help, we can manage, and maybe later, once the war with the invaders is over, we can revisit this island. Even sooner, if we need more wood.”
Sarayah chewed on her soft bottom lip as she considered Mira’s statement. A few of the women seated around the table seemed swayed by the jade-haired warrior’s words, but Sarayah held fast.
I glanced over to the other women, but Thornen and Theora also shook their heads.
“I shall help you prepare the ship,” Sarayah finally said, “and consider your proposal. But I make no promises.”
That was progress.
“Of course.” I smiled at her. “Why don’t we gather clay and begin to harvest lumber tomorrow, and the rest of you can think over what Mira and I are saying? I really do think this is the best idea, but it is your decision.”
“Would you be willing to bless more of us with your seed before you leave?” Sarayah asked as she raised an eyebrow. “Even if we do not decide to go with you?”
“I’m not sure,” I said after I considered my answer.
“No?” she asked with a tilt to her voice.
“I’ll need to think about it,” I said with a shrug. “I’ll try to return as much as I can. But I’d be worried about leaving women pregnant with my children unprotected.”
“I see,” Sarayah sighed, and I saw the rest of the women’s shoulders droop as they looked at the ground.
“This isn’t to try and force you to come with us,” I continued. “I just don’t want my children to be at risk. I’m sure you can understand. Kids are very important to me, especially a baby that you would give me, Sarayah.”
“Oh.” The brunette cleared her throat, and her cheeks blushed a bit as she glanced away from me.
“We can talk more about it later,” I continued. “I don’t intend to abandon your island. It’s a great place with wonderful soil, great clay, and these beautiful trees, but right now, I have to solidify my base of operations, and I’ve already done so on Mira’s island. You all will be very safe there, and I’m sure you will all get along.”
“We will talk about it more later, then,” Sarayah said.
So, we tabled the discussion for the second time that day. I was glad, though, because I could tell my logistical points and offer to impregnate them had started to hit home with a few of the deer women. Maybe not the whole village, but I’d watched as about ten of them had seemed to have a change of heart.
Mira had made a good point as well. It would be astronomically hard to sail the massive orc ship without a proper crew, which meant we were stuck on the island while we tried to persuade the deer women to come home with us.
“My king, do you think we can sail that ship without the village women?” Mira asked later that night as we were in our tent preparing for bed.
“It would be hard,” I said as I considered the question with a tilt of my head. �
��But you know I hate the word impossible. We could do it.”
“Is there anything you believe we can’t do?” Mira teased as she crawled on the bed and laid her head on my chest.
“Nope.” I grinned into her soft hair. It smelled of flowers and ocean salt, and I took in a huge inhale.
“I can’t wait to see our family,” the warrior murmured against my chest. “I am sure the children are so big now. And Careen must have had the baby already!”
“Don’t remind me,” I groaned. “I wish I could just freeze those kids in time and keep them as little babies forever.”
“I think I will wish that with our child, as well,” Mira chuckled. “Whenever he or she arrives.”
“Do you think you’re ready for pregnancy?” I asked her.
“Not yet.” Mira shook her head. “But every time I think of Marella or Arrick, I have this longing sort of feeling. One day, I will be ready, and I will know. But for now, I want to explore and fight battles by your side.”
“I want that, too,” I sighed.
We chatted about what our future children would be and look like as we drifted off to sleep. Mira wanted three, all boys, but I wasn’t so sure. Something deep in my gut just told me she’d have a prissy little girl.
I couldn’t help but laugh at the idea of Mira with a fussy little girl. The warrior would tear her own hair out if her child was obsessed with clothes and looks, but I had a feeling that was exactly what she’d get.
In any world, gods had a way of doing that to people.
The next morning, we all rose and headed down to the forest’s edge, right where it met the beach, to gather clay from the soft mud there. The clay on the island of the deer women was nicer and more malleable than the clay back home, and the women had devised a sort of pot designed to keep the wet clay away from the air, almost like a giant Tupperware container.
First, we dug holes into the soft soil just along the tree line. About a foot down, the earth turned into soggy, wet red clay, which we then pulled out by the handful and plopped into the primitive Tupperware.
“This will make such good dishware,” Mira pointed out.
“And I will show you all the best ways to shape it as soon as we arrive,” Jemma, who was on my other side, offered with a happy smile.
“I would offer to join in, but my hands aren’t exactly made for pottery,” I chuckled.
Before either woman could deny my little dig, there was an enormous roar behind us, and down the line of women, someone let out a blood curdling scream.
I whipped around so fast I felt about three vertebrae in my spine crack, but I ignored this when I saw the sight that laid before me.
The giant sea creature Mira and I had seen the day before was no longer a half a mile off shore. Now, it was about fifty feet away from us as it careened toward us, with four thin, spindly legs underneath.
I was right. The thing wasn’t just a sea monster.
Then it let out another roar and revealed two sets of long, sharp teeth inside its mouth, just like a shark’s.
“Holy shit,” I breathed as I watched it shoot out onto the beach.
And it was headed right for us.
Chapter Two
“Everybody run!” I hollered at the deer women.
I didn’t need to tell them twice. Most of them hadn’t brought their bows and arrows down to the beach, since there weren’t any armies to worry about. The most dangerous creatures on the island now were the fycans, and if any of those big cats had attacked, Mira, Ainsley, or I would have taken care of them in a heartbeat.
“What is that?” Ainsley shouted as she appeared next to me, with her bow drawn and at the ready.
“No idea!” I shouted. “Jemma, get everyone back to the village!”
The auburn-haired woman nodded and sprinted ahead of the pack of women.
“Everyone follow me,” she shouted, and her chartreuse eyes glanced back at us once before she darted into the tree line.
The giant alligator monster kicked up sand as it sped toward us, and its beady black eyes were fixed on Mira. They gleamed with hunger, but just as it opened its jaw to chomp her up, the warrior somersaulted gracefully away, in between its legs.
Now, I was able to get an actual look at the thing. Aside from the fact that it looked like a huge black alligator, it had gills on its neck like a fish, and it was more like sixty feet long, from the tip of its snout to the end of its tail.
My sword zinged as I drew it from the sheath, and I was thankful I never went a day without it strapped to my side. Ainsley took aim and let an arrow fly toward the creature’s chest, but the projectile was nothing more than a pin prick compared to the beast’s massive size.
The alligator growled when the arrow lodged into its slimy skin, and then it swung its snout around to try and snatch Ainsley up. The deer woman was too quick, though, and she lithely jumped up into the nearest tree. I heard her scramble up into its branches, and then took my opportunity while the beast was distracted by her disappearance.
Just as Mira had done, I somersaulted across the sand, rolled underneath its snout and between its legs, and landed right under the monster’s massive chest.
I stared up at slimy black skin that almost looked like armor, and watched for a split second as the beast drew in a deep breath. I took note of how the rib cage expanded to make my best guess about where its heart was, and then I stepped further underneath him, jumped, and stabbed my trusty sword as hard as I could right up into its meaty flesh.
The stab, though, did not have the desired effect.
Either I’d missed its heart, or the thing had a layer of flesh so thick it managed to swallow up my sword, because nothing happened. The monster didn’t buckle and fall like I’d hoped, but it instead let out another roar and proceeded to turn in a complete circle in an effort to get my sword out of it.
The sword was stuck in its fat chest, though. I used all my strength and tried to pull it out, but I was a good five feet from the ground, and I had no leverage. Instead, I was at the mercy of the massive alligator as it spun in a circle and tried to break free of my weapon.
“Ben!” Mira hollered, and the warrior ran up underneath me and grabbed onto my ankles.
“Pull me down!” I called down to her.
She yanked with all her might, and finally, my sword slipped out of the beast. I landed on the sand next to her, still on my feet, and glanced down at my sword. Only the tip was bloody, and the rest of it was fairly clean, with just a little bit of goo on it.
“This thing’s got armor for skin,” I growled.
Suddenly, the alligator sidestepped and spun around so we were once again face to face with it. Then the massive snout snarled and tried to snap us up, only to be distracted by an arrow.
I glanced toward the source to see Ainsley was up at the top of the nearest tree, with another arrow already nocked in her bow and ready to fly.
The second arrow had much the same effect as the first one, but I didn’t have too much time to register the monster’s annoyed roar, because it took off toward the trunk of Ainsley’s tree at breakneck speed.
“Fucker of mothers!” Mira called out as we dashed after the beast.
The alligator rammed straight into the tree, and the trunk swayed under the impact but didn’t fall just yet.
“How the hell do we kill this thing?” I demanded as the beast backed up to ram into the tree again.
Ainsley’s eyes went wide before she whipped her head around in search of a way to get out of the tree while also avoiding the monster.
I glared at the thick skin of the animal’s flank as it backed up. Then my eyes darted up to its neck, where the ugly gills flapped open to reveal bright red flesh underneath.
That was it.
“Distract it,” I ordered Mira as I took off toward the massive alligator.
The dragon-woman didn’t question it, and she ran straight at its tail while I headed for the neck. I saw the warrior lift her sword up into t
he air, but I tore my attention away from her next move as I focused in on the gills.
And then three things happened all at once.
The alligator monster dashed forward and ran into the tree trunk again as Mira chopped off the last foot of its tail, and I lifted my sword to drive it right in between the flaps of its gills.
The creature roared and tried to spin around, but it was too late. My sword was buried up to the hilt in between the middle two gills on its left side, and whatever the hell was inside squelched and oozed as I twisted my sword one way and then the other.
The alligator stumbled back about two steps, tried to turn around to gnash either me or Mira in those enormous teeth, and then collapsed onto the sand with one last breath. Little rocks exploded around us as its massive weight crashed to the earth. My knees buckled to absorb the impact as my legs hit the sand, and I felt my sword slide even further into the creature.
And then it froze. Dead.
I took a moment to stare into the dark recesses of the dead monster’s massive gills before I braced myself against its side with one foot and yanked my sword out of its body.
“How was that for a fun morning?” Mira called out.
I didn’t have a chance to respond, though, because a massive cracking sound filled the air.
The two of us spun around in abject horror and watched as the tree that the monster had head butted, the one Ainsley was currently in, started to sway all on its own. Then the base of the trunk splintered and cracked some more as each swing became larger and larger.
“Ainsley, get out of there!” I shouted. I tried to sprint toward the tree, but even as I did, I knew it was no use. I might have been strong as hell, but even I couldn’t hold up a thick trunked, twenty foot tall tree all on my own.
I was only about halfway between the monster and the tree, though, when it crashed back into the forest with a huge, earth-shaking thunk.
“Ainsley!” Mira screamed from behind me.
My heart pounded in terror, and my feet couldn’t move fast enough as I tried to get to the tree as fast as I could.
“I am up here!” Ainsley’s clear, high voice suddenly called out and stopped me dead in my tracks.