Page 94 of Of Steel and Scale

I am the queen, Kaia had once told me.They will obey.

This was evidence that she had not been kidding.

Even if I can repair enough of your wing to fly, you shouldn’t fly straight away. You need to give the straps time to set.

Gria flew.

The damage to her wing wasn’t as great. What we need is to find somewhere more sheltered—are there any caves within walking distance along this shore?

Tarn look,Kaia ordered.Rua hunt. Am hungry.

The two younger drakkons bowed, then stepped back and took off. The sweep of their wings whipped the sand up around us, and I turned away from the stinging storm to protect my face.

It was then I spotted the distant shape on the horizon.

A ship.

Hope leapt briefly, then just as quickly departed. It couldn’t be from Esan—we were too far south, for a start, and they’d have to be a long way off from the fastest route to Jakarra to even get here.

Unless some of the Jakarran boats had escaped, this was either a fisherman from Southport or the enemy... and I wasn’t liking the chances of it being one of the first two options.

I looked around frantically for my pack and spotted it yards up the beach. I quickly limped over and, as I pulled the long viewer free, prayed for Túxn’s luck to be with us.

It was, at least partially. The long viewer was intact, but the lens glass was cracked, and the image more than a little fuzzy. But it was sharp enough to make out the boat’s deep belly, the line of open oar slats that lined its length, and the single mast that held red sails on which a crest had been inked—a long-clawed bird flying over crossed spears.

That was not a crest used by anyone within Arleeon or her islands, and as far as I was aware, none of our trading partners had crests like that.

This ship belonged to our foe. And if they had one ship here, they would have others, and that was certainly confirmation of my earlier fears—the ridersweren’tall we had to worry about.

We fight, Kaia said.

We can’t. We have no weapons.

You have flame.

My flame is all but gone, and will take time to regenerate. I thrust a hand through my tangled hair in frustration, tearing bits free that floated away on the sharp breeze.

Rua and Tarn fight.

That ship might have acid weapons. We can’t risk their lives, Kaia.

Many would.

I’m not many

No. Why I seek for help.

I couldn’t help but smile. Who could have guessed that all those years of watching her hunt would lead to her not only trusting me, but also the formation of a bond that went beyond mere trust?

What do then?she continued.

“I don’t know.” I raised the long viewer again and saw the harpoon sitting high on the bow. “They’re not hunting us. They’re hunting for food.”

Water beasts?

“Yes.”

I dropped the long viewer onto my pack, limped into the waves, and thrust a hand under the water. We were a long way from that ship and whatever it was hunting, but I had no doubt desperation would add extra strength to the call.

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