Page 31 of Prince of Tides
“Lord Flash reports the same in Northern Storm Sector!”
I turned to look at the map on the wall, a giant delineation of the entire dragon realm. The lands were mostly empty, except for the capitals of each realm and the border lines separating the four clans. Fire Clan ruled the northeastern quadrant, while the Storm Clan held the lands in the southeast. The reports put the incursion in the center of the eastern coast.
“They’re pushing hard.”
“So it would seem, Suh,” I replied, addressing Suhnamy, head of my Royal Guard. “That’s a very wide front if the reports are accurate.”
“Then we should get going,” Suh replied, his comment a brilliantly dry wit.
“I suppose we should,” I agreed.
Major incursions like that always warranted a response from the Royal Guard. Minor attacks and probes were dealt with by the local Lord of the Deep, such as Crest or Flash. But a major incursion was dealt with harshly, using maximum force, to ensure the creatures were banished to the depths for as long as possible.
“We go,” I told the room, turning and marching out, Suh leading the way and opening the door for me.
The butt of my spear hit the stone floor of the Tidal Bastion as I headed for the balcony at the end of the hallway. My skin shimmered and hardened as scales covered me from head to toe. My ears flattened until they were little more than earholes, while my face jutted forward slightly, becoming more snoutlike. I grew in size, sprouting until I was nearly ten feet tall, while my fingers became webbed claws, and my feet did the same.
Wings burst from my back, staying tucked in as I walked onto a balcony without a ledge.
Below, one hundred and twenty dragons of the Royal Guard were already lined up. Suh dropped off the edge of the second-floor balcony to stand at their head.
I paused briefly. “Duty!” I shouted, the warriors echoing my call.
“We go,” I ordered, launching myself from the balcony and skimming low over the calm waters of the Bay of Summoning. The arms of the Tidal Bastion stretched out and around in its giant C-shape. At the head of my guard, we aimed for the opening.
Around us, pennants snapped smartly in the breeze while the palace guards saluted us, envious expressions on their faces as we went to battle. Children on the shores shouted and laughed as they chased the formation of dragon-men who marched into the water while the women tried to corral their charges.
The birthing floats moved aside, clearing a path for the guard, which marched forward, becoming more submerged with every step until they leaned forward and began to swim in formation, tails swishing back and forth, propelling them like sharks.
As I reached the bay's opening, giant underwater gates retracted to let us out. I hovered briefly, looking back at those we fought to protect.
“For the Clan!” I roared, lifting the spear over my head.
Then I tucked my wings in tight, extending the spear in front of me as I dove into the water, and took my place at the head of the formation. Water swirled around us as I called to the spear, and a current tugged at us. We sped up, the seas wrapping us in a cocoon as we shot forward along the coast, accelerating far faster than we could swim.
The spear followed my guidance, shuffling us along the coast until we passed into the realm of the fire clan and rounded the northern border to head to the east. Nobody spoke. Everyone focused on swimming along in our little bubble, moving normally, while outside the group, the sea floor whipped past at an incredible rate.
“Suh, we’re almost there,” I barked a short time later.
The head of the guard spoke several commands, and the smartly dressed ranks split into V-shaped squads. Weapons were drawn as we began to slow.
Ahead of us was a pitched battle. Dragons and creatures of inky blackness swirled and darted, clashing in ones and twos as each sought to get the upper hand. Water itself was a weapon in the hands of the dragons, but the creatures blunted much of its power.
Outnumbered, the dragons were being slowly driven backward. I bared my teeth and turned to Suh.
“No mercy.”
Suh nodded. “No mercy,” he echoed, not that it was ever in doubt.
With Suh and me at its fore, the Royal Guard hit the flank of the enemy attack like a meteor, driving deep into our ancient foe. Sword and spear and claw struck deep. Stunned by our arrival, the attackers hesitated.
That was all that Lord Crest’s defenders needed. The sea dragons, most of whom were young and had the strongest control over the sea, struck back in a wave of savagery that was rarely ever seen above the surface. They tore into their enemy with abandon. Claws and teeth shredding them.
We rolled up the flank, turning the attack as we went, driving them back. I plunged my spear into a creature’s head, leaving its eel-like body to slowly sink to the ocean floor. Inky black blood filled the water. I watched for a moment, then swam onward, putting my weapon to good use. The more I killed, the fewer of my people would come to harm. It was simple math.
I came upon two creatures ripping the scales off a young dragon pinned against a rocky outcropping. The dragon bellowed in pain and tried to strike back, but the creatures had it at a major disadvantage.
That was until I arrived. Angrily, I dove toward them, twisting my spear as I went. Pulling the spear apart halfway down, I revealed a second pointed tip. Holding one half in each hand, I drove the blades up through the heads of the creatures, killing them instantly.
