Page 30 of Dragon Fire

As it was, he was bleeding, but it was only a flesh wound, as far as he could tell. Seth would fix it up for him when this was all over, Hrardorr thought fondly. Seth always set him right. He was a good lad.

“What are you doing?”

Hrardorr stilled as an unknown voice came to him…from below. He turned his head, using that underwater sense he had to distinguish several large bodies swimming directly below him. Dragon-shaped bodies, if he wasn’t much mistaken.

“Hello. I’m Hrardorr. I’m helping those living on Gryphon Isle to defend their shores from the men in these ships. They have been shooting at dragons and gryphons and have killed several with their deadly spears.”

“Killing dragons?”came the curious voice again in his mind, tinged with concern now.“And gryphons?”

“And people,”Hrardorr confirmed, letting go of the hull he’d been menacing and swimming a little deeper.“Are you sea dragons?”

“Of course,”the melodic voice answered.“Aren’t you?”

“I’m only part sea dragon. One of my ancestors was of your kind, but my other forbearers were fighting dragons from the land of Draconia.”

“I am Salwinalia,”the soft voice continued.“I’ve never met a land dragon before. Can you really breathe flame?”

“Isn’t that what drew you here? The light from above? Those are my flames, torching the invading fleet right now. But they have deadly weapons on these ships, and I cannot chance another flame run right now, so I’m working from below.”

“How? Can we help? We like the people and gryphons on this island. They have always been kind to us. We would like to help, if we may, but we have never battled people in ships before. Mostly we just leave them alone, and they do the same.”

“I would be grateful for your help. It is a lot for one dragon to disable an entire fleet. I am coordinating with those above, who are fighting the invaders on the surface, but if we can disable their ships, it will be a major step in the victory. It is dangerous, however. I have already been hit by one diamond-tipped arrow on my tail. You must keep all of your bodies hidden by the ship you are working on, then dive deep before coming out of its shadow to move to the next. Understand?”

“Yes, Hrardorr. We’re fast learners. And a little impetuous. There goes Neri.”

Hrardorr sensed one of the pack of sea dragons break away, heading for the closest hull. He wished he could see her with his eyes, but underwater, his other senses were almost as sharp as his sight had been above. He sensed when the small sea dragon turned its tail on the hull, using the sharp points on its tail to poke massive holes in it.

That ship was destined for the bottom of the sea, no doubt about it. When two-legged bodies started jumping off the sinking ship, the sea dragon created a wave under them that swept them onto the beach. Hrardorr wasn’t sure how the dragon had generated the wave, but it was definitely a handy trick.

The small sea dragon called Neri came back to the group and was congratulated by the others. They seemed a happy bunch, game to try the same trick.

“Was that all right?”Salwinalia asked Hrardorr, a bit of amusement in her tone.

“That was fantastic,”Hrardorr told her, glad of the chance to meet actual sea dragons and even happier that they were willing to help him, and the inhabitants of Gryphon Isle.“And sweeping the men into shore is a good thing. If we don’t have to kill them, we should not,”Hrardorr told them solemnly, not sure what ethical standard sea dragons lived by, if any.

“What will happen to them?”Salwinalia asked, sounding curious.

“The people on shore will make them prisoners, question them, and then send them back to their homelands when this is all over, if at all possible.”

“That is a good fate. I can see why you ally yourself with the creatures on the island. I have always thought the gryphons were noble beings, and the fair folk must be, as well, to be allied so closely with the gryphons.”

“So you’ll help me then?”Hrardorr wanted to get back to the business of sabotage, though this interlude hadn’t taken long at all.

“Oh, yes. It looks like great fun.”

“Dangerous fun,”Hrardorr reminded Salwinalia.

“We are not unfamiliar with danger. Living in the sea is not all fun and games, though we try to make it that way.”

Hrardorr thought he had just gained a small insight into the way of sea dragons, but he wanted to learn so much more. Still, this was an amazing start and a fortuitous encounter.

“Excellent. Then, let us begin.”

“Lead the way, Hrardorr. We’re with you and will follow your lead.”

Seth almost didn’t believe it when Hrardorr told him and Gowan that the underwater campaign had just found a few unlikely recruits. He passed along the information to the gryphon general and wished he had time to discuss the new development with Gowan, but things were going to happen really fast from here on out. The speed with which the sea dragons took out a large part of the attacking fleet was simply astounding.

And the sea dragons did something to usher the swimming men onto shore. The defenders had their hands full, trying to corral those who came ashore. Some wanted to fight. Many just wanted to surrender and have their feet on solid ground, without fear of drowning or being eaten by whatever was macerating their ships.

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