Monster Girl Islands 14 Chapter 2

“Are those the dragons I think they are?” Jemma asked over her shoulder as she stared at the scene in the distance.

Mom! Tirian laughed happily.

The dragon sprang forth from his spot atop the crow’s nest and started to fly out toward the distant figures, but Bungal quickly snatched him out of the sky with his meaty mitts.

Do not engage, Tirian, the fat brown dragon warned. Remember your mother is still in a state of madness due to the loss of her bondmate. Even if she recognizes you, there is no telling how she might react.

She’s still my mom… Tirian argued and tried to wiggle free. I’ve never even really met her.

You will in time, my dear. Ethala swooped up beside both the dragons and rubbed her head against Tirian. It’s just too dangerous right now, especially with the feathered dragon chasing them.

“I want to know where the orcs got a fucking feathered dragon,” I growled.

Are you certain he’s working for the orcs? Ethala questioned.

“Well, I can’t be one-hundred percent sure,” I admitted. “But they’ve been after this clan of dragons for months now, and we know they already had thunder dragons and wind dragons on their side.”

On their side? the sparrow dragon scoffed. You mean those green men keep them as their slaves.

“That’s definitely a more accurate description,” I agreed. “Either way, we’ve seen before that the orcs have some of these dragons at their disposal, and they’ve already shown they’re willing to use them to do their dirty work.”

Horrific beasts, Ethala spat.

“What can we even do about this, Ben?” Zerandrie asked. “Getting between two groups of fighting dragons doesn’t seem like a good idea.”

“We can’t just let the situation play out,” I argued. “Even if Tirian and Bungal’s clan ends up victorious, they could be killed or severely injured by the fight. I don’t know about you, but I don’t intend to let that happen.”

Me, either, Tirian growled. I’m going to go up there and kick that feathered dragon’s rear!

He’s ten times our size, Swaer’s high-pitched voice gulped. I think he’d swallow us down like one of Hali’s coconut treats before we could even get in one swipe.

“I’m with Ben,” Malak announced as she raised her stone axe toward the beasts. “We need to get in on the action!”

“She’s mad,” Nevar mumbled, to which almost everyone on the ship nodded in firm agreement.

“Not to sound like I’m doubting you or anything,” Maca chuckled as she sauntered over to my position behind the wheel. “Buttttt… What exactly are we going to do against these creatures? Without the heavy boulders or any sort of large projectiles, they will wipe us out in seconds.”

See? Swaer interjected. I knew I wasn’t the only one who thought that.

“We can still do plenty of damage,” I explained. “We’ve got cannons and harpoons we can launch, plus we’ve got a few dragons of our own who can join in the fight.”

“So, what’s the plan?” Sela questioned. “Because once we make our first move, the dragons will be on us in seconds.”

“Ethala?” I looked up to the floating sparrow dragon. “Bungal? You two know the other dragon species best. What the hell are we even dealing with here with the feathered dragon? Like what are their powers, and do they have any special traits we need to worry about?”

Well… the sparrow dragon trailed off. Feathered dragons have the strongest bite of any of my brethren. He is actually one of the few creatures of this world that could bite through Atrix’s flesh as if it were nothing. Then there’s the blinding lights they can emit from their eyes, mouth, and feathers.

“Is that it?” Mira scoffed. “That sounds like a fairly weak dragon, if you ask me. Just avoid his jaws and don’t look straight into his beams of light.”

“You say that as if we’re not sitting in a giant, awkwardly-moving ship that’s going up against a freaking flying serpent with the agility of a snake,” I reminded her. “There’s no way we can out-maneuver this guy, even if we wanted to.”

“Then that’s where we come in,” Kwah suggested. “My Aviar sisters and I can try to distract him while you get into position.”

“Sister!” Nevar gasped. “I appreciate your boldness, but do you have a death wish?”

“Do you have any better ideas?” Kwah raised an eyebrow at the second Feathered Monarch. “If we are airborne, where we are agile and swift, then we may at least stand a chance at avoiding the feathered dragon’s jaws. If all of us stay down here on the ship, we’re going to be little more than floating targets. More importantly, it will take the dragons’ eyes away from Ben and his vessel.”

“Are you sure that will work?” Nacut questioned. “We don’t even know what the Draco Rex is planning.”

“He’ll figure something out,” Kwah argued, and then she shot me a wink. “From what I’ve seen, he always does.”

“This plan sounds completely insane,” Maca admitted with a smirk. “I love it.”

We’ll be up there fighting with you, too, Swaer reassured the Aviar women. We won’t let those big, bad dragons gobble you up.

“Swaer says they’ll be fighting alongside you,” Batari translated for the non-dragonbonded.

“We can’t just go flying right into this.” I shook my head. “We need a plan… George? How high can you jump?”

About as high as a sapling tree, George explained. I’m afraid I’m not as light on my feet as some of my other dragon friends.

“Not from the ground,” I clarified. “How high can you jump if you come up from the water?”

I’m afraid I’m not following, dear one, George admitted. I-- Wait… You mean if I propel myself out of the depths like an attacking animal?

“That’s exactly what I mean,” I confirmed.

Well, if I’m doing it that way, then perhaps as high as a large palm? The water dragon changed his tone.

“Perfect.” I smirked. “Then you’ll attack from the depths so you won’t get blinded by his lights. Swaer? I want you to use your wind to disorient this bastard. Blow him off course, blast up water funnels of water in his face, anything that’ll keep him away from Tirian and Bungal’s clan. Ethala, I want you to… Well, what exactly is it you sparrow dragons can do?”

Let me be the one to worry about that. Ethala smirked. You shall find out in due time, Draco Rex.

“Bungal and Tirian?” I asked up to the two fire-breathers. “You guys do what you do best.”

Put on a performance so powerful that his jaw is on the floor and his eyes are full of tears? Bungal tilted his head curiously.

“N-No.” I facepalmed. “Light his ass up with your fire breath.”

With pleasure, Tirian growled. Now, let me go, Bungal. Ben gave me permission to attack!

Very well, little one, Bungal sighed, and then he released his grip on the silver scaled dragon. Do not get too overzealous.

I don’t even know what that word means, Tirian huffed as his upper lip curled back into a snarl. I just know I’m gonna make this guy pay for trying to hurt my mom.

With that, Tirian darted up into the sky and toward the feathered dragon. Bungal let out a surprised gasp before he took off after his adolescent friend, though he was much less agile and lingered about twenty feet behind Tirian at all times.

“You guys get into position, too,” I announced to the rest of my friends. “This is gonna take a coordinated effort if we want any chance at bringing this thing down and saving those fire-breathers.”

I’m on it, dear one. George announced from beside the ship before I heard a loud splash, and the sea was clear enough that I could see George’s aqua-blue figure as it shot through the water and toward the upcoming battle.

Come, small one, Ethala beckoned Swaer. Let’s show them it is not size that matters.

“Be careful, Swear,” Batari warned her bondmate in the tone of a concerned mother. “We’ll be right behind you.”

The Cero woman gave the wind dragon a longing scritch under his chin before she patted him on the head and sent him on his way, and Swaer had a sad but determined look in his eyes as he unraveled himself from Batari’s arm, took to the sky, and then floated up by Ethala.

Then the two dragons turned toward the battle and zipped off like two bats out of Hell.

“Soooooo, what are we doing?” Malak questioned as she cradled her baby bump in one hand and her axe in the other. “Don’t tell me we’re all just going to sit around and watch the battle from afar. Our baby needs to experience the heat of battle from an early age if he is to become a fine warrior, Ben.”

“Of course we’re not sitting on our asses,” I said. “We’re gonna try the same technique we used on the wind dragon before. Once we get into position, we rock The Dragon Queen back and forth until the cannons can aim toward the bastard, and then we light him up.”

“What if our friends are in the way?” Sela asked.

“They won’t be,” I assured. “Aviars? That’s where I’m gonna need some expert communication on your part. Once you see us get into position, tell everyone to get the hell out of the way.”

“Sounds easy enough.” Teeka shrugged. “Ready, girls?”

The Aviar women all let out a shrill battle cry that sounded like a cawing bird, and their vibrant wings sprouted from underneath their arms. Then the bird ladies ran over to the side of the ship, sprang up into the air, and flew away into the crystal clear sky, off to face almost certain death.

“Good luck,” I muttered under my breath before I addressed the rest of my crew. “If you’re on the masts, stay where you are. Everyone else, get down below and start prepping the cannons!”

“Right away, Draco Rex!” Sela confirmed before she motioned for Jonas, Batari, Valea, Waeren, and Zerandrie to follow her.

Mira, Malak, Jemma, and I remained up top, where we began to chart a course full-speed ahead. I spun the wheel of The Dragon Queen to the left as hard as I could and then caught it when we began to make a sudden lurch to the right. The moment I did so, Malak and Jemma released the sails fully, and the wind caught us from behind.

Our vessel flew forward from the sudden gust of wind. Or, at least, as fast as an orc-built schooner vessel could go.

As we traveled toward Tirian’s clan and their pursuer, I saw the battle begin to unfold.

I held my breath as the feathered dragon glanced back over his shoulder and saw his approaching attackers, and my heart hammered in my chest as I waited to see if he’d noticed those of us on the ship or not.

Thankfully, it didn’t matter.

Before they were even upon him, Tirian unleashed a blast of flames straight toward the green dragon’s face.

The feathered dragon thrust his entire midsection upward like a contracting worm and let the fire pass under him harmlessly. He then let out a strange hissing sound as his eyes began to glow yellow, and he opened up his blocky jaw wide.

A brilliant, blinding yellow light radiated from deep within the beast, and I instantly turned away as my eyes began to burn.

Fuck. Even from back here, it was like staring straight into the sun.

The Aviar women screeched as they were blinded by the blast, and then they swooped downward in a hurry to avoid whatever was coming next.

I couldn’t even imagine what it was like to be up close.

When I turned back to the battle, I gulped as my blood ran cold.

The feathered dragon was darting straight for my airborne friends, all of whom appeared to be blinded by his light.

“Shit,” I cursed. “Can’t this thing go any faster?”

“The sails are down as far as they can go, Ben!” Mira gasped.

The feathered dragon let out another inhuman hiss as his jaw unhinged like a snake, and he flew straight for Tirian.

“Tirian!” Jemma cried out. “Get out of there!”

“Fuck…” I growled and clenched my fingers around the wheel spokes in my grasp.

We were all helpless as the feathered dragon approached our friends, with his mouth open wide and his crimson feathered fanned out like a striking cobra.

That was when we saw the splash from below.

George’s scaly body flew up like a breaching whale as he blasted out from the depths just in front of the feathered dragon, and as he flew up in the sky, the blue dragon unleashed a giant beam of ice-cold water straight into his opponent’s face.

The feathered dragon hissed as the blast knocked him off course, and his jaws snapped shut just a few feet away from Tirian’s body.

Tirian, he’s on your left! Jemma commanded through her dragon bond. Let him have it.

Tirian may have still been blinded, but he instantly whipped his head to his left and let loose a blast of white-hot flames. The fire smashed into the feathered dragon’s neck, and smoke billowed from his flesh as he hissed and shrieked in agony.

Without even looking, the feathered dragon swung his head like a baseball bat and slammed it into both Tirian and Bungal.

The two fire-breathers let out a pained grunt as they were tossed through the sky, but they both caught themselves fairly quickly.

Unfortunately, that put them right in the path of the other fire dragons.

The elderly-looking firebreather let out a snarl when he saw the two “strangers,” though Bungal didn’t have a hint of fear in his demeanor.

Uncle Balrow? the fat dragon gasped. Is that your lovely voice I hear?

The elderly dragon let out a roar as he opened his mouth and blasted at Bungal with a beam of fire.

Heads up! Tirian cried out as he flew down and slammed into the old dragon, which knocked his head to the right and sent the blast of fire harmlessly into the ocean.

My word… Bungal shook his head, and I assumed his vision was returning. Was I this grouchy when you found me?

You tried to burn us all alive, Tirian confirmed. So… Yes.

“You guys stay with your clan,” I ordered our two fire-breathers via the dragonbond. “We can’t let them get away, and you two are the only ones who may have a shot at getting them to calm down.”

Great, Swaer huffed. So, we all get to deal with big, dumb, and green over here?

Don’t let his appearance fool you, Ethala chuckled. Feathered dragons may be deadly under the right circumstances, but they are pushovers once you actually learn their tricks. Watch this… I’m sure he will turn his head up and try to blast me with blinding lights.

The sparrow dragon suddenly darted upward in the air. She twirled like a ballerina as she ascended, and the feathered dragon took a snap at Swaer.

Gah! the wind dragon gasped as he just barely avoided his attacker’s teeth.

I watched with curious interest as Ethala’s body flew up into the clouds, where she disappeared into nothing but a small round shadow. Then the shadow paused in mid-air and hung in place weightlessly for a moment, before it finally began its descent. As Ethala reappeared through mist of the clouds, I could have sworn her body was moving at the speed of sound. A layer of visible air resistance rippled around her body like a jet about to go supersonic, and then the sparrow dragon let out a loud bellow as she tucked her wings into her body and shot forward like a rocket, head-first.

The feathered dragon’s eyes glowed bright as he began to open his mouth and raise his head in the direction of his opponent, but he was way too slow.

Ethala’s body slammed into the feathered dragon head-first, and there was a sonic crash as her opponent’s head whipped downward violently. Ethala simply bounced off her enemy like a rubber ball, caught herself in the sky, and let out a smug huff.

“Ohhhhhh!” Maca cackled as she and her Aviar sisters cringed. “That looked really painful.”

Meanwhile, the feathered dragon shrieked in agony as his entire body plummeted into the ocean and sent a series of giant waves rippling across the horizon.

Waves that were headed right in our direction.

“Brace for impact!” I commanded my crewmates. “Choppy seas ahead!”

If I wanted The Dragon Queen to have any chance of coming out of this in one piece, I was gonna have to change my course of action quickly. We were trying to flank this bastard to the east, which meant we were currently parallel with the waves headed our way. If those things caught us in our current position, our ship would be rocked violently back and forth until it capsized.

And, if we were to capsize, I wasn’t even sure Bungal would be able to get us back upright.

Plus, we’d all be sitting ducks.

If we wanted a shot at this, we had to hit these waves head-on, bow-first, and hope we broke up the surface tension. There was still a pretty major chance the ship would be tossed around like a toy tugboat in the bathtub, but at least this gave us a fighting chance.

I twisted the wheel of the ship to the left in a firm, but steady, motion, and then held on for dear life as The Dragon Queen turned as fast as she could to face the incoming danger. As we squared ourselves up with the waves, I watched the feathered dragon begin to lift himself out of the water with a furious roar.

He didn’t get very far before George was on him like white on rice.

If you know what’s good for you, the water dragon warned as his head popped up from the depths. You’ll stay down!

George sprang out of the water and body slammed the feathered dragon’s head back down beneath the surface. The action caused even more waves to erupt, but at least it was keeping the hideous monster distracted while we got into position.

Come on, George! Swaer cackled. Let him come up. I want to show him he messed with the wrong dragons!

It’s much safer if we keep him down like-- George began, but then his blue body was launched up out of the water. Gah!

George’s figure was tossed nearly fifty feet up into the air by the feathered dragon, who then raised his head up above the surface.

Ethala and the Aviars started to fly down to counter, but they were hit full-on by a blast of blinding yellow light.

Ahhhhh! Ethala cried out as she twisted and spiraled chaotically in the air.

“Evasive maneuvers, Aviars!” Nevar commanded, and all five of the bird-women fanned out in opposite directions.

Meanwhile, George was helpless as he plummeted back toward the feathered dragon’s jaws.

The green beast below rose up completely out of the water and then opened his mouth like a snake as he prepared to swallow George whole.

Back off, ugly! Swaer shouted as he sucked in a bunch of air.

The little red wind dragon huffed and puffed, and then he blew that fucker away. Swaer’s gust of wind struck the feathered dragon in the chest, and the bastard grunted as he was forced backward. Swaer then shifted his attack downward at the ocean below, and his blustery breath created a tsunami wave as big as a freaking semi truck.

The wave crashed into the feathered dragon, which knocked him completely off course and back down into the sea.

George landed safely back in the water with a large plop, but my crew and I were still in for the worst of it.

“Here it comes!” Jemma called out from the ship’s bow.

We were far enough away from the action still that the first wave was only a few feet tall. We went over it like a watery speed bump, and my insides thumped against my feet when we landed back in the ocean with a crash.

Still, we were in one piece.

“That wasn’t so bad,” Malak admitted. “Where’s the good stuff?”

“Still on its way,” I promised as I gritted my teeth and prepared for wave number two.

The second and third waves were only about as bad as the first. They whipped us around and tossed us a foot or two out of the sea, but overall it was kind of just like going on a kiddie coaster ride at the state fair.

While the feathered dragon was down and the waves were not that bad, I glanced over to see how Bungal and Tirian were faring with the fire-breathers.

One look told me the answer was “not very good.”

Both the fat brown dragon and the smaller silver beast dodged the claws, tails, and fireballs of their clanmates like flies in a carwash. Though they seemed to be holding their own, they also didn’t seem to be making any progress.

Still, the fire-breathers were preoccupied, and they weren’t trying to escape.

“Tembori’s tusks!” Batari gasped from the cannon port. “Here comes the big one!”

Sure enough, the next wave that approached us was nearly fifteen feet tall, and I knew it was gonna hit us hard.

“Brace!” I commanded my crew. “I hope everybody’s tethered, because that one’s coming over the side.”

“Tethered!” Mira answered as she pointed to the rope around her waist.

Jemma, Mira, and I had all tethered ourselves to the ship in some form, but Malak simply hung upon the mast like Gene Kelly in Singin’ in the Rain.

“Aren’t you going to tether yourself?” Jemma demanded, but Malak just shook her head.

“My claws are deep into the wood,” the gray-haired Coonag explained. “The force of the wave would have to be stronger than a dragon’s tail-whip to actually knock me off.”

Now, had that been Nadir or Lezan, they would have just said something along the lines of “I’ll be fine” or “bring it on.” It was interesting to see a Coonag who had a logic behind her madness.

She was still mad as a hatter, but at least she could explain all the crazy shit she was doing.

Before we knew it, the wave was upon us. It crashed against the front of The Dragon Queen and sent our whole ship upwards. We hung in the air for a brief second, and my heart was frozen in time. Finally, we crashed down against the ocean with a hard, wooden crash, and water washed over both sides of our schooner.

The ice-cold wave smashed against my legs with the force of an NFL linebacker, and they were both washed out from underneath me. I hit the deck of the ship hard and slid toward the starboard side until my tether snapped taunt, and my momentum was instantly halted as I pressed my palms against the deck and lifted myself back to my feet. The ship’s wheel spun helplessly, and I felt our entire ship start to turn to the left.

Then my heart sank when I saw another wave approaching, and this one was even larger than the last.

I ran over to the wheel, grabbed onto it as firmly as I could, and growled as I held it in place, and I had to hold on for dear life as The Dragon Queen’s body came to a juddering halt. The second we stopped, I whipped the wheel in the opposite direction and prayed to every god I knew that we would be in the right position when the next wave hit.

As we turned back toward the battlefield, the next wave slammed into us with the full fury of Poseiden himself. It pushed our ship upwards a bit, but the water engulfed us before we could pass over it.

My body was hit full-on by a twenty-foot tidal wave, and I was instantly knocked away from the wheel and to the literal end of my rope. Seawater filled my lungs, and my vision seemed to go white for a moment as I choked upon the salty spray of the ocean. Try as I might, the force of the wave kept me on my stomach, and all I could do was hold on and hope this rope was strong enough to withstand the assault.

Finally, after a few seconds that felt like hours, the wave subsided. I pulled myself up to my hands and knees and coughed up some briny phlegm, but I didn’t really have time to recompose myself.

The wheel was loose once more, and I had to stop it before we went careening out of control.

I sprang forward and grabbed onto the wheel, and once it was stopped, I began to survey the damage.

Jemma and Mira were just getting back on their feet, and they were drenched. Several barrels and crates had been washed overboard, and I could see many more had been dislodged from their original position.

Then there was Malak, who clung to the interior wall of the deck like her life depended on it.

“What happened to ‘my claws will keep me safe?’” Jemma teased the Coonag woman.

“T-They should have,” Malak sputtered with wide eyes. “By all logic and my calculations, I should still be on that mast.”

“That just goes to show you,” Mira chuckled. “When it comes to the might of Oshun, nothing is predictable.”

“How is everybody down below?” I called out to my friends below deck.

Waeren’s strange hissing growl answered, though he sounded very annoyed.

“We’ve been better,” Sela’s voice shouted back. “But we are all alive.”

Everybody might have been a bit shaken up, but at least they were alive and well.

“Are you alright, Dragon King?” Nevar called down from above.

“We’ve fine,” I confirmed, and then I spoke to the dragons telepathically. “Maybe stop knocking him into the water? You’re really not helping us down here.”

Don’t hit him into the ground, Ethala confirmed. Got it. I’ll just have to knock his skull up into the clouds, then!

The sparrow dragon darted out of the way of the feathered dragon’s bite and then shot up into the air. She began her free-fall once more as Swaer and George both distracted their opponent, and again her body was surrounded by the supersonic g-forces that made her attack so deadly.

This time, however, she went for a different approach. Instead of smacking the feathered dragon from above, Ethala plummeted straight down past him and then, at the last second, jerked her body upward.

Ethala slammed into the feathered dragon’s lower jaw, and there was a wet crack as the bastard backflipped through the air and disappeared into the clouds.

Wow. Swaer whistled. How do you do that?

We sparrow dragons have very thick skulls, Ethala bragged.

I’m afraid he’s going to not be very happy when he comes back down, George said. Perhaps we should try to figure out how to end this battle sooner rather than later?

“You guys have to work together,” I explained to the three dragons and the Aviars. “Until we can get in close enough for a kill shot, you have to just keep fucking this guy up. There’s eight of you, and one of him. He might be bigger, but you are way stronger when you work together.”

Maybe we can pin him, George? Swaer suggested. I can hit him from above, and you can hit him from below?

And then, while he is pinned between your attacks, I can go in for another strike, Ethala finished.

It’s worth a-- Incoming! George gasped, and then the water dragon reared his head back and sucked in a breath.

On three, George, Swaer commanded before he inhaled deeply. One, two… Three!

The feathered dragon let out a beam of blinding light, but George and Swaer were already one step ahead of him.

A blast of salt water shot up like a geyser and slammed into the feathered dragon’s face, and the beast let out a gurgled gasp as the pressurized water soaked his body and stopped him right in his tracks.

At the exact same time, Swaer and Ethala flew up above their opponent. The baby wind dragon stopped a few feet above his target, while Ethala continued until she was out of sight beyond the clouds.

Swaer then unleashed his blustery blast of breath down onto the feathered dragon, and the creature let out a grunt as the force knocked him further onto George’s water cannon.

Now, the fucker was sandwiched between the two attacks.

“Swarm him, sisters!” Kwah commanded.

The five Aviar women let out a cawing battle cry as they shot around to the feathered dragon’s back and began to tear into him like vultures on a carcass. Bits of blood sprayed out into the air as their talons tore at his flesh, and a few of them even ripped hunks of skin and muscle off his bones.

That was when Ethala’s body zipped down from above, switched up its trajectory, and smashed into the feathered dragon head-first. The sparrow dragon did a backwards somersault as she bounced off his skull with a wet crack, and her opponent let out a deep, pained groan.

The feathered dragon’s eyes rolled back in his head as his body went limp, and George and Swaer released their attacks.

“Victory!” Nevar declared with her head raised high. “Good job, ladies.”

“Did-- did they just kill it?” Mira gasped.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Whatever they did, though… It worked.”

The feathered dragon’s body fell into the water with a huge splash, and massive waves erupted around where it had landed.

Fuck.

“Everybody brace!” Mira called out to us as we watched a giant, twenty foot wave heading straight for The Dragon Queen.

It was too late to turn the ship in the right direction, and it was sure as anything going to hit us square on the starboard side.

Hold on, dear one! George gasped, and then he began to swim in our direction.

Even then, he wasn’t quick enough.

The wave slammed into the side of our boat, and the next thing I knew I was knocked off my feet. At the same time, the entirety of our ship began to creak and moan as it was rocked, and my heart stopped when I felt us tipping to the left.

This was it. This wave was going to topple us, and then we’d all be sitting ducks for the feathered dragon or whatever other monsters lurked in the depths below.

Then there was a series of loud “thunks,” and our motion stopped in an instant.

When the wave finally splashed back into the sea from which it came, I pulled myself to my feet and spat out the salty liquid, and my heart swelled with pride when I turned around and saw what had saved us.

Swaer, Ethala, and all five of the Aviar women had their hands up against the port side of The Dragon Queen, and their faces grimaced as they pushed it back into its original position.

“You saved us…” Jemma trailed off, and her voice was full of disbelief.

Of course we saved you, George chuckled from somewhere in the water on the port side of the ship. Who would there be to feed us wild boars if you were all dead?

“I’m sure that’s the only reason,” I said with a relieved smile. “Thanks, guys.”

“Just remember this when you’re picking out our rooms on the new island,” Maca teased. “The Aviar women get the best view.”

“You guys can fly,” I reminded the red-feathered woman. “You can get the best view anywhere.”

“Do you think you actually killed him?” Malak asked as she surveyed the ocean around us from the starboard edge of the deck.

I’m not sure, Ethala admitted. It sounded like I cracked through his skull when I hit him.

“Well,” I chuckled. “If he’s not dead, then I bet he at least has a concussion. Or a really, really bad headache.”

I shall check, George confirmed, and then there was a splash as he dipped back into the sea.

There was a tense silence as George explored the depths, and we all simply waited to see if we could declare victory or not.

Meanwhile, Bungal and Tirian were still trying to keep the other firebreathers at bay.

I know you remember me! Bungal gasped as he slapped away the two baby dragons. Who could forget their pleasantly plump yet charming Uncle Bungal?

Yeah, they were gonna need some help.

Suddenly, the ocean below us lit up with a light as bright as the sun itself. My vision went white as the blast surrounded us, and I couldn’t see jack shit as I whipped the wheel around and prayed we could avoid any incoming attack.

“Swaer!” I commanded the wind dragon. “Give us a boost, now!”

My heart pounded in my chest as I awaited Swaer’s gust, but sure enough the little guy pulled through. There was a powerful blast of wind at my back, and I heard it catch our sails with the strength of a stormfront. The Dragon Queen lurched forward in a hurry as it was launched out of the way, and just in the nick of time.

A loud splash erupted from behind us as the feathered dragon emerged from the ocean, and the resulting wave knocked me forward against the ship’s wheel. I was able to keep myself upright this time, but I was literally sailing blind. My eyes were still readjusting to the light as I straightened The Dragon Queen out and hoped we were on the right course.

There was another sharp crack behind us, followed immediately by the sound of flapping wings and cawing battle cries. After another few long, drawn-out seconds, my vision returned to normal.

I whipped my head around to see the Aviars, Ethala, and Swaer were all engaged with the feathered dragon, but the flamboyant bastard had no desire to tango with them.

His yellow, cat-like eyes were focused solely on The Dragon Queen.

Son of a bich. He must have figured out I was the one giving the orders, and now he wanted to cut off the figurative head of his opponent.

“Ben?” Jemma gulped as she drew an arrow from her quiver.

“Everybody, get into position!” I commanded. “We might have to fire on this motherfucker from the hip.”

“Where exactly is the ‘hip’ on a ship?” Mira asked.

“It’s a figure of speech!” I rolled my eyes and gripped the rungs of the ship’s wheel. “Everyone, get below deck and be ready to fire.”

“We’re loaded and ready,” Sela shouted back. “Just give us the command, Draco Rex.”

The Aviars tore at the feathered dragon’s flesh, but he paid them about as much attention as a cow would the flies on his rear.

Then the dragon unhinged his jaw like a snake as he shot forward, right at us.

“Fuckfuckfuckfuck,” I gulped as I spun the wheel as hard as I could to the right.

I won’t let him get you, Benjamin Whitfield, Ethala declared as she darted for the slithering beast.

Seconds before Ethala slammed into the feathered dragon’s head, the bastard whipped his face toward her and unleashed a blinding flash of yellow light.

Ethala let out a frustrated cry as she completely whiffed on the attack and splashed down into the ocean with a harsh plop.

Then Swaer blasted at the feathered dragon with another gust of wind, and the beast was temporarily distracted.

“George?” I asked my bondmate telepathically. “Can you get us into position?”

Me? the water dragon gulped. W-What-- How can I do that?

“When I give you the signal, just jump up and grab onto the edge of the deck,” I explained.

Won’t that capsize your ship? he argued.

“It’s the only way we can hit a target in the air,” I continued. “Frankly, it’s worth the risk.”

I will try my best, dear one, George confirmed, and then he ducked underneath the water.

Meanwhile, Swear and the Aviars did their damnedest to keep distracting the feathered dragon, though he was quickly seeing through their ploy.

The serpent threw his head forward, and Swaer was just barely able to avoid the razor-sharp teeth that snapped down at him. Then, before the poor little guy could even respond, the feathered dragon whipped his head upward and knocked Swaer away.

Ahhhhhhh! Swaer cried out as he was tossed up into the clouds like a fly ball at a baseball game, and he disappeared out of sight.

The feathered dragon smiled a toothy grin as he turned back to our ship.

“Uh, George?” I gulped. “Are you in position, buddy?”

I am ready whenever you are, dear one, the water dragon confirmed.

“Gunners?” I asked the crew down below. “On your marks!”

Even though my heart was racing at the speed of sound, I decided to try and intimidate the fucker. I locked the wheel in place before I turned to face the feathered dragon, and I made sure I locked my eyes right into his.

He let out an amused chuff when he saw my attempt at dominance, and then he just continued to grin as he unhinged his jaw and slowly slithered forward.

It was now or never.

The feathered dragon shot forward with a horrific, inhuman snarl and a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth that was as wide as a double-decker bus.

Now came the hard part. I had to wait until I had a perfect shot.

If I gave the command too early, we would only cause minor injuries. Too late, and we would be his afternoon snack.

There was only a small window of opportunity right now, and I needed to make sure we hit it.

My heart seized up as I clenched my fists and tightened my jaw. I felt completely helpless as the fucker came at us, but there was nothing I could do but watch until the time was right.

“Now, George!” I commanded my bondmate.

There was a loud splash in the water behind me, followed by the thud of claws against wood. The Dragon Queen was suddenly rocked backward on its seaboard side, until I was only a few degrees away from being parallel with the water.

“Ben?” Malak gasped as the dragon got closer.

“Fire!” I bellowed.

Miniature explosions rang out below the deck, and then four cannonballs blasted forward toward the feathered dragon. All four of the projectiles seemed to hit their mark, and two of them tore through the flesh of his upper jaw as the other two disappeared into his throat.

The feathered dragon let out a roar of agony as he twisted upward and out of the path of the attack.

You got him, dear one! George congratulated me as he let go of the ship, and we rocked back into an upright position.

“I’m not sure that was a killshot, though,” I growled. “Load them up again, guys!”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it, Draco Rex…” Valea giggled as she suddenly appeared on deck. “My cannon had a special cannonball inside of it, courtesy of Waeren.”

“What do you--” I began, but then the realization dawned on me. “You poisoned it?”

“See for yourself,” the blonde Spindrel woman said as she pointed up at the dragon.

The feathered dragon coughed out a large mouthful of blood as he shook his head and tried to recompose himself. Then the bastard looked down on The Dragon Queen and unleashed an earth-quaking roar. He tilted his head to the side and opened his mouth like a snake once more, and then--

His body began to convulse, and frothy white foam started to ooze from his gullet. The feathered dragon’s eyes went wide as he tried to make sense of what was going on, but it was pretty obvious.

Valea and Waeren’s poison cannonball was doing its job.

As the feathered dragon trembled and spasmed, Ethala returned to the surface. The sparrow dragon then rocketed up into the sky, observed the situation before her, and smirked.

Did you sneak a poison dragon off the island? Ethala mused.

“Even better,” I proclaimed. “We have a slaughtertooth.”

Ethala’s eyes narrowed as she stared down her opponent. She then shot upward into the clouds, banked around, and dive-bombed her enemy.

The feathered dragon weakly attempted to send out another blast of blinding light, but all he could do was choke on his own tongue as his eyes lit up with a dull glow.

Ethala slammed into the dragon at the speed of sound, and his head whipped backward.

There was a wet crack as his neck bent awkwardly, and his body continued to convulse as he fell down into the ocean with a powerful splash.

Not this time, Swaer’s high-pitched voice proclaimed as he swooped down and blasted the incoming wave with his gusty breath.

Swaer’s attack slammed into the twenty-foot tall wave and instantly pushed it back onto the feathered dragon’s body.

The feathered dragon disappeared beneath the waves, and I held my breath as I waited to see if he was going to come back up or not.

He did.

However, it wasn’t the same as before. This time, when the feathered dragon emerged from the depths, he was face down in the water.

He was doing the dead man’s float.

A collective sigh of relief washed across The Dragon Queen and the surrounding area when we saw the monster was dead.

I wasn’t sure if it was the cannonball to the esophagus that did him in, or if it was Waeren’s poison or Ethala’s blunt force trauma. Either way, the bastard was dead, and we were all still in one piece.

I never doubted us for a minute, Swaer chuckled as he lowered himself down to the deck.

“Really?” Batari asked as she and the rest of my crew came back onto the ship’s upper level. “Because I thought we were going to die about four different times.”

“We’re not out of the woods yet,” I reminded everyone as I pointed over my shoulder.

Bungal and Tirian were still engaged with the fire-breathers, but the clan had seemingly stopped attacking their former friends. Their eyes were completely focused on the dead feathered dragon as they listened to Bungal and Tirian pleading with them, but there didn’t seem to be any progress being made.

“Get over there and help them,” Kwah commanded her flock.

“No!” Nevar growled. “Return to the Draco Rex. Going after that many fire-breathers is suicide.”

“What exactly do you think we’re gonna be doing?” I scoffed. “We’re headed straight for those guys.”

Kwah looked at her sister with a smug grin, while the color drained completely from Nevar’s face.

“T-To the dragons, I suppose,” Nevar gulped, and then the Aviars darted over toward the crazed fire-breathing dragons.

They didn’t really stand a chance against the killer beasts. Which meant, against my better judgement, we were going to have to get involved.

As I turned the ship in the direction of the fire-breathers, I let out a long sigh.

Killing a dragon was one thing. Getting them to change their mind about killing you, though? That was an entirely different challenge altogether.

And it was a challenge we were all about to face.

Again.