Monster Girl Island 11 Chapter 5

“I wonder which dragon you are set to tame?” Hali pondered aloud as she moved through the corridors beside Baratu, Jonas, and me. “Tirian’s mother, perhaps? Or maybe another one of the adolescent ones?”

“I hope it’s a full-grown dragon,” I admitted. “As great as it’s been to have Tirian and Swaer and George, a full-grown dragon that’s bonded to one of our friends would be a game changer.”

“We do have a full-grown dragon now,” Jonas reminded me. “Judging by my calculations, Huwar has been around for several thousand season cycles.”

“That’s true,” I admitted. “But he doesn’t have any sort of dragon bond. He seems to be able to communicate with Zamwae and the other dragons nonverbally, but that presents a lot more risks than a dragonbond does. Every single person who shares their bond with a dragon can see into their mind and know what they’re thinking so they’re on the same page. I can’t tell you how many times Mira, Jemma, and I have gotten out of tricky situations because we could silently communicate with our dragons. With Huwar, it’s a lot more risky. Also, stealth is kinda off the table when you have a freaking brontosaurus lumbering around everywhere.”

“I understand what you are saying, Draco Rex,” Jonas mused. “Though that would be the case with any full-sized dragon you would have. Do you really think Tirian’s mother or the rotund dragon would lend themselves to stealth?”

“Probably not,” I admitted. “But they would do great in battle. Especially whenever we finally decide to go after the orc’s homeland. In that case, we need all the firepower we can get.”

“Why would you even need stealth if you had a full-sized dragon?” Hali questioned. “I would think it would make your journeys much, much simpler if you had a creature that could take down half an army on its own.”

“It’s a double-edged sword,” I sighed, but then realized I needed to change my phrasing when both the dragonkin looked at me funny. “That means there’s good and bad things about it. Sure we could wipe out hordes of orcs or enemies with one good fire breath, but we’d also have a giant, flying target hovering above our heads at all times. Our enemies would see us coming before we were even close, and then they’d have enough time to properly prepare for a counter assault. Not to mention the fact that apparently the orcs have some dragons of their own. If they get word we have bigger and badder dragons, each and every encounter with these guys could end up in a giant freaking Godzilla-style battle, and we don’t need that.”

“So, what is the plan, then, Draco Rex?” Jonas questioned. “Do you really intend for our crewmates to bond with all of these dragons, and then we just leave them here on the island while you continue to search?”

“Maybe.” I shrugged. “I definitely plan to have the dragons come along on our journeys, but only when we think there might be a bigger threat lurking out here…”

“We’re going to run out of room on this island very quickly,” Jonas chuckled.

“Food, too,” Hali noted. “We have quite a population of wild boars in our land, but not enough to feed the army of dragons we hope to eventually have.”

“Eventually have?” Baratu scoffed. “Have you ever seen a land dragon eat before? They’ll swallow a widehorn whole and then go back for a second helping!”

Shit… They had a really good point. For the longest time we only had George, Nixie, and their children to feed. Then we brought in Tirian, who was smaller than the rest of the dragons and could hunt for himself.

But now, just on this last journey alone, we brought back two more dragon mouths to feed. Swaer may have been small right now, but I’d seen first-hand just how large those guys could grow to be. Then there was Huwar, who was larger than any of the dragons we had on our crew and was used to eating giant, fatty creatures like the widehorns.

For the most part, the only good meat we had on this island came from boars and chickens, and it took probably six of those to equal out to a single widehorn from the Cero island.

And we were hopefully about to bring another large beast into the mix.

“Fucking hell…” I grumbled to myself. “You’re right. We need to find a new food source, or else we could be looking at a famine very quickly.”

“Could we increase the production of vegetables in our gardens?” Hali suggested. “We have plenty of seeds.”

“Dragons don’t eat vegetables, I’m afraid,” Jonas sighed. “I’m sorry to be the one to point out such a predicament, Draco Rex, but this is something our king must be aware of.”

“We’ll need to start mobilizing our people better,” I announced. “We’re going to need new living quarters built on the castle, and we’ll need to increase the parties that we send out to hunt and fish each day. Zikiu would be the perfect woman for this job, actually.”

“Ah, yes,” Jonas chuckled. “She could easily figure out the best way to mobilize our people, particularly when you are not around.”

“Exactly,” I chuckled, though I was still nervous.

I trusted Zikiu to run things, no problem, but the solution I proposed was just a band-aid.

If we started to bring back more and more people and dragons to our island, the situation was going to just get even more dire.

As much as I hated to think about it, we may eventually be forced to move away from our beautiful home.

I hated the thought as much as anyone. This was the island where it all began… The one where I found my first true loves, where my children were born and had lived the entirety of their lives. This was the only island so far that I felt was truly safe from those bastard orcs, mostly thanks to the fortifications we’d made and the dragonkin’s familiarity with the territory.

“What about hariberries?” Baratu finally suggested. “There are plenty of those back on our island, and just one of them can keep a dragon’s belly full for a whole day.”

“Not a bad idea,” I admitted. “But that’s not very viable, either. We’d have to have them shipped from your island at a constant rate, which means tying up one of our two ships and an entire crew’s worth of people pretty much constantly. Then there’s the fact we’d be taking away resources from the Cero women still back on the island… Not to mention the fact they were really, really hard to find when we were there.”

“I know it’s not ideal.” The blonde rhino woman shrugged. “I just wanted to make a suggestion that might or might not work.”

“I appreciate it either way,” I reassured her. “I think I’m just going to have to brainstorm this one for a little bit longer. I don’t want to make any rash decisions, especially not without consulting the rest of our people first.”

Jonas led the four of us out of the castle and out into the jungle, down the pathway that took us to the more “recreational” beach to the south of the palace. When we finally arrived, I saw many of my friends and family as they relaxed on the shores.

My eldest, Marella, sat atop a flat boulder with her legs crossed in front of her body and her hands placed firmly onto her knees. Her eyes were closed as she meditated, and her braided raven hair fluttered softly in the wind. My daughter’s amethyst-colored scales radiated the sun onto the sand in small, kaleidoscope-like patterns as she continued to look into the future. I’d only been away for a few days, but it felt like she’d grown a full year while I was gone.

Marella now looked like she was nearly as tall as her mother, and equally as beautiful.

Meanwhile, Arrick, the Princeps Draco, was down closer to the water. He had his infant sister, Meer, atop his shoulders, and they both cackled with glee as Arrick bounded down the shoreline as quickly as his awkward teenage legs would take him.

The twins, Lizzie and Amaria, were off to the right with their mother, Sela, and I watched with amusement as the dragonkin warrior led the girls in some sort of karate-like exercises using a spear whose point had been removed for safety. It was adorable to watch the two little girls as they followed their mother in her “hi-ahs” and cries of determination, but their frail imitations were nothing short of heartwarming. Lizzie and Amaria had their brows furrowed in a serious fashion, complete with Sela’s trademark scowl plastered across their faces.

It was enough to melt even the coldest of hearts.

Oshuna and Careen stood next to each other a few more feet down the beach from Sela and her kids, and my beautiful, pink-haired dragonkin mate stared at our daughter lovingly as the toddler skipped rocks out into the sea. Every now and again, Careen herself would toss a stone out against the waves, and then the two would laugh when it sunk before even the first skip.

Even further down the line was one happy family of water dragons. The two adolescent beasts, Malkey and Cerin, frollicked around about one hundred feet out in the ocean. They ducked and dived beneath the waves as they created several large wakes, but they seemed like they were having a blast. Swaer floated above the two little water dragons, and he chased them with the intensity of a cat chasing a mouse as he shot down tiny puffs of his wind breath onto their position.

Meanwhile, George and Nixie laid on the beach in a large heap on top of each other. Their gentle eyes flitted back and forth between their children and each other, and their necks were intertwined in a loving embrace.

How could I ever even think of asking anyone to leave this place?

There seemed to be a meeting of the Queens going on, as well… There was a small circle of wooden stools spread across the beach, and royalty adorned each one.

Queen Nerissa sat next to Queen Dalwen, and next to them was the Queen Mother of Cero people, Batari. Nadir was part of the group, as well, though she looked out of place with her pregnant belly and furry tail that whipped back and forth like an excited cat.

Ainsley was the only leader I saw who was missing, but that was with good reason. She was surely still back in the infirmary, with Algon. Whatever was going on right now with our child was way more important.

We took a small detour to approach the circle of Queens first. All of the royal women were laughing heartily as they chatted, but then they grew somewhat silent when they saw us approaching.

“Ladies,” I chuckled and held up my hands. “Don’t stop talking on account of me. Unless you were talking about me, of course… Then you must cease immediately.”

“I confess,” the yellow-haired Dalwen said with a sly grin. “We were talking about you. Only good things, though!”

“Indeed.” Nerissa nodded. “I was explaining to them what it’s like to have a royal child, since all of them will soon have one of their own.”

“It’s a shame Ainsley couldn’t be here,” Nadir chuckled. “She’s the one who needs the advice the most right now.”

“You’re not far behind her,” Batari mused as she pointed at the racoon woman’s round stomach. “I’m not very familiar with how pregnancy works, but it looks like that baby is ready to pop out any minute now.”

“Within the next moon cycle.” Nadir held her head high as she patted her baby bump. “There will be a little Coonag child running around this island, absolutely causing all the chaos they can. Actually… There will be two! Lezan got pregnant at the same time as me, so there will be two furry creatures tearing up the palace. I hope the caretakers are ready for such madness.”

“Gods, I hope so,” Nerissa chuckled. “They’ve all been instructed as to the… chaotic nature of the Coonag people, but what exactly do they need to be prepared for?”

“Oh, you know…” Nadir trailed off with a devilish grin. “Lots of mischief. Loud noises as they’re literally bouncing off the walls… Oh, and be sure to hide anything fabric, wood, or thatch that might be of value. I swear a Coonag child’s claws are the sharpest thing in all existence, and they use them at all times when they are first developing.”

“That’s… That’s everything we own!” Nerissa’s eyes went wide. “Our entire world is made out of wood and thatch!”

“I guess you’d better have eyes on them the whole time, then.” Nadir shrugged. “Even then, something is bound to get destroyed. Those sorta things just happen when a Coonag kid is around.”

“Why can’t you watch him yourself?” Nerissa questioned.

“Well, I could,” the raven-haired racoon woman chuckled. “But a ship traveling around to dangerous islands full of deadly creatures and killer orcs isn’t really the place for a child, is it?”

“I assure you, Nerissa,” Dalwen interjected with pursed lips and a raised finger. “Our Morpho children will not be quite so destructive. In fact, they mostly just keep to themselves for the first short cycle of their lives. The most noise you’ll hear out of them is their delicate laughter as they chase after an insect or a scuttling scaly creature. After that, they wrap themselves up into a cocoon, hibernate for a full season, and then emerge as a full-grown adult.”

“That sounds much, much easier,” Nerissa admitted before she looked at Batari. “What about your kind, Batari? Is there anything I should know about Cero children?”

I noticed Batari and Baratu both tensed up at the dragonkin queen’s words, so I stepped in before they had to make the awkward explanation.

“There has never been a Cero child before,” I spelled it out for my beautiful lover. “Batari and Zikiu will have the first.”

“Never?” Nerissa raised an eyebrow.

Batari opened her mouth to elaborate, but I cut her off with a reassuring wink.

“They were created by the God Tembori in the image of the Lord of the Underworld,” I continued. “He wanted their sole existence to be protecting the dragons on their island, so he didn’t create any males whatsoever.”

“Fascinating.” The silver-haired dragonkin woman nodded and then leaned forward on her chair. “So, Ben was the first male you’ve ever seen?”

“Well,” Batari chuckled. “Him and Jonas here. But the Draco Rex is the only male we’ve ever known… Intimately.”

“How strange,” Dalwen noted. “Though your God has blessed you with these children, so it must be by his design.”

“It is.” The Queen Mother smiled. “And I, for one, cannot wait to meet our child. He and Swaer are going to be the best of friends.”

“I can’t wait to meet him, either,” I sighed as I wrapped my arms around Batari’s neck from behind and nuzzled my nose against her snowy locks. “Or her. I’ll be happy with either.”

“I must admit,” Batari mused. “The thought of having the very first Cero male sounds wonderful.”

“As long as it’s healthy and happy, that’s all I care about,” I noted. “But yeah, it would definitely be cool for one of you to have the first Cero boy. Then again, if you don’t… It just gives us more reason to try again.”

“I will warn you, though,” Nerissa mused as she looked down the beach at our two children. “Boys are much, much harder to handle. Just ask Ben about Arrick.”

“He hasn’t been that difficult.” I waved my hand in dismissal. “He’s got a lot of personality, that’s all.”

“Is that what you call it?” the dragonkin queen chuckled. “Personality?”

“Okay, I’ll admit,” I conceded. “Marella has been much simpler in terms of independence. Like look at her over there. She’s literally just chilling out on a rock, at complete peace while there is nothing but screaming children around her. Arrick, on the other hand, always wants to be right there in the action. Then there are the twins, who literally want to follow Sela around all the time and act just like her. They all have their quirks, but they’re all still a blessing in a different way.”

“That is the truth.” Nerissa nodded firmly with a huge smile. “And I am sure the rest of your children will be equally as precious.”

“I’m gonna go talk to Marella for a few minutes,” I announced to the circle of Queens.

“Good.” Nadir winked. “That means we can start talking about you again.”

I just rolled my eyes and then slowly strode down the beach toward my daughter. Jonas tagged along, though Baratu and Hali hung back with the rest of my friends.

“Hello, father,” Marella muttered while we were both still five feet behind her. “Hello, Jonas.”

“Hey, my little amethyst.” I smiled as I approached my beloved child. “How did you know that was Jonas and me walking up behind you? Did your visions let you know?”

“That’s not how it works, Dad,” the dark-haired teenager chuckled, though she still didn’t open her eyes. “Jonas taught me that, if I want to allow the spirits from beyond to guide me, I need to turn off some of my senses and truly focus. Like right now, I’m closing my eyes, and I was trying not to speak. When I do that, it heightens all the other elements of my being.”

“Which means….” I trailed off, still not following.

“It means I could hear you both talking from all the way down here,” Marella giggled. “You literally told Queen Nerissa you were coming down to talk to me. As for Jonas? I just assumed he would come down, as well.”

“So, you took a lucky guess?” I teased the girl. “Is that all soothsaying is? Because, if so, that’s about as accurate as the meteorologists back in my world.”

“I’m guessing that’s supposed to be a jab, father?” Marella finally opened one of her purple eyes and shot me a disapproving glare. “The joke is on you, though… You never taught me what a ‘meteorologist’ is.”

“Touche, Marella,” I sighed. “Touche. So… Jonas told me you had another vision?”

“I did.” My daughter nodded. “The gods have not guided me quite as clearly as I had hoped, though. I saw a vision of you with your hand on the belly of a dragon, almost as if you were trying to calm it down. Jonas and Nadir were there, too, though you were all surrounded by darkness.”

“That seems… ominous,” I admitted. “But that’s at least a starting point. Did you have any other visions during your meditation?”

“I did,” she admitted. “I also saw you and Tirian flying over a landscape that I couldn’t believe actually existed… It had lots of large plants and foliage on the ground, but no trees whatsoever. And strangely enough… Everything was glowing.”

“Glowing plants?” I asked. “Are you sure the gods aren’t just leading you on?”

“It’s not as unheard of as you think,” Jonas interjected. “Back in the days of my youth, dragonkin sailors who went out to sea told the tales of an island that glowed on the horizon.”

“I thought you guys didn’t have large vessels before we stole them from the orcs?” I questioned with a raised eyebrow. “How were your elders going out to sea?”

“On the backs of their dragons, of course,” Jonas chuckled. “You must remember we have not had a full-sized water dragon since the first orc invasion. George and Nixie are both quite large, but they are still growing. With a full-grown water dragon and a bit of bravery, a dragonkin could theoretically travel around the entire ocean.”

“So, they found an island that glows, huh?” I questioned as I stroked my chin and looked to the horizon. “Do you remember where they claimed it was? I’ve never seen it from our island.”

“It is to the north of these lands,” Jonas explained. “Perhaps the map we stole from the orcs might give us a better sense of direction?”

“The map… That’s right,” I said. “If we could at least see what islands were up in that general vicinity, it would give us a starting point.”

I was also going to need a crew to come with me on this journey… And for that, I needed to round up everyone and see who wanted to volunteer.

Now, the only question was, how did I get a bunch of people together in a short period of time?

Arrick.

I couldn’t help but smile as I ran over to my son and Meer and then halted right in the boy’s pathway.

“Heads up, Dad!” Arrick declared in a fake-panicked voice. “Oh no, Meer! We’re gonna crash into Dad!”

I widened my eyes and looked right and left repeatedly as I pretended to be concerned.

The toddler on Arrick’s shoulders laughed up a storm as they ran toward me, but thankfully Arrick was able to slow his gait to a dull trot. My son proceeded to “run into me” gently, and for comedic effect I threw out my arms, stumbled backward, and then plopped down into the water.

Meer went hysterical when she saw me fall, and the sound of her whimsical laughter was enough to make me forget all our troubles, even if for only a second.

Sure, my ass was now soaked from falling into the somewhat frigid water, but it was all worth it to hear my daughter laugh.

“Wow,” I chuckled. “You guys were going really fast there. It’s a good thing you slowed down, or you might have just taken my upper half off!”

“I’m carrying precious cargo,” Arrick teased as he pulled his sister from his shoulders and held her in his arms like a baby.

Meer giggled as her brother proceeded to tickle her belly, and I just watched the series of events as a proud father.

“Well, Dragon Prince,” I offered. “I’ve got an even more precious task for you, if you’re up to it.”

Arrick’s demeanor shifted instantly from “playful brother” to “stoic royalty” when he heard my words. He forced himself to stand up straight, cleared his throat, and removed all emotion from his eyes.

“Whatever you want, Father,” he said in a voice that was comically deeper than his regular one. “Just tell me what you want me to do.”

“I want you to run back to the castle and tell everyone to meet me down here,” I chuckled. “All of the Cero, all of the Coonag, all of the Morphos… Everybody you think could possibly want to go on a long journey with your dad here. And make sure Isla brings her map.”

“Right away, father.” Arrick’s eyes narrowed as he gave me a firm nod. “Come on, Meer… Ready to play water dragon again?”

My infant daughter let out a shrill cry of excitement as Arrick placed her back atop his shoulders. Then the Dragon Prince attempted to mimic the sound of dragon hum as he dug his feet into the sand and charged up his legs. The next thing I knew, Arrick took off up the shoreline as his little sister flailed her arms wildly above her head.

“Arrick, be careful!” I heard Nerissa cry out as her children passed. “Your sister is still quite small!”

Arrick slowed his pace for a few seconds, until he was out of Nerissa’s sight. Of course, the second he thought he was home free, he took off like a bat out of hell again.

“Arrick,” I warned the child via our mutual dragonbond. “Listen to your mother.”

Fine, the preeteen boy harumphed back telepathically, and then I saw his figure slow down.

I remained down on the beach while Arrick went and gathered up the rest of my crew, and I turned and looked out to the watery horizon as I took in the pure serenity of the landscape.

It was still fairly early in the day, so the sun was high in the crystal blue sky as its rays beat down on the water. I could feel the heat of the day on my forehead as I stared off into the distance and watched the waves crash against each other out in the deep blue sea. Occasionally, I saw a strange aquatic creature or two spring out from beneath the surface and then disappear, never to be seen again.

Of course, whether or not they had just swam away or gotten eaten by something far larger was a complete unknown.

Even back on my days as a Coast Guardsman, the prospect of the ocean seemed scary as hell. It was this big liquid mass that covered the majority of the globe, and it was so vast and deep there were millions of miles that had yet to be explored yet. Then there was the fact that just falling into the water put you at risk of getting gobbled up by one of the many deadly creatures that dwelled beneath the surface.

In this world, of course, there seemed to be even more of those deadly creatures.

Needless to say, I had great respect for the dragonkin men Jonas had talked about. I trusted George with my life, but even then I didn’t think I would have felt safe with just him and I out on the endless ocean.

All my thoughts and concerns dissipated when I heard the sound of loud, thundering footsteps in the sand behind me. I whipped my head around to see Zamwae riding atop Huwar, and the pair was followed by the rest of the Cero women.

At the same time, I saw a small, beautiful wave of technicolor coming toward me from the sky. The butterfly-women fluttered through the air on their delicate wings, landed on the shore next to the circle of Queens, and proceeded to beat their wings softly with excitement. The Coonag women, dragonkin, and Niralopes all took a much less elegant approach, though they were right behind the other two groups.

Soon, I had everybody I needed right here, and I whistled to everyone on the beach as I made a motion for them to gather around me.

My friends obliged, and within minutes everyone was present.

“Alright, everybody…” I announced as I tried to get their attention. “Here’s the lowdown. Marella had a vision that one of our escapee fire dragons is on an island that glows. Apparently, Jonas has confirmed the story and says the elders always used to say they used to see a similar island during their travels. Isla? I was hoping your map could at least get us started down the right path.”

“A glowing island,” the beautiful Candara spoke up. “The Morpho men used to talk about that all the time.”

“They told us it was the most beautiful sight in the world,” the orange-haired Ahwara grumbled. “Of course, I always thought it was just one of their feeble attempts to try and woo us.”

“I’ve heard of creatures that light up in the dark,” Candara noted. “Though they mostly live in the depths of the ocean or deep inside of the lakes on our island. They glow like they’re engulfed in light, even though there’s nothing around them whatsoever.”

“Wait…” I mused. “You’re talking about bioluminescence. Of course!”

I hadn’t heard the term since back when I was in freshman biology, but it stuck in my head quite clearly.

“What does that have to do with anything?” Nerissa questioned. “So we know the correct word to use when talking about this island. How does that truly help us?”

“Because,” I said with a smile. “Things are generally bioluminescent when there aren’t natural light sources around, kinda like the places Candara was just explaining. Which means--”

“Which means all we have to do is figure out which island on this map would be completely devoid of sun,” the blue-haired butterfly woman, Elzara declared.

“It doesn’t even have to be completely devoid of sunlight,” Candara added. “It would just need to be a place that doesn’t get much light. Like an island that was constantly covered with clouds or overshadowed by mountains.”

The one-eyed dragonkin historian, Isla, held out a parchment scroll before her and then unfurled it in a hurry. Once it was open, she studied the map with a narrowed eye and curious brow. Soon, Isla’s eye lit up, and an adorable smile spread across her lips.

“This might be the one!” she declared as she turned the scroll to face me. “You see this one right here? The orcs seem to have left us a note about it…”

Sure enough, when I looked closer, there was an island to the north of our own with the word “empty” scribbled over it with the handwriting of a drunken three year old.

Definitely the orcs, alright.

“Okay, so it’s an empty island,” I pondered aloud. “So what?”

“If they think the island is empty, then that means they didn’t find any villagers on it,” Sela explained. “Which also means there were no signs of civilization.”

“Didn’t you say the landscape was desolate?” I asked Marella. “In your vision.”

“Kind of.” The teenage soothsayer shrugged. “There were lots of glowing plants, but that’s all I could see.”

“There’s more, though,” Isla noted. “See this island right next to it? It’s got a bunch of tall, upside-down ‘v’s scratched onto it. If I understand orc symbolism, which believe me, isn’t that hard, then I think they’re saying this is an island full of mountains. And with it being so close to the other island…”

“It probably casts a shadow.” I nodded. “Hence the bioluminescent plants.”

“Exactly.” Isla grinned.

“It’s the perfect conditions for what Marella described,” Candara noted. “And it appears to not be far away.”

“I’d estimate it’s a day or two worth of sailing,” Mira spoke up. “Without any issues, of course.”

“Then that settles it,” I confirmed. “We’re going to set sail for the glowing island as soon as possible.”

“Not to sound rude,” Rikuri grumbled. “But is that the only reason you called us all out here? Just so you could announce you were leaving?”

I understood the frustration. Had that been the case, this would have literally been the definition of a “this could have been an e-mail” meeting, so I elaborated further.

“I called you all out here today because I need a crew,” I continued. “And I wanted to know who wished to come along. Now, I know Tirian, Jonas, and Nadir are coming, because Marella saw them in her vision.”

Excuse me? Tirian huffed. Don’t I get a say in this?

“What?” I asked the silver dragon telepathically. “Do you want to stay behind?”

Of course not! the dragon snorted. But I wanted to make the decision for myself, thank you very much.

“Of course I’m going,” Nadir chuckled. “Lezan is, too. A Coonag woman must remain around her mate during pregnancy, or else we’ll go absolutely crazy.”

“Please,” Nerissa practically begged. “Let them go with you.”

“What about anyone else?” I looked around at my friends. “George? You coming along on this one, big guy?”

I am afraid not, dear one, George sighed. If it is alright with you, I wish to remain back here with Nixie for the time being. I’ve had a lot of excitement these last few weeks.

“Nixie…” Mira put her hands on her hips. “Is this just because you want George to watch the children for once?”

No! Mira’s purple water dragon declared. It’s just he’s been gone for so long…

“Say no more.” I held up my hand and cut off Nixie. “If you miss your partner, then I’m not gonna be the one to stand in the way. It’s alright.”

“Could Cerin come along, Dad?” Marella asked hopefully. “She’s never been off the island before, and I know she’s been begging to come along on one or our adventures!”

“Is that so?” I raised an eyebrow at my daughter. “Because when you say ‘our adventures’ that seems to imply you--”

“Yes, Dad.” Marella rolled her violet eyes. “I’m going, too.”

“Just so we’re clear,” I chuckled. “George? Nixie? Is that alright?”

Yes! both of the adult water dragons blurted out at once.

Cerin, however, was not amused.

I didn’t even ask yet! the purple-scaled dragon harumphed. Are you just trying to get rid of me?

Of course not, George reassured his daughter, but then he turned to me with a huge smile and a wink. While you’re at it, dear one, do you want to take Malkey, too?

Hey! Malkey pouted, and then he shot a bit of water at his father.

Great. Now George had unlocked the power of the Dad joke.

“You know it’s not even a question with me,” Mira reminded me.

It definitely wasn’t. Mira had accompanied me on every single voyage I’d ever been on, and she wasn’t about to break the streak now.

So, we had two soothsayers, a water dragon, a fire dragon, a deadly dragonkin warrior, and two crazed racoon women. That sounded like a pretty badass crew, but we could always use a few more people to round out the team.

“Any other takers?” I offered. “I’ve got a feeling this is gonna be our most exciting journey yet.”

“Yes,” Rikuri chuckled. “Who wants to go along with the Draco Rex to a dark island, where there is most likely a large fire-breathing dragon waiting for us?”

“Well, when you put it that way…” Ashanti mused. “Count me in!”

Rikuri’s mouth fell open as she looked at the three-horned rhino woman.

“T-That was meant to be sarcasm,” she sputtered. “You-- you actually want to go?”

“Tembori’s tusks, I do!” The Cero with the shaved head grinned and held her head high. “You’d have to be crazy not to want to go on such a death-defying mission.”

“Well, consider me insane, then.” Rikuri held up her hands in concession.

“I’m coming, too,” Ahwara interjected. “As much as I’ve loved staying on this island, it’s too peaceful. I feel like a good adventure is just what I need to break out of these monotonous ways.”

Translated… Ahwara needed a break from Dalwen for awhile.

That was fine. The orange-winged Morpho would be an excellent addition to the crew.

“Alright, then,” I began. “That’s probably good enough for--”

“Don’t forget about me, Ben!” The pale, dark-haired Theora stepped forward. “I’ve been practicing my archery skills, and I think I might just be ready to go out and fight with you once more.”

“We’ve already got an archer,” Ashanti chuckled. “And sister, I can assure you you’re not as good as me.”

“I would gladly put my skills up against yours,” Theora mused as she narrowed her eyes at the Cero woman. “I can now hit a spine fruit from a distance of nearly fifty feet away.”

“Oh, fifty feet?” Ashanti teased, though I assumed it was all in good fun. “Have you tried to hit one from atop a running Mierak? While the tiny little fruit is in motion, too?”

“We can have two archers, Ashanti,” I promised the Cero woman. “In fact, the more we have, the merrier.”

“What about Huwar and I?” Zamwae suggested.

“I think it’s for the best if Huwar and you stay on this island for now,” I explained. “As much as I could use a few more dragons, I think Cerin and Tirian will be able to get us out of any problems we run into.”

“If that is what you wish, then so be it.” Zamwae bowed atop her land dragon.

“Now, Swaer and Batari, on the other hand…” I looked over to the Queen Mother. “A small, inconspicuous wind dragon would help with our journey immensely. Especially if all doesn’t go well with the fire breather we’re looking for on this island.”

“Then consider your wish granted.” Batari smiled with glowing eyes. “Swaer and I will join you, too.’

“We’re all good then, I think,” I sighed and turned to the rest of my friends. “As for the rest of you… I want you to be on high alert. Things seem to be ramping up to eleven around this world lately, especially with all these new dragon species the Ceros have told us about, and the fact the orcs are getting more and more brash by the day. Not to mention, we’ve got another issue on our hands… One I’m hoping our new Cero friends can help us figure out.”

I explained to my subjects how I was concerned our resources were on the skids, especially with all the new people and creatures we were bringing into the fold. I told them that, for the first time in my tenure as the Draco Rex, I didn’t know what we needed to do, and I wanted them to think it over while I was gone. In the meantime, though, I said I wanted them all to listen to Zikiu’s suggestions, as she was the mastermind behind the incredible Cero village we’d encountered back on their island.

With that lingering question still fresh on their minds, I sent them all away and ordered The Dragon Queen be stocked with supplies for our journey.

From there it was a long, backbreaking day of work. We spent the next six hours loading up our schooner ship with the proper rations, weapons, and any equipment we thought we might need on our journey to the glowing island. Since it was going to be one of our shorter trips, we packed enough food and supplies to last us about a week. As long as we didn’t get blown off course, that should be more than enough to keep us going.

Finally, the next morning arrived, and it came time to head out.

When I arrived down at the main shore of our island, I found all of the volunteers waiting for me, along with their respective Queens.

“Are you sure about this, Ashanti?” Batari warned her loyal subject one last time. “Once we set sail, we’re not turning around.”

“I’m more than ready, Queen Mother,” Ashanti chuckled. “Though I see you didn’t bring your Mierak along.”

“I don’t need to.” Batari shrugged and pointed to Swaer. “I’ve got all the companionship and protection I could need right here.”

“Wait until you’re getting chased down by a giant fire-breathing dragon,” Ashanti warned. “I don’t think you can just hope on Swaer’s back for a quick getaway.”

“And you think your Mierak would provide a quick getaway?” Batari laughed. “If the soothsayer is correct, then we could be dealing with a full-sized fire-breather here. If that’s the case, then I don’t see how any of us would be able to outrun the thing. Not me with Swaer, not you with your Mierak, and not this orange-domed woman over here with her pretty wings.”

“My name is Ahwara,” Ahwara chuckled. “Though my hair may be orange, please don’t let that be the only characteristic you define me on.”

“What would you prefer to be known by, then?” Ashanti mused. “Are you as skilled with that strange weapon of yours as Candara was with hers?”

“Better.” A smile spread up Ahwara’s thin lips. “I’m the one who taught her how to use the fanblade in the first place.”

“Then I can’t wait to see you in action.” Ashanti smirked.

“Alrighty, then.” I whistled as I looked the crew over one last time. “All of us are here. All… lucky… number thirteen of us. Damn. Are one of you ladies sure you don’t want to come along, too? Having thirteen crewmates is like, really bad luck in the sailing world.”

“My people need me here, Ben,” Nerissa chuckled. “Besides, I don’t know how to fight at all, so I’d just be a liability.”

“I know how to fight.” Dalwen shrugged. “But Ahwara knows how to fight much better than I do. Also, I told Zikiu I would help her organize the new palace layout.”

“New palace layout?” I raised an eyebrow at the yellow-haired babe. “I’m not gonna come back to find all my stuff has been shoved into a broom closet, will I?”

“Your quarters won’t be touched,” Dalwen reassured me. “Though that is about the only place I can promise won’t be changed.”

“And you signed off on all this?” I turned to Nerissa.

“Zikiu has some very intuitive ideas,” the dragonkin queen retorted. “I know I can be a tad… traditionalist at times, but she has a way with words that really speaks to me.”

“Yeah,” Ashanti admitted. “She has a tendency to woo people with her words. I once watched her talk another Cero woman into a eating a piece of widehorn hoof, all because we bet her she couldn’t do it.”

We said our goodbyes to our Queens before we turned around, boarded the ship, and took our positions in our various places. I slid behind the wheel while Nadir and Lezan manned the front masts and Mira handled the main sails, and all the while, Theora tried to teach the Cero women how to raise and lower the smaller masts at my command.

Once everybody was in place and comfortable with their assigned tasks, I ordered my crew to raise the anchor and drop the sails, and we began our journey to the island of bioluminescence.

“Hold on!” I called out with a gasp when we were only about two minutes into our journey. “We forgot the most important thing of all!”

“What’s wrong, Ben?” Mira responded. “Did we forget supplies?”

“No…” I smiled at the green-haired dragonkin. “We haven’t raised the colors yet.”

Mira grinned from ear to ear as she turned back to the center mast, sauntered over to it, and then grabbed onto the ropes. I watched as the golden-scaled woman jumped up into the air and used her body weight to pull the rope downward, and as she did so, our jolly roger raised up the wooden pole until it caught the wind and fluttered like the beacon of strength it was.

We sailed along for hours without so much as a single issue. The wind remained at our back for most of the journey, and the waters were calm. Every now and again, a strange creature would pass in the sky overhead, or swim beside our ship for a moment before realizing it wasn’t a threat.

Soon enough, the sun began to set, and night fell across the ocean.

Even though we couldn’t see beyond what the light of the bright, crescent moon illuminated, we pushed onward. We all slept in shifts, with Mira taking over the wheel whenever I wanted to catch a quick hour or two of shut eye.

On my third nap of the night, however, I was awakened by the sound of multiple loud, startled gasps.

My eyes shot open as I sprang to my feet and fumbled at my sword. I darted forward across the deck as I drew my blade and prepared for whatever deadly adversary had surprised us in the night.

I let out a sigh of relief when I saw there was no threat.

However, there was something even better.

All of my crewmates were standing at the bow of The Dragon Queen and staring off into the horizon, and as I approached, I saw exactly what had caused such a powerful reaction.

Far out across the watery landscape, I saw a bright, neon light. It was very miniscule for the moment, but its turquoise light acted like a beacon in the darkness, just begging for us to follow it.

“Is that what I think it is?” I muttered.

“The glowing island,” Marella confirmed with a smile. “We made it, Dad.”