Chapter 41, Day 109 – 110: Homeward
«Be careful in what you tell them,» Vosae said as she gave Hakra one last reminder, «They may be our allies today, but who knows what will happen tomorrow? Even if things go well, there will almost certainly be those among them who will use any information they can against us.»
«I know,» Hakra said, nodding gravely. «I’ll be careful, and I’ll be sure to watch over Rantha,» she said, nodding to Vosae and Icanam.
«I still don’t think this is a very good idea,» Icanam sighed. «I should be going with you.»
«There is no reason to risk anyone else,» Vosae said, not for the first time. «Besides, there will be much work to do back home, and your help will be needed.»
«Don’t worry, I will be careful, father,» Rantha said, nudging her parents reassuringly.
«Alright then,» Icanam sighed. «Stay safe, and be careful around the humans.»
«And don’t forget what’s at stake,» Vosae added, giving each of her daughters a brief hug. «Now go, before the humans leave you behind.»
«See you later!» Rantha chirped as she fluttered onto the ship.
«Until we meet again,» Hakra rumbled, and followed her younger sister with a much greater gust of wind.
Soon afterwards smoke began to pour out of the ship’s chimneys, and the great metal vessel almost unbelievably began to break free from the beach. The hundreds of dragons who had gathered upon the beach watched in silent awe as the ship slowly but surely drifted out to sea, gradually orienting itself along the way.
«Where are Jooral-ǂ and Ghorrah-ǂ?» Uyrikes asked as he stood up to scan the crowd. «I thought they weren’t going to the Mainland?»
«They aren’t,» Vosae answered, tossing her head. «But Jooral-ǂ can’t fly, remember? She needs help getting back home.»
«Ah,» Uyrikes nodded – he must have missed that while he slept. «That makes sense.»
They all watched as the ship ponderously began to point southwards, with some dragons taking to the skies to better observe the great metal vessel as it began to move – slowly but surely, the steel ship gained speed, and soon it was speeding away to the south.
The departure of the ship seemed to signal the end of the gathering; more than half the dragons present had left shortly afterwards, though some had decided to curiously follow the vessel down the coastline.
Seeing that nothing important was happening, Vosae laid back down for another nap, though she was interrupted some time later by a young green dragon landing upon the beach.
«Is this the place?» the newcomer asked, glancing around. «Where are the humans?»
Everyone stared at him for a moment, until Eoiras barked out a laugh.
«A bit late, aren’t you?»
[JOURNAL ENTRY][Day 110]Day 109,
Home…it feels like ages since I’ve left, even if it’s only been a few months.
I can’t deny missing the comforts of living in civilization, but I wouldn’t exactly say that I’m homesick…for one, I’m far more concerned about the reaction of the general population, as well as what sort of campaign the politicians will decide to launch.
The promise of unclaimed land and untapped resources was a large motivator of this expedition, and those in power are not known for their proclivity to settle for less, let alone share.
I’m no politician, but the optimal outcome would likely involve having the island of dragons recognized as their own country, but that seems unrealistic, considering their non-existent body of government. Declaring their land to be a protected preserve wouldn’t work either, as that would severely limit the “usefulness” of the land – no politician would allow that to happen.
It is clear that I am out of my depth, but I have some idea of who to ask for help. At least now my reputation will be good for something.
It is strange: in some regards, the thought of dealing with other people humans is more worrisome than dealing with dragons…but I suppose a few thousand dragons can only do so much, after all.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
There are so many unknowns; I have not the slightest idea what our odds of success are…but we’ve solved one half of the equation, despite all the hurdles along the way.
We’ll just need to do it again.
«That is everything,» Fortitude said as she inspected the last crate that was lowered onto the beach.
«Are you sure you don’t want to keep everything?» Devotion entreatingly asked.
«Yes, I am sure,» Fortitude said, sighing in exasperation. «I haven’t left behind anything terribly valuable, and Anvonh can see if the humans are interested in trading for my crafts. Besides,» she added, gesturing at the crate full of miscellaneous tools. «I’ve received more than enough in return for them.»
«Oh, very well,» Devotion sighed. “We are done,” she said, calling out to the humans.
“Thank you again for your help,” Pryce said, standing with the other humans. “I hope one day you’ll be able to see the Mainland for yourself.”
“I hope so too,” Fortitude said, and then turned to face Celeste.
«It looks like it’s time to go,» Celeste said, giving the familiar forests and mountains one last glance before turning to face the two elders.
«Until we meet again,» Fortitude nodded, smiling.
«Good luck,» Devotion said stoically.
«Thank you,» Celeste said. «And thank you for…for everything, really.»
«You’ve already said that,» Devotion snorted. «Just don’t get yourself killed.»
«Of course,» Celeste said, chuffing in amusement. «I’ll do my best to come home alive.»
«Yes, yes,» Devotion said, waving her away. «Go join your father, before the ship leaves.»
Celeste nodded as she turned to leap onto the ship, but then she paused.
«What is it now?» Devotion snorted as Celeste whirled back around. «Enough with-»
«Thank you for being my mothers,» Celeste said, wrapping the both of them up in a hug.
It ended as quickly as it began, and soon the young dragon leapt onto the deck of the ship with a few stilted wingstrokes.
«My dear wings,» Fortitude snickered, «I haven’t seen you look so flustered in a long, long time.»
«Oh shut up,» Devotion grumbled, with no heat at all. «It’s not as if you’re any better.»
«Oh, I know,» Fortitude said, nodding easily. «I’m going to miss her,» she sighed as the smoke began to puff out of the ship’s funnels.
«She’ll be fine,» Devotion said, draping a wing over Fortitude, who leaned into her partner. Without another word, the two of them watched as the ship began to pull away to the east, to go where no dragon had ever gone before.
“Er…Excuse me,” Pryce said to the dragon blocking the hallway.
“Hm?”Rantha pulled her gaze away from a painting to cock her head at him. “What that mean?” she asked curiously.
Pryce scratched his head, then made a scooting motion with his hand.
The dragonet glanced at him, then down at herself to see that she was blocking the way. “Ra? You want go?”
“Yes, please,” Pryce said, a little amused at the child’s antics.
“Sorry!” Rantha chirped, then flattened herself against the wall to give the human enough room to pass.
Pryce shuffled past her, then stared as she wandered down the ship’s corridors, peering curiously at mundane objects. He supposed that would be a common sight throughout their journey, though he somehow hadn’t realized that she was small enough to explore the ship’s interior.
Putting that thought aside, he stepped out onto the deck, then quickly located Fathom. “How’s everyone doing?” he asked as he walked up to his friend.
“Amazed at the ship, mostly,” Fathom shrugged. “Qnaro said that the ship’s movement is making him feel unwell,” he added smugly, gesturing to the golden dragon who somehow looked queasy as he sat in the middle of the ship – evidently in an attempt to stabilize himself.
“Wait…are you saying he’s seasick?” Pryce asked incredulously.
Fathom cocked his head. “That sounds accurate. Does it also happen to humans?”
“It happens to most humans,” Pryce answered, casting a worried glance at Aurum. “It took me a long time to get used to it, and even now I’ll get sick if there’s a storm. I didn’t think it would be possible for dragons to get seasick…I hope he doesn’t get worse. It won’t be good for our food supply if he starts throwing up.”
“Just don’t give him any of my food,” Fathom snorted.
“I’ll need to tell Callan and the others,” Pryce said, and nodded in farewell as he turned away.
“Pryce, wait,” Fathom called out. “I heard Scott mention the ‘northern lights’ the other day. Is it true that they’re common on the Mainland?”
“It varies from year to year,” Pryce replied, “but the sun has been a little more active recently, so it’s not difficult to see some in the far north.” He paused as a realization occurred to him. “Oh, you might not have ever seen them before!”
“I have,” Fathom said, gingerly tilting his head. “But only very dim ones. There are stories of bright lights filling the sky, but I have never seen anything like that,” he said, a little wistfully.
Pryce turned his head upwards to look up at the sky, and a beat passed between them. “An equinox is when a day and a night last the same amount of time, and that’s when the northern lights are most common,” he said, earning an interesting look from Fathom. “I can’t promise anything, but an equinox is three months after a solstice, so there’s a good chance I’ll be able to show you some northern lights while we’re on the Mainland.”
Fathom’s eyes widened, and for a brief moment the setting sun was clearly reflected in his eyes.
Then his jaws parted in a smile.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
The end of book 1