I am Dragon (Dragon Fires Rising Book 2) by Marc Secchia (famous ebook reader TXT) 📕

“No thank you, lest this Princess disgrace herself by sliding beneath your well-stocked table. Meat, Dragon?”

“More fowl would be fair,” said he.

“Ah, I cackle at such jokes,” Jos said, producing a very fine example of a deafening cackle.

Dragon bowed and said, “Most pheasant of you to say so, o King.”

They spoke for a long time. King Jos promised to raise an army in support of T’nagru if she and Dragon promised to speak to their kin about the Terror Clan’s depredations. They regularly raided all the Human Kingdoms around the great bay area south and west of the Terror Isles – Mornine, Barine, Hulbine, Onyxil and Ermine. From his description, Dragon realised that the Terrors might well be more powerful and numerous than his own Devastator Clan. How did they thrive so well?

The King drank like a fish but never grew drunk. Azania soon gave up on even pretending to sip at the rich, heady red vintage he pressed upon her, and moved to fruit juices.

As the storm swept in, bringing moaning winds and thunderous rain, Jos finally came around to the point he had hinted at regarding the tides. He said, “If you want to be up north in time for the migration – if that’s where it is these days, north again of the Archipelago - you have three days in this long lunar cycle. You will be landing somewhere on a reef, I assume?”

“I apologise, but the exact route is not our secret to share,” Azania said.

“No problem. But it’s a low landing, hence the timing of your journey?” the King said, sharp as a brass tack. When they nodded, he picked up a ripe orange and said, “Let me illustrate it to you this way. Imagine this fruit is the world. My right hand shows our two suns and three moons. As you know, the tides are affected by the complex actions of these bodies as the moons orbit our world, and we move around the binary sun – at least, according to accepted theories first developed by Dragon astronomers over four centuries ago.”

“When the suns and moons all line up, it’s like gravity squeezes the fruit – so – causing it to bulge and flex. Extra-high tide, extra-low tide. When the moons and suns are more separated, the effects can cancel one another out and create periods of much more even tides, but if you keep your eye upon this orange I am slowly pulverising, you’ll notice that those tides are not as low as the lowest tides. A low reef might be permanently covered over during such a time.”

“Aha,” Dragon purred.

Jos said, “To the point. What you need to know is that the tidal almanac you are following, is also subject to an eleven-year cycle. Setting aside all the complexity, over the next three days you will enjoy the benefit of the lowest low tides and not very strong high tides. After that, despite what your almanac says, we pass immediately into a season of unusual medium tides – the eleven-year tide change. I’d estimate the general ocean level will remain as much as seven feet higher than normal even during a standard spring low tide. That will last for a period of ten weeks.”

Azania raised her eyebrows. So, Aria had either been very fortunate or very smart.

“I’d assume the Archipelago will be cut off even by air for this season,” he added, in case there was any uncertainty about his advice.

The Princess rose to offer a graceful desert genuflection. “Thank you, o King. Aye, the mid-landing is very low indeed. Two feet above sea level at low tide. And tiny, according to our records.”

He said, “Best to search for that spot during the daylight hours. The storm will ensure there’s no nocturnal phosphorescence for at least a few days – but you may very well be able to see the disturbance effect of even a small reef from a height, for a distance of miles. Look for colour and pattern changes on the surface. And lastly, I should advise you that Sea Dragons and Sea Serpents ride out storms by going deep. If you’re in trouble in a squall, consider landing and swimming for it. Dragons are very good swimmers and you’re unlikely to be bothered by Serpents in rough conditions.”

Toasting Dragon with his goblet one more time, he said, “Especially white Dragons.”

* * * *

Mid-afternoon two days later, the storm scooted away as if chased off by a bigger, more terrible foe. It left pristine azure skies in its wake, but also choppy, troubled waters. Jos had warned of unexpected tidal maelstroms developing as the medium-calm period asserted itself.

Truly, who thought this crossing was a good idea?

Back upon that last, most northerly islet off Mornine, they saw how the tides must have inundated the land and carried off many coconuts. Azania cut one open and tried the milk inside.

“It’s good,” she reported.

“Hmm, tasty,” Dragon agreed, after tossing his half down the hatch.

“Glutton.”

“Need to keep my strength up,” he said, stretching his wings carefully. “Ready for this?”

She drew an instrument out of her bag. “Ready once I set this up. Believe it or not, I almost forgot we had it.”

“What is that?”

“A Hariskon Celestial Navigator,” she said. “This is the most accurate and reliable navigation instrument ever developed by mankind – actually, in collaboration with Dragons, I believe. It is also Yarimda’s gift to us.”

“I thought they had all been lost? The art of making these … it’s magical!”

“If you say so,” the Princess said blandly, causing generations of Dragon scientists to turn over in their graves at her crass attitude. “Alright. Let’s see what it does.”

“Thank you, Yarimda,” he whispered to the ocean.

Having affixed a fist-sized red gemstone atop