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

“Wish I could.”

“We’ve got this, Princess. Can’t imagine how Aria did – there! No, that’s a Sea Serpent.”

Both Dragon and Rider narrowed their eyes, looking off his left flank and ahead. Odd how that serpent was coiled up, however, almost as if it were sitting right atop …

“The reef,” they both said at the same time.

Azania said a bad word. Dragon offered one even worse.

She snarled, “Of all the freaking places in the Lumis Ocean, it had to pick our reef? What is this? I mean, that’s obviously the spot, right? We’re on time –”

“Aye, and his coils lie horizontally, like one of those desert turbans. On the one paw, we might be grateful he’s shown us the exact spot. On the other paw, I’ve a bad feeling about his size. That’s the granddaddy of all Sea Serpents, if I’m not mistaken.”

“It’s not exactly like we have a choice, is it?” the Princess snapped.

“No. We need to fight for our place.”

“Against one of the most territorial and aggressive creatures in the oceans? Perfect. I’ll go mount the Dragon bow, shall I?”

“Let’s do this. No quarter!”

“Not even a hundredth of a – whatever. See if you can pinpoint the head. I’m going up.”

By up, she meant onto his shoulders. Shortly, he felt her affixing the flexible mount to his uppermost spine spike, and she settled the weapon into place. She double-tied everything down and packed away the navigation crystal. Azania donned her body armour and placed the quiver of eight-foot quarrels where she could reach it easily. Dragon handed back his spectacles.

“Ready,” she said.

He tilted his aching wings into a long, fast dive. By his sire’s egg, he was tired – and they had another five-hour stint to look forward to after this short rest.

Ornery mood?

Aye, and then some. He refused to let some overgrown water snake steal their future. Not today.

Closer. Closer still. One brute of a Sea Serpent waited for them upon that reef, its coils half as thick as his body and perhaps three times his length, although it was difficult to estimate given the way it was coiled up, layer upon layer, hiding the head and muzzle.

“Together?” she said. “I’ll fire when you’re in range.”

“Together!”

Dragon swooped. Battle speed. Hit it hard; hit where it counted.

At the last instant, as the white-hot flame began to spurt out of his mouth, he saw one vindictive yellow eye peeking out of a slit between the coils. Cunning serpent! The Dragon bow sang as Azania let rip; flesh sizzled and burned as he directed his fire right at the eye … and the coils exploded in front of them. A huge head lunged out, taking a bite that never found its target. Azania cried out as he jinked wildly, holding his fire on target for as long as possible before breaking away and circling.

Ripples stilled where the serpent had vanished.

One tiny cream-coloured reef. Barely wide enough for two Dragons’ paws – how the creature had managed to pile itself atop that, he had no idea. Nor how Aria had known how to find it. That was one smart, courageous Dragoness.

“Gone?” she panted. “I hit the head for certain.”

“So did I – but I don’t like this. I’ve a bad feeling that we only stung the beast.”

“What choice do we have? You must rest.”

“Aye.” He shook his muzzle, circling several more times. No movement beneath the water. The ripples had vanished. “We’ll land. I’ll try to take a look around underwater. Keep the bow armed and the eyes sharp.”

They landed gingerly. Dragon peered about underwater, where to his surprise, his eyesight was clear. The main reef must cap an underwater mountain, he decided. It lay ten to twenty feet below the surface for the most part, and covered an oval area perhaps fifty Dragon paces wide and eighty long. Only this single spire, apparently old coral to the non-expert eye, broke the ocean’s surface. Hordes of colourful fish swarmed about the area; the bright neon colours and variation were breathtaking. No sign of the serpent.

He did not believe it for a second.

Five minutes later, he checked again. Ten minutes. Nothing. He tried to shake out his wings. Azania massaged a restorative oil into the major flight muscles and primary wing joints, bringing a deep-seated, tingling relief that made him groan.

One more check. Nothing.

Dragon forced his muscles to unclench. How much rest could they get away with?

He watched the ripples in front of his nose. Such a tiny perch. He modulated his breathing, concentrating on oxygenating the blood again after all the energy output, drinking a little seawater to help remove toxins. He could not quite relax.

“Dragon, fly jump!” Azania yelled.

At the same instant as his thighs bunched and launched, a huge wave burst over them, out of nowhere. He tumbled into the water, thinking that the serpent had – what, spat them off the perch with a jet-stream of water? Flex the wings. Keep to the shallows. Azania had been knocked away, but she hung onto his left wing as the water pummelled them due to the violent movement of a huge body nearby. Dragon surged away as the powerful serpent circled the mound, hunting them. Up again? The Princess needed to breathe.

Barely had he scrambled out and his Rider found her way back to the Dragon bow, when the Sea Serpent struck a second time. Powerful coils whipped toward them. Azania took her shot, burying a quarrel up to the fletching in the blink of an eye, but he was forced to jump and then dive as the muzzle, filled with backward-sloping fangs, struck like a cobra toward his left wing. They hit the water hard, together.

Forced deeper by a coil rolling over his back, Dragon pounded the water with his