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

Dragon pressed his tail downward, finding the reef so that he could rest without having to tread water. “It’s definitely dead, trust me – but who was that Dragoness who helped us?”

“The who and how much? Oh, do you mean the music we heard?”

He glanced about underwater, but whoever their benefactor had been, she was gone.

How peculiar.

Chapter 22: Fate’s Talon

DRAGON SLUMPED OVER THE scrap of reef, loathe to move a muscle. For the first time in his life, he understood the fear of constrictors. Several of his ribs might have cracked. He was certainly in enough pain.

He had also turned into the local clothes drying rack.

The indignity!

Having stripped down to her bare hide, Azania rinsed out all of her clothing and hung it across his upper back to dry. Aye. The nerve of that girl! Beggared belief. He told himself that had they not just been through a life-or-death battle with a monster Sea Serpent, he would not put up with such behaviour. Then again, what would he not do for a Princess who dared to poke a hundred-and-twenty-foot Sea Serpent in the eye for his sake?

Clothing rack? Pah. Hatchlings’ play.

Azerim had better appreciate her not turning up in clothing slathered in Dragon vomit.

The tide was beginning to turn.

Princess Azania paddled just off the tip of his outstretched right wing, which lay flat in the water, taking childlike delight in watching the antics of the tropical fish. He could watch them all day, too. So many peaceful schools drifting about, each one differing in details. Stripes and flashes, rainbows and brilliant, frilly bodies that flaunted their raiment – he could watch this for years and never run out of subject matter for his paintings. Incredible.

Dipping his head lazily, he called, ≈Thank you.≈

≈Dragon,≈ burble, burble, tweet and sing, which evidently had meaning beyond his current abilities ≈– you? What –≈

He wished he understood. Honoured Dragoness, thank you for your timely aid. Where are you?

You are of the air? Or, ocean? Even speaking Draconian, her voice was melodic, yet very, very old. White rose from the depths. Her colour was not pure white, but a delicate rose-white. I chased our foe to finish it all, even the eggs.

Oh. Dragoness, you saved our lives. We cannot thank you –

Our? Who is our, o strange Dragon, whose song I recognise from before? Why did you call unto me?

As the huge old Dragoness approached – she had to be every inch of one hundred and twenty feet in length, Dragon estimated – he had another shock. She was blind! Both eyes were rheumy with age and completely white, with not a hint of fire in them. How she cocked her head confirmed the impression.

Intuition leaped.

≈Wavewhisperer?≈

Aye, I am Wavewhisperer. Who are you, strange one? What is this tiny fish who paddles beside you?

Fate’s talon! Shock and gratitude imploded inside his belly. Of all the coincidences in the world, this one took his breath away.

He said, I am called Dragon, and my companion is the Princess Azania of T’nagru, a Human. We are friends of Yarimda.

≈YARIMDA! O, I COME!≈

Her powerful bugle practically lifted Azania out of the water. The Princess giggled, “You are Wavewhisperer? Oh, how truly wonderful it is to meet you! We have heard so many things about you. Many, many a story – all good, I promise you. Will you tarry a moment, please?”

“If you tell me, o Princess, who is this Dragon of both sea and air?”

Swimming closer with easy strokes, Wavewhisperer reached out her paw. May I see both of you?

Of course, said Dragon. I am – I was, a Dragon called Blitz the Devastator –

Devastator? Traitors!

Please, let me explain, honoured Wavewhisperer. I believe that my sire is Blaze the Devastator –

A curse upon his egg, that thief and murderer most foul! The aged Dragoness thrashed the water in her rage, forcing Azania to hang onto the trailing edge of his wing or be swamped.

– and my dam, Sirensong.

≈You – the lost egg?≈ Melodic wonder! Her fury stilled as if a towering wave had unaccountably frozen mid-break.

I may be, honoured Dragoness. I wish to find out. Is Sirensong …

She’s alive, youngling. I saw her during the last migration. The Dragoness’ paws touched him, feeling his musculature, the lay of his shoulder muscles, his muzzle and then his webbed paws. Ocean you are, yet small for a young adult male. How many cycles – I mean, years – have you?

Twenty.

Can it be? All Sea Dragons thought you lost, murdered by those traitorous, egg-stealing Devastators! Cupping Azania as if she were a jewel, the Dragoness touched her lightly. Now, you are a tiny one. Are you a child, as was my Yarimda when first I met her?

No, I’m seventeen. I am merely small amongst the Humankind, honoured Dragoness, Azania replied. Buzzing with excitement, Dragon wondered at the improvement in her spoken Draconian. Impressive. Are you meeting to travel with … uh, her?

Aye. This Dragon – he called me, so aye, I came. Ocean always rises.

Wavewhisperer had been living for the last eight years on the far side of the Vaylarn Archipelago, she told them, since she was no longer capable of swimming the annual migration. It had been a lonely time, but several of her friends had spent the last year with her and had now flown North, awaiting the arrival of the pod of Sea Dragons, as she called it. The migration route had changed. Exactly as suspected, since the incident in which his egg had treacherously been stolen by Blaze, Indigofire and several other Devastator Clan Dragons, the Sea Dragons had opted to circumvent the Archipelago rather than travel past Hamirythe as before.

Out of the blue, Wavewhisperer said, The language will come to you. It is born