Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 97071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
“Stay where you are.”
In another situation, I would disobey just to do it, but I don’t really want to die, so I do what Bowen says. Crew members launch a second, third, and fourth spear—javelin?—at the dragon, earning another round of explosions and a third attack.
This time, Bowen grunts a little when he deflects it.
The next one might get through.
Oh fuck. I don’t know what to do. Bunny had a lot of rules, but only one when it came to dragons. Do not, under any circumstances, fuck with a dragon’s hoard. Most of them are old bastards who can’t stir themselves to eat a pesky witch, but they’ll burn the entire world to the ground to protect and reclaim what’s theirs. But surely that doesn’t apply here? From what Bowen’s said, his orders came only a few days before they found me, which means it’s likely this dragon hasn’t been in Threshold the entire time.
Think, Evelyn. You have a brain for a reason. If most dragons don’t attack unprovoked, then …
Another swipe of its tail shakes the shield around the ship so hard that the deck shifts beneath my feet, derailing my thoughts. “How many more hits can you take?”
I don’t expect Bowen to answer, but he turns his head slightly and mutters, “A couple. I’d have a better chance if I went on the offensive, but I can’t afford to leave the ship defenseless.”
I can’t help there, either. I know a handful of shielding spells, but a good shield doesn’t let anything in—or out. I might be able to keep us safe, but then we wouldn’t be able to attack. Beyond that, my strength is no more bottomless than Bowen’s is. If the dragon keeps attacking, it will get through. End of story.
I hate this.
I don’t want this fight, but I also don’t want to die.
Even as I debate with myself, Kit and a trio of crew members rush to the side of the ship to replace Miles and the other three who just attacked. I can’t see that they’re actually doing any damage, and every time they land a strike, the dragon attacks in kind.
In fact, it didn’t strike our ship until we threw fucking spears at it. Which doesn’t mean it wasn’t going to attack, but we definitely went on the offensive first. Of course we did—the dragon has been eating people, and even if I don’t love the Cŵn Annwn, I can admit that that’s probably not a good thing. Probably.
No, damn it. I’m doing it again. Looking for an angle where there is none. We’re fighting for our lives here. There is no angle.
There’s always an angle, little bird. If you haven’t found it, it’s because you’re not looking hard enough.
Dragons protect. That’s what I was thinking before the last strike threw me off. So what is this dragon protecting?
I don’t mean to move away from Bowen’s back, but I find myself drifting closer to the railing nearest the dragon. It hasn’t attacked again. It’s twisting and roaring and causing a huge fuss, but it hasn’t struck the ship again.
It feels almost … defensive. Protecting.
Instinct guides me, and I spin toward the center of the ship where Lucky stands. They have a sword in their hand and a grin on their face, showcasing their sharply pointed teeth.
I grab their arm. “What else did you see down there?”
They shake me off, their black gaze pinned to the dragon. “Get off me.”
“It’s protecting something, isn’t it?” I grab their arm again and shake them. “Tell me!”
Lucky snaps their teeth at me, which startles me enough to release them. “We’ll deal with the baby after we deal with the mother. Don’t get impulsive.”
A baby.
A mother.
Even in my realm, we know better than to antagonize a wild creature defending its young. I don’t know if this dragon has really killed people, but wouldn’t it make more sense to send it home? Or to do literally anything than to murder it for the sin of existing in its natural state?
This is wrong.
No one pays any attention to me as I charge up the railing to the upper deck. With the dragon curled around the center of the ship, that’s where everyone has congregated. I pause just long enough to note that there are plenty of crew members who don’t seem overly eager about this whole process. That hasn’t stopped them from grabbing weapons. Something to worry about later.
Bunny taught me never to go anywhere without chalk on my person, and so I have a stick tucked into my pocket. No one bothers me as I sketch out a messy circle and write the glyphs from memory. This won’t hold forever, but hopefully it will hold long enough.
I pull my stolen dagger out and cut shallow lines on my forearms. I’ll need my hands if it comes to a fight. A quick drag of my fingertips through the blood and I press them to the wooden deck and speak the words to trigger the spell.