The dragons of Carlinoa Island constructed their nests atop the centermost mountain. Vicente, like the other fire dragons, had made his nest out of whale bones. He perched on a sturdy rib which jutted out of the ground. The red dragon made repairs to the thatched roof while his mate was out hunting. His young daughter had run off to play with her friend, Arenis, but Fia was not with the other baby dragon when he returned.
From his vantage point on the roof, Vicente spied Arenis as soon as he hauled himself over the edge of the cliff. The small, red dragonet dashed into the center of the village huts. "Help!" he cried. "Help! Fia's gone…." As Arenis cried out of desperation, he headed straight for the shack that was Fia's family home.
Vicente tucked his wings and dove to meet him before he got there. "Where's Fia?" he boomed.
"Humans… attacked… on a ship." Arenis could hardly fit his words between his haggard breaths. The dragonet did not need to finish his report for the adult to understand.
"Inferno! No." Vicente swung his head right then left, as if he expected to see his mate, Corisande, at his side. Her wings would have carried her too far on the hunt for her to do anything to aid their daughter right now. If Vicente wanted any hope to rescue her, he needed to act at once—alone. "Which way?" he demanded of Arenis.
The dragonet could likely count the times that he had left the nest on his front claws. Arenis's feet kneaded the ground close together as he cowered under Vicente. "Uh, that way!" Arenis turned and pointed a talon in the direction that he had come from.
"Blazing inferno," Vicente cursed again under his breath. His wings unfurled with his mounting anger. The roar of an enraged dragon split the sky as he ascended. Vicente pounded his wings to carry him high. So long as Arenis did not direct him in the opposite direction, he should be able to locate the ship from a dragon's eye view.
The fire dragon heated the air under his wings to help him fly faster. Once he had gained enough altitude, Vicente swiftly soared beyond the island's shore. The open ocean spread out before him. Crests of the azure waves sparkled white below him. The pristine weather all around him made for too pretty a day for something so terrible to happen. The edges of his vision had turned red from the surrounding haze, charged by his magic. Vicente's constricted, slitted pupils frantically searched the open ocean. He angled his wings toward the first ship that he saw.
Vicente resisted the urge to announce his attack by the bellow of his roar. Instead, he would do so by casting the infernal humans into an inferno. A ball of fire to rival the sun gathered between his jaws. Before he unleashed the attack, the human scouts aboard the ship must have taken note of the dragon. They scurried out of the middle of the deck to a formation along the sides.
Most of the humans manned the pointed contraptions which must be the ballistae of the north. Only two humans remained in the center by the mast. The first lifted his hands to begin growing a metallic shell to defend the wooden tower and cloth sails. The second mage coated the plank floor in a film of shiny, translucent crystal.
Vicente planned to drop this fire bomb—still growing larger by the second. Then, he would fly away and return for another bout. I can reduce this ship to ash on the water, he thought. The flames would not hurt his daughter as Fia was hatched of fire like him. However, the foamy waves could drown her. His precious, baby dragonette would have to swim by herself out of the wreckage.
The thrum of his heart and swirl of fire filled Vicente's eardrums. For a split second, he questioned whether a blitz against the ship was the right decision to make. Fia was too young to have taught her how to swim yet. On a day of calm waves, Vicente and Corisande were supposed to take her to the shallow waters of the reef. There, his clan dropped the dragonets into the water to show them how to swim. They're supposed to learn to swim on their own, anyway, Vicente reasoned. He would never get to take his daughter there if he did not rescue her now, so he trusted Fia could do it—just enough for him to get to her.
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Vicente unleashed his charged attack. The inferno dropped toward the ship and exploded across the deck in a cloud of steam. The intense fire won against the damp wood and set it ablaze with a hiss. Vicente was satisfied to see some running, flailing bodies of the humans engulfed in fire.
While the red dragon kept flying past the ship, he was still in range of the ballistae and magical counterattack. The snap of a mechanism rang out. Three bolts flung into the sky from the ballistae. The projectiles zoomed toward Vicente at blinding speeds, aided by an electrifying spell.
A sudden force struck his side. Vicente had been so focused on the human ship that he had not noticed a second dragon that flew into the foray. This dragon used his fire magic to fly faster than even Vicente could at top speeds. If not for this other dragon's intervention, Vicente would not have had time to dodge the ballista bolts.
The two dragons tumbled from the sky together. Thanks. His wordless gratitude was relayed over telepathy, but Vicente should not have felt that way so soon. When he spread his wings to right himself in the air, the other dragon restrained him. They plunged below the waves at the same time.
A dragon's telepathy was even stronger underwater, but that was unnecessary given the proximity of their heads. The amber eye of Evander filled Vicente's furious, blue ones. Let me fight! the older dragon demanded of the clan's youngest warrior who had interfered.
Don't throw your life away! Evander seethed. One dragon can't take down that ship alone.
Some large bubbles drifted from Vicente's nostrils with his snort. I see two dragons here.
Despite his young age, Evander was celebrated as a flying ace. He had swiftly proven himself in some skirmishes against the Avuazu Clan. However, Evander stuck up his snout and gave a fierce shake of his head. I would if we could, but our best chance to save Fia is to have the clan elders rally a rescue party.
Vicente coughed out some froth underwater. The larger, red dragon arched his back and whipped his tail to make his way to the surface. Would you say the same if it were your brother Arenis?
Yes. Evander propelled himself through the water with a single wingbeat before he kept them folded at his side. Thanks to the quick flow of ideas through telepathy, the dragons could communicate more thoroughly than if they had bothered with auditory words. I want the highest chance of actually saving her as possible. Fia can't swim. She'll drown in that ship, even if you wreck it!
Vicente's growl was muted underwater. His head burst into the air so that he could snap at Evander who surfaced shortly after him. You don't understand! You're not a father, Vicente seethed. Evander could not possibly understand. The young warrior did not even have a mate yet. I have to get Fia back, Vicente insisted, right now.
Do not let your emotions overcome you. Fly back to the island with me. Evander tossed his head south, in the direction of Carlinoa.
Vicente commanded his raging flames to cool so that he could think more clearly. He already knew that he could not sink the ship if he wanted to keep Fia alive. Evander echoed his worst fear. Carefully getting her out would prove a greater challenge than destroying the ship. Some smoke clung to Vicente's throat. I don't know how to fix this.
I'll do everything I can to help, Evander promised. I'll organize the rescue party myself, if I have to. The younger dragon made no effort to hide his doubt that the clan elders would sanction an official effort.
I hate how this is my best chance. The persistent growl in Vicente's throat diminished to a grumble. The two dragons dried their scales with the heated air that billowed beneath their wings. They flew their fastest back to Carlinoa Island, hoping to return in greater numbers to take the ship intact and get Fia out safely.