James

There are times I would be happy to see a Drake, and this is one of them. Anything to avoid being captured by pirates, or whatever these people are. The ship pulls up along the Morning Glory, three over-sized grappling hooks meant for Drakes hit the deck, attaching to the railing. The pirates flow onboard like water, blending with the surviving crew in a toxic potion. One I’m glad I’m not apart of. Grabbing Mary by her shoulders, I yank us both behind the bow cabin, pressing my back to the wall. Mary’s trembling, her breath coming in short gasps.

“Mary.” I hiss. She doesn’t respond.

“Mary!” I spin her to face me. Her wide umber eyes are fear-filled, brimming with tears. I sigh and hug her.

This is no place for her.

Mary sniffles, peering up at me.

“What do we do?” She sounds frightened. I would, If I were in her shoes.

“Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.” I tell her. She nods, clenching and unclenching her jaw. Below and off to our right, I hear cannonfire beneath our feet. The Scarecrow is battering this ship to pieces. I hear the dragon bellow, then the whole ship creak.

“Uh, James?” Mary whispers. I follow her gaze to see a meaty black tail on the deck in front of us.

The dragon’s tail. Up close, I can see every single scale, overlapping like folded cloth. The fur on top of the limb is matted, blood seeping from a bullet hole dead center in a crater of broken scales. Mary reaches out, and before I can stop her, gently pries a scale off the dragon. It’s small, with a ridge going down the center, about the size of my palm, and shaped like an almond with the part that goes underneath another scale looking like a barbed arrowhead.

“What? Why?” I snap.

“A hypothesis.” She answers, ticking the scale into the small pocket on the inside of her jacket. The fog clears, forcing the sun to show its face. Light filters through the Scarecrow’s sails, making them the color of blood. I twist to see what’s happening, and gasp.

The pirates have gathered the crew up, holding knives and various types of guns to them. The dragon is perched up on the bow cabin, above our heads. I can only see the left side of its head, the two left eyes protected from the sun by two thin lids, giving its eyes a frosted-over look.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“You see the frilled jaw?” Mary asks, pointing. I can see what she’s talking about. On the lower jawbone, I see short spine-like frills, and can only assume that there’s one like like it on the dragon’ right jaw as well.

“What about it?”

“It means the dragon is male.” She says. I nod. That makes sense, that a pirate-no, rogue-dragon would be male. Not that I care what sex this creature of mass destruction is.

“I guess all those hours in the library paid off, huh.” My comment goes unanswered, when silence blankets the ship. The only thing I hear is the sound of someone walking. Peeking back out, I see a man in a navy blue overcoat with a peg leg carved from a Drake tooth. The pirates seem to lose their bravery, sinking into themselves when the man stops in the middle of the deck.

It’s like the world is holding its breath, fearful of what this man is capable of.

“Where is your captain?” When he speaks, all doubt over who he is fades from my mind. This is Captain Rover, one of the most feared pirates on the Senita Strait.

“Here.” Edward pushes his way through his crew, until he is standing at their front.

“Hmm. Now tell me, where is the girl on this dragonforsaken ship.” It’s not a question. It’s an order. When Edward hesitates, Rover gestures to the dragon. With a sweep of its wings, the dragon launches. I let out the breath I’m holding.

That’s when it all goes wrong.

Curved black talons wrap around Mary, lifting her up and away from my arms. I try to run, only for a foot to curl around me, then we’re airborne. The dragon circles both ships once, before landing in the clearing of bodies on deck. Everyone backs up, except Rover. He stands there, a crooked smile sprawled all over his face. The dragon sets us down, then folds its wings along its back, planting all four feet firmly on the deck.

“Ah, there you are, little Drake.” Rover says to Mary. I want to punch him in his rotten teeth. I step in front Mary, half hiding her from Rover’s view. With a flick of his wrist, Rover places the silver, sharp edge of his blade against the side of my neck. I swallow, Adam’s apple bobbing. Rover turns his attention to Edward.

“I give you a choice. Your crew or these two miserable half-scraps. Which group dies?” His words are careful, cunning, dripping with acid like a snake. Edward bits his lip, brows pressed together.

“I-” He stammers.

“Can’t choose? I choose for you.” Rover says.

“No, wait!” Edward cries. His plea falls on deaf ears. One of the pirates pushes him away from the crew. I hear flint being stroke.

“Kill them.” All the guns go off as one. Then swords and axes are brought into the mix. I close my eyes, refusing to watch. Screams and cries of pain echo from behind me.

The sounds of dying men.

It makes me want to vomit.

I feel Mary’s hands on my upper arm in a death grip. She’s shaking. When I open my eyes to comfort her, I see tears running down her cheeks. And the dragon’s gone. Rover grunts.

I turn to glare at him.

With sideburns of orange hair, freckles, and a clean shaven face with an eyepatch over his left eye. Feathered hat, guns swinging from his sand colored sash.

“Ah, dear boy. You and your little Drake can live.” Rover says. He sheaths his sword. Then turns, hobbling towards the Scarecrow.

“Throw them in the brig. Burn the ship after everything needed is removed. And Crank.”

“Yessir?”

“Tell Asta that the three prisoners are under his charge. If any die, I’ll gut him myself.”