Chapter 25

 

 

Seconds later, they soared above the tall pines covering most of Vincent’s island, and William finally got a clear picture of what he’d barely seen in the darkness the night before. The island itself was small, perhaps a mile long at most, and half that distance across, the manor house situated on the only large clearing. A mixture of sandy beach and rugged, rocky coastline surrounded the island, pummeled by white-capped waves.

Adonis wheeled higher, and William sucked in his breath as more islands came into view, and soon the city itself sprawled before him in the near distance. Several small boats plied the waters between the islands and the mainland, and the river itself was nearly choked with sails. Nothing as large as a ship, though.

William signaled for Adonis to climb even higher. Greater height brought a greater view, and soon even the distant barrier islands came into view. Once, as they circled around, the sun’s reflection caught him by surprise, and while his eyes watered it occurred to him how much worse it would have been through the telescope. As they faced west again, he noted with relief that a bank of clouds covered the far horizon. With luck, those clouds would soon hide the sun’s glare.

At a certain height, the vista below began to resemble Vincent’s map, and William soon recognized the two clusters of islands the duke had assigned to him and Jack. Jack’s drone drifted away to his group of islands, and William leaned forward to show Adonis where he wanted to go.

The wind in his face invigorated him. Clyde kept pace a few yards to their right, flapping and gliding effortlessly. Behind him, Adonis’s wings beat gently, and the sun warmed his back just enough to counter the frigid breeze. A glance below reminded him of the unthinkable height at which they were flying, but he was less afraid than amused. He knew a fall from here would kill him, but somehow the possibility didn’t seem real. Besides, the distant views were so much more impressive. How much higher would they have to go before the distant shores of Ibyca became visible?

Half an hour later, they had passed Jack’s search zone and approached his own. Adonis descended in response to William’s signal, and they began to search the channels between the islands for signs of ships.

The water below was empty, with not a vessel in sight. The sea below them was choppier now, white froth forming on the waves, and William realized the breeze in his face was not entirely due to Adonis’s speed. The clouds he noticed earlier were nearly upon them now, and he hoped they would soon shield him from the sun.

Having found nothing on the water, they turned to the islands themselves. Descending yet again, they flew across the nearest island, looking for any sign of human activity. No one could live this far from town, could they? What was here for them? A few of these islands might be large enough to support a farm or two, but they would be too far from town to sell their crops or buy supplies. The view below supported his thinking: nothing but trees and rocky beaches, populated by sea birds and the occasional seal.

The second island was no different. They circled it completely, dropping below the clouds that had blown in. William wrapped the scarf even tighter to ward off the cold.

Nearing the third island, William’s heart began to race. A plume of smoke rose from the far end, nearly undetectable in the increasing breeze, but a closer inspection confirmed it. He reminded himself it could be anybody, but he couldn’t escape the knowledge that any human activity this far out was noteworthy. If they weren’t the rebels themselves, they might at least have seen them.

He signaled to Adonis. Moments later, the mighty drone flew over the smoke, but the trees were too dense to allow any sight of what lay beneath them.

A huge gust of wind rocked them. William gripped the neck ridges in front of him as Adonis turned abruptly to correct his flight. The rain hit them seconds later, pelting William’s face and obscuring his view. Adonis banked sharply, away from the wind. The dragon’s great head cast back and forth as they descended, looking for a spot to land.

He didn’t argue. Instead, he gripped even tighter, squeezing Adonis’s neck with his legs, hoping he wasn’t restricting the drone’s breathing. He shut his eyes as they hurtled toward the trees, opening them in time to see Adonis swerve toward a small clearing. They approached the ground at a startling speed, and William braced himself for the inevitable crash, but Adonis stretched his wings, catching the air and slowing them to a near stop, bouncing only slightly as they landed. Clyde thumped to the ground beside them and rebounded to his feet, apparently unharmed.

“Are you okay, Adonis?” asked William. “That wind came out of nowhere; I hope it didn’t hurt you.”

“It takes more than wind to harm a dragon,” said Adonis with an air of pride. “Even your little one is uninjured. But I cannot risk falling into the water, especially this salt water.”

“No, I suppose you can’t. The Ambassador told me dragons can’t swim.” Lightning lit the sky, the thunderclap following seconds after. “I suppose we should find shelter. But we can’t go near that smoke until we’ve checked the surrounding area. I don’t want to run into anybody on our own.”

They found a small ridge near the woods, an outcrop of rock that blocked the heavy winds from the west. “This is as good as we’ll find, I’m afraid,” said William as he pulled his cloak close. “It won’t stop the rain, but at least we’re out of the wind.”

“How you frail humans survive is a mystery to me,” said Adonis as he curled against the rock face. “Sit against my belly. I will be your shelter.”

William did as instructed, and Adonis wrapped a giant wing over him, covering his own head as well, leaving only his snout exposed. Clyde snuck underneath the wing and rested his head on William’s lap.

“Thank you, Adonis,” said William. “That eliminates wind and rain. Hopefully it won’t get too cold.”

Adonis said nothing, but began to breathe in a rumbling, rhythmic manner. Was he snoring? Had the dragon fallen asleep already? Soon though, the cold scales of the beast’s belly began to radiate gentle warmth.

William sighed in relief. He removed his cloak, rolled it into a pillow, and leaned against the dragon’s scaly underside. How convenient it must be to carry your own fireplace and be proof against the cold. And with the fire safely enclosed in his innards, it wouldn’t give away their presence.

The wind howled around them, but only a few tendrils of cold air snuck under Adonis’s wing. They were lucky, considering how quickly the storm caught them. He hoped the others found shelter in time. A scary thought crossed his mind—what if one of his friends had been swept off their dragon?

What if Melissa…?

No, he couldn’t dwell on that. He had to trust they saw the storm coming. It had come from the west, crossing his path before anyone else’s, and the lightning that struck near him would have given the others plenty of warning.

“Where Melissa?” asked Clyde.

“I don’t know,” said William. “She’s too far away to talk to right now, Clyde.”

“My brothers have all landed,” said Adonis. “And your friends are all safe. I warned them about the storm before we landed.”

“You warned them?” asked William. “How?”

“Drones can speak to each other over open distances,” said the dragon. “I speak, and they hear it in their heads.”

“You mean like telepathy?” asked William. “But I thought that was a myth.”

“Our distance speech is no myth. It does not work well near the ground at great distances though. I sent my message quickly lest I lose the chance.”

William nodded to himself. “If it doesn’t work near the ground, the curvature of the planet probably blocks it. That means it needs line of sight to work. Can you talk to your brothers if a mountain is between you?”

“Not well, sometimes not at all. Nor from different parts of the hive.”

“How is it that I’ve known you dragons for four years, and this is the first I’ve heard of this?”

“I might be telling you a secret I should not be,” said the dragon. “Perhaps the queen will punish me with fire.”

William’s head whirled toward the dragon’s. “Was that another joke, Adonis?”

“I may have learned a human trait or two.”

“Any chance your brothers can tell my friends we’re safe?”

“My brothers do not speak your language, and I cannot teach them. They have no way to inform your friends.”

William sighed. He would have to wait for the storm to end before they could fly back to let everyone know they were safe. But could he even head straight back without investigating further? Vincent’s warning echoed in his head—don’t do anything alone. But no one was in the sky to signal, no one to help him scout the source of the smoke.

They would have to approach it alone.