Morning came sooner than Alex would have liked. The walking they’d done the last few days had left him sore and a little stiff. He wished that he’d been able to bring his horse, Dar Losh, on this journey with him, but that just wasn’t possible. Whalen was still sitting next to the fire, where Alex had left him the night before. The fire was now cold, but Whalen didn’t seem to notice or to even care.

They found Joshua waiting for them in the inn’s common room. He was eager to be going. They all ate a hurried breakfast and then Whalen led the way to the docks. The sky was clear and a soft breeze was blowing across the sea. To Alex, it looked like perfect sailing weather.

“I always enjoy sailing,” Joshua said as they walked. “The open water, the wind blowing in your hair, everything about it is wonderful. I’ve always felt more at home on a ship than on land.”

“Then perhaps you should become a sailor,” Alex joked. “Or maybe a ship captain would be better.”

“I’ve considered it,” Joshua said. “At one time I thought I would try to become one, but it takes years to learn the trade, and . . .”

“And?” Alex asked.

“My uncle wasn’t happy with the idea,” Joshua said. “He says that my place is with my people.”

“Your uncle speaks truly,” Alex said. “Though I can understand your love for the sea.”

The Dawn Star moved away from the docks before the sun had risen, and by the time the sunlight was on the surface of the water they were moving away from Eastland. Alex, Whalen, and Joshua all stood at the railing on deck, staying out of the way of the working sailors. They didn’t talk at all, but watched in silence as the land shrank behind them and the sea grew wider in front of them.

“How long will it take to cross to Midland?” Alex finally asked.

“Only a week or ten days,” Joshua answered before Whalen could. “If we have fair winds and the weather holds.”

“And if the weather doesn’t hold?” Alex asked.

“It’s not the time of year for storms,” Whalen said. “We may run into some wind and rain, but nothing the Dawn Star can’t handle.”

“She is one of the largest ships that sail this sea,” Joshua added. “Most of the trade ships only have one mast, maybe two. A three-master like this will only sail between the larger ports, while the smaller traders will sail to almost every small port they can find.”

“Large ships and large cities are good for business,” Whalen said. “We are bound for Hafnar, one of the largest cities in Midland. With a little luck, we should be able to do some good trading while we are there.”

They remained on deck for a time but didn’t talk much. The sea air and the movement of the ship was relaxing to Alex, and he let his troubled thoughts about the future slip to the back of his mind. Whalen eventually went to his cabin, saying something about checking his inventory logs. Joshua remained with Alex, a dreamy look of happiness on his face.

Four days after they set sail it began to rain lightly. The sea remained relatively calm and the wind was light but the captain and crew appeared to be worried. Alex couldn’t see any reason to worry—even with the light wind they were making good time. Still, the troubled looks of the crew were hard to miss.

When he had a chance to talk to Whalen alone, he asked about the captain and crew’s dark mood.

“They call this ‘serpent weather,’” Whalen explained. “This is the kind of weather that sea serpents prefer, so the sailors are afraid.”

“Are there many sea serpents here?” Alex asked.

“No, not that many. I’ve seen a few in my travels here, but I don’t think there have ever been that many of them. And the ones I have seen have all been in the larger north and south seas. These smaller seas between lands are too confining for the likes of them.”

“Do you think a sea serpent would attack a ship as large as the Dawn Star ?”

“I’ve never heard of a ship this size being attacked, but who knows. The serpents I’ve seen were much too small to attack something this size, but . . .”

“And if we run into something bigger? What are the chances that we’ll be attacked?”

“If what you mean to ask is, ‘What are the chances that we’ll need to use magic to fight off an attack?’ then the answer is, ‘I’m not sure.’”

“Maybe you haven’t heard about a ship this size being attacked because the ships that have been attacked never make it back to port.”

“Let’s not worry about that unless we have to. We’ll use magic if we must. But we can’t do what we came here to do if we don’t get to Midland first. There’s no sense in worrying about it. If we’re attacked, then we can worry.”

The next day the rain was gone but heavy gray fog replaced it. There was no wind at all, and the fog moved about the ship like anxious ghosts. Alex could tell the sailors’ fears were growing. Many of them would jump at the slightest sound. Even Joshua seemed nervous when Alex found him standing on the deck.

“This is serpent weather,” Joshua said, shaking his head. “I don’t like it, even on a ship this size.”

“I suppose you’ve heard tales of sea serpents in your travels,” Alex said.

“I’ve done more than hear tales. I’ve seen some of the monsters of the deep—monsters that could toss the Dawn Star about like a toy.”

“Let’s hope we don’t run into anything as dangerous as that.”

Whalen soon appeared on deck, his eyes moving around the ship, a worried look on his face. The fog made it difficult to see anything, but Whalen kept looking at the sea as he paced back and forth along the deck.

“Your uncle seems troubled,” Joshua commented.

“He’s worried for the time we are losing,” Alex said. “In business, time is money, you know.”

“Perhaps it is,” Joshua said, his eyes looking up at the slack sails. “But if we run into a monster, time and money won’t mean much of anything here on the open sea.”

Alex didn’t reply, and they fell silent for a long time, looking into the fog and thinking their own thoughts. Alex could tell that Whalen was worried, and that made him worry as well. He thought that he could probably drive away a sea serpent, but not without using his magic, which would reveal him as a wizard to the crew. Right now, he hoped that the wind would start blowing again and the fog would lift.

“Alex,” Joshua said after a time. “I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

“I’ve done little enough,” Alex said.

“No, you’ve done a great deal. You helped me escape the soldiers of Jabez. I won’t forget that. I just want you to know I’m grateful, just in case.”

“In case of what?” Alex asked, troubled by Joshua’s words.

“In case we don’t both make it to Midland,” Joshua said.

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Alex said, patting Joshua on the shoulder. “We’ll both get to Midland. Once the wind starts blowing again, we’ll be there in no—”

Alex was cut off as the ship suddenly shuddered as if it had run aground. Joshua was thrown to the deck. Alex clutched the ship’s railing desperately to keep his feet. Shouts broke out around the ship, but the loudest voice belonged to the captain.

“Get the lines over the side,” he bellowed. “Get those men out of the water.”

Alex quickly scanned the deck, but the fog was too thick for him to see exactly what was going on. Sailors were running across the deck, ropes were flying around, and the unsettling sound of moving water—a lot of moving water—filled the air.

“Alex, take the bow, I’ll take the stern,” Whalen, who had appeared out of nowhere, shouted in Alex’s ear. “Do whatever you have to do to save the ship.”

“But—” Alex started.

“Whatever you have to do,” Whalen repeated as he hurried away.

Alex turned toward the bow of the ship, but he hadn’t taken a step when the deck swayed wildly under his feet once more. Tripping over one of the sailors, Alex jumped back to his feet and started forward. Dodging between the panicked sailors who were trying frantically to get their friends out of the water, Alex made it as far as the forward mast before the deck moved under his feet again. This time the ship didn’t jump—it spun. The sound of something hard moving and cutting into the wooden side of the ship filled the air. Alex looked back toward Whalen, and saw something he didn’t understand.

Whalen was hanging over the side of the ship, a grappling hook attached to a long, thin rope in his hands. As Alex watched, Whalen threw the hook over the side, keeping a firm hold on the rope. In a moment the rope pulled tight and started racing through Whalen’s hands. For some reason Alex couldn’t figure out, Whalen had hooked the sea monster.

As soon as he felt the magic, Alex understood what Whalen was doing. As the rope sped through his hands, Whalen was pouring magic into it. As soon as the last few feet of rope slipped away and vanished over the side of the ship, Whalen let his magic loose. A deafening crash of thunder filled the air, and Alex wondered if the monster could survive so powerful a blast of magic. The answer to his question appeared an instant later. The monster’s tail emerged from the water, spun wildly over the ship, and, like a whip, snapped the rear mast of the ship in half. Sails and debris rained down over Whalen, and Alex lost sight of him.

Alex wanted to run toward the stern, but his brain told him that he had to move forward. He turned away from the scene of trouble and continued forward. This sea serpent was larger than he’d imagined, and more powerful than he’d thought possible. His brain raced, trying to think of some way to drive off the beast, but his mind was blank. He’d never faced a creature like this before, and nothing he’d ever read seemed to fit the problem at hand.

Alex didn’t have long to think. As he jumped over a fallen sailor, the ship spun again, he staggered, and he found himself looking back at the stern. He had just turned around again when the head of the great serpent broke the water and rose above the bow of the ship. Alex was stunned by the great beauty and power that he saw. The creature was elegant, almost fragile-looking, but what really caught Alex’s attention was that this massive sea creature looked familiar—it looked more like a dragon than any creature except a dragon should.

Alex’s stunned amazement was broken as Joshua pushed past him, a massive harpoon in his hands. With a natural ability, and more strength than Alex would have thought possible, Joshua heaved the harpoon forward, directly at the beautiful head of the sea serpent.

Alex was unable to speak, but his mind screamed No !

Alex lifted his left hand as if he was holding his staff. The harpoon slowed in his mind, and with less than a second to act, Alex magically put a shield between the beast and the weapon. The harpoon bounced harmlessly away from the sea serpent’s eye, but the serpent still flinched backward by instinct. Alex could feel the monster’s rage as its eyes scanned the deck in search of its attacker.

Let it go , Alex said in his mind, pushing the thought toward the sea serpent. I have saved you from the blow, now let your anger go.

The serpent’s eyes came to rest on Alex and the creature paused. For a moment it seemed to consider Alex, perhaps judging how dangerous he was. The creature’s eyes moved back along the length of the ship, finally pausing on Whalen. There was a sudden silence, the kind of total silence that never happened on the open sea. The sailors stopped shouting, the ship became still, and the waves on the water were frozen in place.

A dragon lord and a wizard together , the sea serpent’s words formed in Alex’s mind. What brings such power to this land?

Our reason for being here is our own , Alex answered. We need to travel across this sea, and I ask your leave to do so.

Reasons for one so powerful are never simply your own , the serpent said. What price will you offer for safe passage?

Price? Alex asked. I have saved you from a terrible blow that might have killed you, or at least taken your eye.

The serpent thought for a moment. I will accept this act of kindness as the price for safe passage. As for your reasons for being here, they are plain enough for the wise to see. Two men of power, sailing to the west. You come seeking the evil one, the wizard that lives in the castle of Conmar.

Yes , Alex admitted, we seek to destroy that evil, or at least to drive it out of this land.

I will leave you then, and wish you luck , the serpent said.

You have my thanks , Alex said, bowing slightly.

Slowly the monster began to lower itself into the water, but it paused as its head reached Alex’s level. It looked at him for a moment, and then it spoke out loud. The serpent spoke the same language as the dragons, a language Alex understood perfectly, though no one else on the ship could. The serpent’s words were a warning for Alex.

“Destroy the evil in Conmar if you can, dragon lord. Be warned that he is not alone in the evil he has brought to this land,” the sea serpent said. “Be warned also that the wizard you seek has a dragon as a servant as well.”

The instant the sea serpent vanished beneath the water, time snapped back into being. Sailors were suddenly shouting, the ship creaked and moaned, and the sound of the waves filled the air once more. Alex turned to check on Whalen to make sure he was alright.

Everything had happened so fast that most of the sailors had not seen any of it. The captain of the Dawn Star rushed to Joshua’s side and bowed. “We are in your debt, serpent slayer,” the captain said. “And in Master Kessler’s as well, for bringing you on this voyage.”

Whalen came up behind the captain as he was speaking, a strange look on his face. He clearly knew that something had happened, but he didn’t know what it was.

“I am not a serpent slayer,” Joshua said, his voice shaky and a little weak.

“Perhaps not in name, but I saw your mighty throw of the harpoon,” the captain said. “And I saw the sea serpent vanish beneath the waves. Your timely work has saved this ship and all aboard her. You will be rewarded when we reach Hafnar, and if you ever need a fast ship to carry you, the Dawn Star is at your service.”

“You are most kind,” Joshua answered, more than a little confused.

Alex knew that, between things happening so fast and the magic of the serpent, Joshua had no idea that the harpoon he had thrown had been deflected before it reached its target.

The crew gathered around Joshua, and they were all whispering about what the captain said he had seen. Joshua was the hero. He had driven off, maybe even killed, the monster from the deep, and saved them all from certain death. Once the celebration had started there was no stopping it. Joshua accepted their cheers and praise, but he also tried to downplay what he had done. The celebrations continued until the fog started to lift and the wind began to blow once more. Then the sailors happily returned to their work and the captain gave the order to sail for Midland.

It was late that night before Alex and Whalen had a chance to discuss what had happened. Most of the crew was asleep, and the two wizards found a secluded spot near the bow of the ship to talk. Whalen wanted to know everything that had happened, and Alex was happy to tell him. Repeating the details helped him to think things over and decide what exactly they meant.

“What did you do?” Whalen asked, looking over his shoulder to make sure they were alone.

“I blocked the harpoon that Joshua threw,” said Alex. “I don’t know why, but I couldn’t let that harpoon hit its mark. Then I spoke to the serpent, or rather we shared our thoughts.”

“I thought as much,” said Whalen.

“It knew who—or, I should say—what , I am,” Alex went on. “It knew I was a dragon lord, and it knew you were a wizard.”

“We could hardly avoid that,” Whalen said unhappily.

“No one will know. It won’t speak of this meeting to anyone.”

“Do you think you can trust such a creature?”

“Yes, I do,” Alex said, thinking about what the sea serpent had told him.

“And I trust you. Perhaps this story will not reach Jabez and we will still be safe.”

“The serpent will keep its word. Not just because it said it would, but because of what it said out loud.”

“It spoke out loud?” Whalen asked in surprise. “I’ve only heard a few stories where sea serpents actually spoke out loud.”

“It spoke in the language of the dragons. I should have expected it, because it looks so much like a dragon.”

“Yes, I suppose it did. What did it say?” Whalen asked with interest.

“It told me to be careful because the wizard at Conmar has a dragon as a servant,” Alex said, looking out over the water. “I got the feeling that there was at least one dragon at Conmar, maybe more.”

“That will make things more difficult. I’m sure Jabez will use the dragon to guard his most prized possession—the Axe of Sundering.”

“I’m sure you are right, but that’s not what troubles me.”

“What could trouble you more than having to fight a dragon to get the Axe?”

“What troubles me is why. Why would a dragon serve a dark wizard? I know not all dragons are good. Some—all right, most —are evil, but even if an evil dragon did what Jabez wanted, there would still have to be some payment in return. And I doubt any dragon would do everything Jabez wants, although . . .”

“Yes? What is it?”

“It was the way the serpent said it,” Alex began, thinking hard to remember the exact words. “The way he used the word servant , it made it sound like the dragon must do whatever Jabez commands. It was closer to slave than servant , and that troubles me, because I don’t see how that can be.”

“Wouldn’t most dragons do as you command?”

“They might, but I wouldn’t count on it,” Alex said with a laugh. “Dragons are independent, and they love their freedom. I don’t see a dragon giving up that freedom for any reason.”

“Well, you would know more about that than I do,” Whalen said, turning to look out across the water as well. “I’m glad you were able to drive the monster away without revealing who or what you really are to the captain or the crew.”

“And I’m glad it went,” Alex said. “I just wish I understood what it meant about the dragon. As unlikely as it would be for a dragon to be a servant, it’s impossible for me to imagine a dragon as a slave. I would think you’d have to kill a dragon before you could make it a slave.”

“One more thing to think about and hopefully deal with in the future.”

“Well, as long as it’s just the one,” Alex said with a wry smile.

To Alex’s relief, the rest of the voyage to Hafnar was uneventful. The weather remained clear and the wind fair, and the ship moved easily across the open water. Joshua was the most popular person on board, though Alex could tell that all the attention was beginning to bother him.

It was late afternoon on their ninth day at sea when they sailed into the port at Hafnar. The captain called the crew around to announce that the ship would be unloaded the next morning. Before Alex, Whalen, and Joshua could leave and find a place to spend the night, the captain asked them to wait for a moment. With a great deal of cheering from the crew, he presented Joshua with two fair-sized bags of silver coins and a smaller bag full of gold.

“This is a small price to pay for my life, the lives of my crew, and my ship,” the captain said. “And I will say again: If ever you need a ship, we are at your service.”

“You are most kind,” Joshua said, bowing to the captain and crew. “I will not forget your kindness to me.”

“A good deed well rewarded,” Whalen commented, leading the way up the dock. “I suppose I should also reward you, as you’ve saved both my nephew and myself. You’ve also saved our goods by bringing us safely to port.”

“No, no,” Joshua said. “Between friends, there is no need for rewards.”

“Then we shall count ourselves lucky to be called your friends,” Whalen replied. “Now, I believe there’s a very good inn just up here on the right.”