Dragon Tears Read online

  Setting up camp didn’t take very long. The tent pegs wouldn’t hold in the sand, so they did without the lean-to. Driftwood was abundant so finding firewood wasn’t a problem. Redwing flamed the fire to life as Patrik rummaged through their packs for food.

  “We better find a village soon,” he said to the wizard, “we’re running low on supplies.”

  “I know,” the wizard replied with a sigh. “It was impossible to determine how long this journey would last, so I packed up everything we had on hand. Unfortunately we didn’t have that much in stock.”

  Patrik pulled out the last of their dried meat and some root vegetables. “Anyone know where there’s fresh water?”

  “I saw a stream when we were landing,” Redwing replied. “I’ll show you.”

  The sun was setting by the time they returned. Orange, yellow, red, and purple streamers colored the sky and the water below. It looked as if someone had taken a giant paintbrush and swirled the colors to life. Where the horizon met the sea the water shimmered and glistened with color. An occasional seabird dotted the sky, twirling and soaring in the failing light.

  Patrik almost dropped his water pail at the sight, forgetting his chores and their problems as its beauty overwhelmed his senses.

  A single piercing note broke their silent contemplation. High and sweet, it floated over the water like a captive bird just released. It was followed by a series of notes that joined together to form a heartbreaking melody.

  Patrik tore his gaze from the sunset to stare at Larkin, whose head was lifted as high as it could go. The dragon’s mouth was open wide, and Patrik watched Larkin’s throat as it contracted and expanded with each note.

  “What’s he doing?” he whispered to Redwing, not wanting to break the spell that the dragon’s music wove.

  “Singing in the moonrise. Now be quiet, human.”

  Patrik turned back to the sunset and let the dragon’s song wash over him. It filled his heart and mind with an aching need to reach out and capture this moment forever. The music swirled around him and through him, pulling him away from his earthbound self and joining him with something so majestic, so awe-inspiring, that he thought his heart would break with its beauty.

  The sun sank below the horizon and the last note trailed off into the darkness loosening the enchantment that held Patrik spellbound. Patrik picked up his water pail that he had dropped and walked over to Larkin.

  “That was incredible, I’ve never heard anything so beautiful.”

  “It was nothing,” the dragon replied, blushing. “All dragons sing in the moonrise and the sunrise.”

  “But not all dragons do it like you, Larkin,” Redwing said, joining them.

  Larkin’s blush deepened, turning his scales as dark as the night that surrounded them.

  Wizard Allard said nothing, but Patrik noticed that he scribbled away in his journal as he sat by the fire. The boy joined him, hanging the water pot over the flames, and adding the dried meat and root vegetables.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “I’ve been recording our adventures. Keeping track of how long it has taken us to get here, and making a map of our path. I’ve also been observing the habits of the dragons. When we get back, my observations might prove useful to others.”

  Larkin and Redwing set off in search of their own dinners, plodding through the sand with heavy footsteps, while Patrik and Allard’s dinner cooked. The firelight reflected off the water like little dancing sparks of light.

  A pale moon was rising in the night sky by the time the dragons returned, and nose to tail, they curled up around the fire, seeking its warmth. Patrik rolled his sleeping mat out next to Larkin. The soft sand was much more comfortable than the forest floor of previous nights, and he was soon fast asleep.

  So deeply did he sleep that he might have slept until the noon hour, but Larkin’s stirring woke him shortly after sunrise. The dragon’s head was raised high, and his nostrils flared as he sniffed the morning air.

  “What is it, Larkin?” he asked.

  “I smell dragons, but not dragons. I don’t understand.”

  Redwing was also awake and sniffed the air, her nostrils flaring in and out in rapid procession. “I’ve never smelled anything like this.”

  Patrik shrugged. “I don’t smell anything except seawater and fish.”

  Wizard Allard joined them, scanning the skies. “I don’t see anything,” he said, holding a hand to his brow to shield his gaze from the morning sun.

  “You’re looking the wrong way, Wizard,” Redwing said. “Look out to the sea.”

  All three heads turned toward the water.

  “I don’t see anything,” Patrik complained.

  “I do,” Larkin said, “and they’re headed our way.”

  “What, what do you see?” Patrik asked.

  “I am not sure yet, human,” Redwing replied. “But the smell is getting stronger the closer they get.”

  “Yes, you’re right, Redwing,” Larkin said.

  Larkin began to slowly plod his way through the sand to the shore. Redwing followed more slowly, her greater size and weight making it more difficult to walk through the sand.

  Patrik shrugged. “I guess we should go see what this is all about,” he said to the wizard.

  “Yes, we should. We don’t need any surprises this late in our trip.”

  The two humans joined the dragons by the seashore, but all they saw was an endless expanse of water. Larkin, however, was almost prancing with excitement, shifting his weight from foot to foot, and twitching his tail back and forth in agitation.

  Rat, not one to be left out of things, joined them, her tail switching in time with Larkin’s. Only Redwing seem undisturbed, and sat patiently on her haunches, her gaze never leaving the water in front of her.

  Patrik’s patience was running thin. He couldn’t tell how long they’d been standing there, but it seemed to him as if it had been hours. He was about to start back to camp when Larkin suddenly flapped his wings, ran straight for the sea, and launched into the air. Redwing joined him with just a few graceful strokes of her wings. The boy watched as the two dragons began circling the water in front of them. Focused on his friends, at first he missed the large lumpy forms beneath the waves. But when one of them raised its large head out of the water, he knew, without a doubt, what had gotten his friends so excited.

  “Water dragons,” he whispered to the wizard, afraid their voices might frighten them away.

  “I believe you are right, young Patrik. And I think we might be the first humans to ever see them.”

  Patrik could see that they came in every shade of blue imaginable. Turquoise, azure, sky blue, baby blue, cobalt, navy, indigo, sapphire, and every shade in between, they arrayed themselves on the shoreline. Redwing and Larkin quickly landed in front of them, bowing their heads in greeting.

  “Brothers and sisters, we greet you,” Redwing said.

  The water dragons stood on the shoreline like soldiers in rank, one row after another. The rising sun reflected off their multi-faceted blue eyes, making them shine like the purest sapphires. One dragon, larger than the others, lifted his head high and spoke, “Who is it that sang in the moonrise? Never have we heard it sung so beautifully. We came to honor the singer.”

  Redwing extended a wing and pushed Larkin forward. “This young one, sir,” she replied.

  The blue dragon lowered his head and snout toward Larkin. “So small, so young. We bow to your great ability,” the blue dragon said, dipping his head to honor Larkin.

  Patrik watched as all the water dragons bowed their heads before Larkin. He noticed the embarrassed blush that colored the young dragon’s neck and face. “Say something,” he whispered to Larkin.

  The blue water dragon turned his gaze toward the sound, his sapphire eyes, tinged with yellow, were whirling with shock and displeasure.

  “I…I…thank you,” Larkin stammered, but the older dragon was no longer listening.

  �
�There are humans here.” The dragon reared back his head. His wings extended, and his chest puffed out, ready to flame. The other dragons followed their leader’s example.

  “Wait!” Redwing cried, blocking Patrik and Allard with her body. Her wings outstretched like a fan. “They are our friends.”

  “Humans are no friends of dragons. All magic users must be destroyed.”

  “The boy has no magic. And the man has given his promise not to use his.” Redwing raised her wings higher completely blocking Patrik and Allard from the blue dragon’s view.

  “They are different,” Larkin said, “and we trust them.”

  The dragon leader turned his gaze toward the young dragon. “Tell me how this can be,” he commanded, lowering his head into a listening position.

  Redwing continued to guard the humans as Larkin told his story. When he got to the part about the coming war, all the blue dragons reared up from the water, their sapphire eyes turned red and spun angrily, their chests heaved as they prepared to turn the humans into ash.

  “That’s why we’re here. We’re going to find Skyhawk and ask him to help stop the war.”

  “You would cross the Sea of Lights?” asked the leader, relaxing his stance a little. “And these humans are willing to face its dangers?”

  Larkin nodded. “They have agreed to go all the way to the Singing Mountains to find Skyhawk.”

  Rat chose this moment to come out from hiding, leaping across the sand in great bounds until she landed at Patrik’s side. She rubbed her head against his legs, her purring filling in the quiet left by Larkin’s words.

  The blue dragon leader lowered himself to sniff at the animal, and then shook his head in confusion. “Never have I heard such a thing. Humans do not help dragons.”

  Patrik stepped out from behind Redwing. “Great sir,” he began, faltered, and began again. “Great sir, I think dragons are the most beautiful creatures I have ever seen. I would do anything to stop this war.”

  The dragon stared directly at Patrik. “And you?” he asked Allard who had joined Patrik.

  “Most honored being, I would do anything within my power to stop the coming war. This war will leave our world devastated. It will not be fit for any living creature.”

  The dragon reared back his head. “Why is this?”

  As the wizard explained how a war of the scale that King Harold was planning would leave the world devoid of all life, the blue dragon’s hide paled in the sunlight. He lowered his wings, and the other dragons followed his example. “This war cannot take place,” he said. “We will help you.”

  Patrik blew out a relieved breath between his lips, and Redwing finally relaxed her guarded position.

  “Can you tell us how to get across the Sea of Lights?” Larkin asked.

  The big blue dragon shook his head. “It is impossible.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “What! What do you mean?” Surely there must be some way.” Allard stepped closer to the blue dragon that reared back in surprise. “You try my patience, human,” it hissed.

  The wizard jumped back as Redwing once again intervened for them. “Surely, honored sir, in all your travels, you must have found a way across the Sea of Lights.”

  “I have not. Nor have my companions. We follow the Floating Isles, going where they lead us, and never have we found its end.”

  “Floating Isles?” Patrik asked.

  The blue dragon leader tilted his head toward the boy. “They drift with the currents,” he said, “and are never in the same place twice. Your human ships have tried to follow them across the sea and have failed, circling endlessly until they give up and return to their homes, or until their crews died of starvation and thirst.”

  Allard scratched his forehead. “Surely, there must be someone among you who has found the other side.”

  The dragon leader’s blue eyes, tinged with orange, whirled as he thought. “There is one, maybe, who might know.”

  Everyone talked at once. “Who? Can we talk to him? Take us to him, please, kind sir?” The blue dragon reared back in displeasure. “Quiet!” he roared.

  Rat hissed, arched her back, and looked ready to pounce. Patrik reached down a hand to hold her back. The dragon leader lowered his head to peer at each member of their party, his gaze searing into them as if he could see into their hearts. Patrik wasn’t the only one to look away as the dragon continued to stare at them.

  “Amongst us,” he said at last, raising his voice loud enough for all to hear, “lives the Old One. Older than the sands upon which you stand, he has accumulated the knowledge and wisdom of the ages. He does not involve himself in the day-to-day problems that we find so important. His thoughts are not our thoughts and his ways are not our ways. Seldom does he make his presence known amongst us, and when he does, he seldom speaks. It is he who may know a way across the Sea of Lights.”

  “Will he help us?” Patrik blurted out unable to stand the tension any longer.

  “I cannot answer that question,” the blue dragon leader replied. “I can only ask.”

  Redwing lifted her head to stare directly at the blue dragon. “Will you do so, kind sir?”

  “I will. I will return here at daybreak tomorrow.” The dragon eased his way back into the sea, followed by the rest of the blue water dragons.

  Patrik, Redwing, Larkin, and Allard stood at the edge of the sea, each one wondering what answers tomorrow would bring. The sun rose behind them, and the tide began to rise as the blue water dragons became only dots on the horizon. When at last, the water dragons disappeared from view, it was Rat’s hissing at the incoming waves that drew their attention back to the beach.

  “I guess we had better move our camp,” Allard said, looking at the rising tide, and shaking water out of his boots.

  Clouds began to gather over the sea. “It looks like a storm might be brewing,” Patrik said. “How far back do you think we should go?”

  “At least past the water line. And I think we had better hurry,” Allard replied as the wind whipped his robes around his legs.

  The rising wind made breaking camp difficult. It blew sand into small whirlwinds that bore through the camp, carrying away anything that wasn’t tied down. Patrik spent more time chasing after articles of clothing and pots and pans than he did packing them up. When it came time to set up the lean-to, the wind grabbed it and sent it sailing down the beach. It landed in the waves, tossing back and forth on the water as if being kneaded by the surf.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Allard hollered, but the wind caught his words and whipped them away.

  Patrik raced down the beach, the wind pushing against him and the rain falling in sheets in front of him. More than a few curse words passed Patrik’s lips as he charged into the freezing water to retrieve the lean-to. Although it was canvas and somewhat waterproof, it was now totally waterlogged. He grabbed one corner and pulled against the current. Then he stopped and waited for the next incoming wave and pulled again. By the time he managed to free it from the sea and pull it out onto the beach he felt as if he had just done battle with a giant sea monster. Every muscle ached and the wind seemed to freeze his clothing to his body.

  He tugged at the soaked canvas, groaning as he struggled to pull it across the sand and back into the tree line. He fell, face first into a dune, and lay there while the wind blew sand into his eyes and up his nose. He was considering leaving the lean-to for the sea to recapture, when a shadow darkened his vision. Thinking it was another rain cloud ready to release its load of water on him, he covered his eyes with his free arm. “Let me help you,” a voice said from the shadow.

  Patrik looked up to see Larkin standing over him. The dragon’s huge form blocked the wind, and Patrik couldn’t think of a time when he had been more grateful to see his friend. “Open your mouth,” Patrik said. The boy tugged one end of the canvas into the dragon’s mouth, and then climbed on his back. “Let’s go.”

  They made quick time to the tree line, with Larkin pulling
the wet canvas behind him. The wizard and Redwing had managed to pile everything else behind a large boulder. Sheltered from the wind, the rain was not as fierce. Patrik almost fell off Larkin’s back when they reached the new campsite.

  “What were you thinking, boy?” The wizard glared at Patrik. “You could have been swept away and drowned.”

  “I…uh…the..lean-to’s important.”

  “Not that important. Not important enough to risk your life. Get out of those wet clothes before you catch cold or freeze to death. Redwing, do you think you can flame us a fire? Maybe over there in the shelter of those two rocks. Larkin, can you move over here and cover Patrik with a wing while he dries off?”

  “I…uh…” Patrik couldn’t think of anything to say. But even as tired as the boy was, he couldn’t help but notice the way the wizard fussed over him. His mouth hung open as he listened to Allard order the dragons around.

  “If you ever do anything that foolish again,” Allard threatened, “I’ll tan the hide right off your backside and I’ll set an entrapment spell on you so you’ll never be free to wander off again.”

  Patrik rubbed himself dry with one of his shirts and tried to hide the smile on his face. For all the wizard’s bluster and threats, the boy once again realized how much the old man really cared for him.

  Out of the wind, and at least partially protected from the rain, Patrik, Allard, and Rat began to dry out. Their dragon friends weren’t so fortunate. Too large to fit under the overhanging rocks, both dragons spent a miserable night. When at last the morning sun rose, both dragons were the first ones to take advantage of it.

  “Storm’s gone,” Larkin said, spreading his damp wings out to dry. He flapped them, and then shook himself much like a wet dog.

  “Larkin, do that someplace else,” Patrik said. “You’re getting everything wet.”

  “Sorry,” the dragon said, a red blush creeping up his long neck. “I think I’ll go sing in the sunrise.”

  Redwing followed the younger dragon to the shoreline, and Patrik watched as she also fanned her wings to soak up the morning sun.