Bones of the Dragon - Margaret Weis [200]
The sun rose out of the sea, red and angry as Skylan’s soul. The night had been hot and the morning was hotter. No wind blew. The men said the sun had swallowed it. Skylan went onshore to rouse everyone, shouting and kicking at any who were reluctant to rise. He could not find Wulfe. Bjorn said he had seen Wulfe run off down the beach.
The air was humid, hard to breathe. Clothing stuck to the body. Clouds of gnats appeared, flying into faces and into mouths. Pelicans flew over the waves in a straight line, their wings dipping and rising as one. Gulls circled overhead.
The men hurried on board the ships, all eager to go back out to sea, hoping to find a cooling breeze. Skylan saw Garn standing on board the deck of Martegnan’s dragonship. Skylan pointedly looked away. He roamed the shore, searching for Wulfe.
Skylan shouted for him, a little worried that Wulfe might have run away. Skylan could not take time to go hunt him down. The men would not tolerate hanging about waiting for the boy to turn up. Most would be glad to hear he was gone.
Skylan gave one last shout.
“Here I am,” said Wulfe, coming up behind him.
“Where have you been?” Skylan demanded. He seized hold of the boy by the arm, hurrying him along.
“Talking to my friends,” said Wulfe.
“What friends? Never mind. You can tell me later. The ship is ready to sail.”
“It can’t,” said Wulfe, shaking his head. “You have to stay here.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Skylan said.
Wulfe grabbed Skylan’s arm, hung on to it. “We can’t go out there! The oceanaids warned me!”
Skylan grunted in disgust.
“I know you don’t believe me—”
“You’re right,” Skylan said. He hauled Wulfe up the gangplank. He made a swift head count. Everyone was on board.
Treia had her hand on the spiritbone, communing with the Dragon Kahg. Aylaen stood beside her, presumably learning the ritual. Aylaen was not paying attention, however. She was haggard, her eyes swollen and red-rimmed. She cast one pleading look at Skylan. He met her look with a stone-cold gaze. She flushed. She had felt sorry for him, but now she was growing angry.
The three dragonships bobbed in the shallow water. Skylan waited impatiently for the Dragon Kahg to lead the ships out to sea. When nothing happened, Skylan walked over to see what was wrong.
“The Dragon Kahg will not leave unless you order him,” Treia reported.
“What? Why?” Skylan asked.
Treia shrugged.
“I think I know why,” Aylaen said. She gazed out over the water, seemed to look a long way off. “The Sea Goddess seeks revenge for the death of her sister. Akaria blames Torval and wants him to suffer as she suffers. Torval is angry and he is afraid, for Vindrash, whom he loves, has vanished and he fears she is lost to him forever.” She glared at Skylan as she spoke.
Treia shook her head and brushed all that aside with a gesture of her hand. “What do you want to do, lord?”
“I want to sail!” Skylan said, exasperated, and the men cheered loudly in agreement.
Treia nodded. “The Dragon Kahg wants to know if you will take the responsibility for ordering him out to sea.”
“I am Chief of Chiefs,” Skylan said. “The decision is mine.”
“Very well,” said Treia, and she placed her hand upon the spiritbone.
The Venjekar set sail, gliding over the smooth and rippling water. The other dragonships followed.
The storm struck them shortly after High Sun.
The storm bore down upon them rapidly, giving them no time to head back inland. No man had seen anything like it. Black clouds shot through with purple lightning boiled up from the horizon and surged over the sea. The water went from calm to frenzied in the time between one beat of the heart and another.
The ship plunged and rocked. The seas broke over the hull and flooded the deck. Skylan ordered the men to carry their sea chests, their shields, and weapons and armor below so they would not be washed overboard. This proved difficult, for the men lost their footing on the canting deck. Some could do nothing but groan with seasickness and heave their guts over the side.
A gust of fierce wind spewed forth from the Storm Goddess