Treasures of Fantasy - Margaret Weis [26]
Raegar said something to the priestess, who said something to her sister, the man-woman, and thrust the spiritbone at her. The Torgun warriors began to yell, urging her on. The man-woman shook her head. Her sister spoke to her at length, and, finally, the man-woman gave way. She took the spiritbone from her sister, dipped her hands into the water, and then, before Raegar could stop her, she flung the spiritbone into the sea.
Acronis was startled. Was this part of the ritual? He didn’t think it was, for Raegar was choking with fury and yelling for someone who could swim to jump into the shallow water after it.
Ripples from where the spiritbone landed were still spreading. Then, the seawater began to swirl.
Acronis leaned over the rail to get a closer view. The swirling motion grew stronger, causing the war galley to rock at anchor and sending waves splashing into the hull of the Venjekar. The sea began to rise, kicking up foam. Sea spray rose into the air, whirling like a water spout turned upside down.
Acronis watched, transfixed, as the rising surge of water took shape, forming around the single bone that had been thrown into the sea. Bone sprang from bone, muscle wrapped around bone, heart beat beneath bone, skin and scales flowed over bone, wings jutted out from bone. A magnificent head lifted on a great, curved neck. Red eyes flared.
Acronis caught his breath.
The dragon spread his wings and rose from the water that cascaded off the glistening body in sheets and rained down on the lifted faces of those who stared up at him, awestruck and terrified.
Acronis saw movement—one of the archers, raising his bow.
“No!” Acronis cried, and he jostled the man’s arm.
The dragon circled the two ships slowly. He was the green of the sea when a storm is coming. He was the blue of the sea when the water is calm and children play in the waves. He was the gray of the sea in the winter when the waves break against the rocks along the shore. His crest was white as sea foam.
Acronis gazed upward as the water poured off the dragon’s body, spattering cool on his face. Across the water, the Torgun prisoners shouted at the dragon, calling him by name, urging him to attack.
The dragon turned flaring red eyes upon Acronis, who stood transfixed by the awful beauty of the creature. The sunlight shone through the membrane of the wings. The dragon was so close Acronis could see the branching blood vessels, red amid the green. The Dragon Kahg began a stooping dive.
Raegar called out the name of Aelon and demanded that the dragon obey him and surrender. His words bounced off the dragon, who paid no heed. The crew on board the galley shrieked in terror and fell over each other trying to seek shelter belowdecks. The soldiers drew their weapons. The archers raised their bows. Acronis might be dead in the next few moments, and all he could think of as he stared at the marvelous beast was that death was a small price to pay for having been privileged to see such magnificence.
Raegar shouted again, calling for Aelon.
“Kahg!” The Torgun shouted the dragon’s name in warning and pointed. “Behind you!”
The dragon snaked his head around. Three winged serpents, creatures of Aelon, skimmed over the top of the ocean, speeding toward the dragon like a flight of arrows, slicing through the tops of the waves.
The Dragon Kahg reversed his dive, clawing at the air to gain altitude, wings beating. He sucked in his breath, his rib cage expanding, and spewed forth a great gout of white foaming water.
The water struck the lead serpent with the force of a tidal wave. The serpent twisted, flipped, and flailed, and sank into the water with a bubbling hiss. The other two serpents sped toward the dragon, separating, outflanking him, attacking from the left and the right.
Kahg could not evade them, and they struck him before he had time to draw another breath.