Shey Thrudesh-Vo #2
The dragon roared a second time as it dove for the sharks.
He grasped one in his talons, sinking deep into the flesh.
With a fierce flap of his wings, the dragon shot into the air and tossed the shark away.
The beast disappeared into the blackness, but the splash of it hitting the water could be heard above the howl of the wind.
As the ship righted itself now that it only had the weight of one shark to pull it down, Shey scrambled to his feet and hurried to Adrian. He grabbed the man’s upper arm and lifted him so that he was standing.
“What the hell are they doing here?” Adrian breathed. “Is this even real?”
Shey’s gaze jerked to where Drayce and Caelan were swinging toward the ship. If the sharks and the darkness were all part of the nightmare, couldn’t this version of Caelan and Drayce also be Haru’s attempts to fight the nightmare? Shey found his excitement dimming. He’d wanted them to be real.
“Real or not, I appreciate the help,” Shey mumbled. He got Adrian upright, and they backpedaled to where Tyche was waiting near the stairs along with several other sailors who held guns aimed to fire at a word from Shey.
On the next pass, Caelan leaped from Drayce. His feet hit the deck with a hard thump, and he threw out his right hand. A long, silver blade appeared, seeming to glow with its own holy light.
“Tch. Those major gods have to be so flashy.”
Shey’s head whipped around at Tyche’s grumbled words to see the minor gods staring at Caelan with a mix of envy and insecurity. “Is he really here? He’s not part of the nightmare?”
Tyche blinked at him in stunned silence before his face broke into a wide grin. “No, they’re here.”
Adrian thrust up his arms and shouted, “Woo-hoo!” Caelan didn’t even flinch in response. He lifted his sword to slash at the shark, only to have it dissolve prior to him unleashing all his godly fury.
The twilight melted away like hot water poured on a pile of sugar.
Blue sky and a shining sun returned. Shey lifted his hand to shield his eyes from the sudden brightness.
His breath caught in his chest as he finally saw a soft, sandy beach, a wall of somber green trees, and in the distance, the jagged snow-capped peaks of the mountains. They’d reached the Isle of Stone.
Drayce cut a smooth arc through the air and swooped to land on the deck. Just as a talon was about to touch the smooth wood, he shifted into his human form, becoming a slender young man with wind-ruffled blond hair and a cheeky smirk. Nothing about him showed he might be a dragon.
A second later, Caelan’s armor and sword disappeared with a flash, revealing a regal young man in a severe dark suit. His black hair was a bit long, giving the king a slightly roguish appearance, while icy pale-blue eyes twinkled as he stared at his mate.
“Cael!” Adrian darted away from Shey and ran toward the couple, while Shey and Tyche followed a bit more slowly. He seemed to remember that they had an audience and corrected himself. “I mean, Your Majesty!”
Caelan turned and smirked. “Cael is fine. We’re among friends.” Caelan turned his attention to Shey and offered a regal nod of his head and a warm smile. “Your Highness.”
Shey grinned and dipped into a shallow bow. “Your Majesty, I am honored by your greeting and your generous assistance.”
“Aaaahhhh,” Drayce moaned next to him. His head fell back and his eyes shut. “Do we have to do this? It’s Shey, for gods’ sake. I heard him tell a fart joke around the campfire in the Ordas.”
Adrian choked on a laugh, his very proper stance and expression melting away at Drayce’s words.
Caelan stuck out his hand, and Shey took it as they pulled each other into a handshake, half hug that included a very manly slap on the shoulder.
“Drayce is right. Formality aside, I’m personally glad to see that you’re well and safe again,” Caelan murmured as he stepped back.
“It’s all thanks to you sending me Adrian and Haru. Without them, I’m sure we’d still be stuck in Damardor.” As he spoke, Shey glanced over his shoulder and winked at Tyche.
Until that moment, Tyche had been half hidden behind Shey and seemed to hope that they would forget about him.
“Caelan, Drayce, I’d like to introduce you to Tyche. He was a prisoner in the same facility in Damardor. He is also the reason that I got out of that hellhole.”
“Now you’re exaggerating. All I did was cling to your shirt as you fought out of there,” Tyche mumbled.
“I don’t think so. Haru speaks highly of you.” Caelan’s words might have sounded friendly, but his tone had become icy as he stared at Tyche.
But Adrian overshadowed the cold welcome with his burst of demands.
“You’ve seen him? Talked to him? How’s he doing? Where is he? Why didn’t he come to greet us?” Adrian fired at him as quickly as he could get the words off his tongue.
Caelan placed a hand on Adrian’s shoulder and squeezed. “Breathe. He’s been here for nearly two weeks, but the Omari Clan is keeping him in a secluded location to better protect him and everyone else from his magic.”
“The Omari dragons and a few other clan dragons are helping to stifle the magic he can’t control and keep it from lashing out,” Drayce added. A frown tugged at his full lips, and he shook his head. “But when he’s talking to you, it’s…it doesn’t always make sense. He’s not always lucid.”
“His mind gets caught up in the nightmares and voices,” Tyche ventured. “He has trouble differentiating between the nightmares and reality.”
“And knowing that, you still put this magic inside a dragon?” Drayce glared at Tyche, but the God of Luck didn’t back down.
Tyche lifted his chin and narrowed his eyes. “You weren’t there.”