My baby daughter is a dragon

Wings

The dragon had caught them off guard, especially the lookouts of the "Moon Spear." Distracted by the duel between Freydelhart and Valderant, they spotted the dragon too late. The red beast returned, spewing purple flames onto the mainsail where the crow's nest was. The alarm was immediately raised for all the crew. The order and confidence shown during the first attack were replaced by panic.

Runaesthera, who until a moment ago thought the greatest danger on the ship was Valderant, tried to keep her daughter close while raising a shield. They had agreed that in the face of a dragon attack, it was best to allow Eri to absorb its fire, that way there would be no explosion, but for that, she had to be as close as possible.

Eri was throwing her orange flames at everyone who approached to strengthen them. Runa wondered if the little girl's fire had any limit, because according to Mera she had never felt it exhaust or weaken. But right now, the mystery that interested her was why the red dragon had returned and was now hostile. Had it all been a trap? It didn't seem likely. It flew in circles attacking with fire and claws, then retreating again, ready to attack from another direction. But it almost always seemed to be looking for where Eri was.

Master Genwill, who had not been interested in the duel, stumbled onto the deck upon hearing the commotion.

"What's all this fuss about?" he asked in a raspy voice. He had been drinking again. "Can't an old man get some sleep?" He noticed the fire in the sails. "Oh, I see."

With precise movements despite his state, Master Genwill invoked his magic scepter as if he had pulled it out of the sleeve of his tunic. He liked to be theatrical even in the most serious situations. He spun the scepter over his head, the seawater floated towards him, forming streams like ribbons. When the old elf stood still, the ribbons compressed into what looked like two floating bubbles the size of Eri. One of them flew slowly until it crashed into the burning sail, effectively extinguishing the flames. The other collapsed on the deck as if it were a bucket that had been emptied to clean, while the master fell to the ground in a similar way, overcome by his drunkenness.

"Master!" Runa thought about going to his aid, but the red dragon was concentrating on her, despite Frey and Valderant trying to draw its attention by jumping towards it every time it approached. The limited space had prevented them from being precise and reaching it with their swords. Other crew members tried in vain to use bows and arrows, which were deflected by the sea breeze stirred up by the dragon's strong flapping. Jamdar and Oregdor, knowing they were inexperienced in fighting dragons, were the ones who finally took the master below deck and devoted themselves to trying to convey Frey's orders and take care of the non-combatants.

"Mommy," Eri said, "something bad is happening to that dragon, it's saying weird things. I don't understand it, it's like Daddy when he talks in his sleep."

If that was the case, perhaps another force was controlling the beast. Lady Meracina had been taken below deck, as in her human form she was in danger. Runa thought at that moment of how much they had come to depend on her. And how far she had gone to help them in the war. She wished she had her nearby to ask for her advice. The dragon had all the advantage, it wasn't as big or powerful, but every time Frey and Valderant tried to use the masts to gain height, the dragon set fire to the sails. It didn't get closer, but used its fire to attack from a distance. Every so often it would remain motionless in the air, as if weighing the situation before resuming its attacks. Runa could try to attack with magic, but she had to protect Eri. Though she wouldn't resist much longer. Something had to change. Frey and Val were in front of her to avoid a charge, but they couldn't stop the flames. The situation seemed like a dead end. Eri seemed to continue trying to reason with that monster.

Until the beast charged in her direction.

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