Fate of Dragons

Chapter Sixteen, Part II

The cold water enveloped Derol as he entered, embracing him with its fierce chill. He kicked and broke to the surface after his dive, then swam toward the motionless dragon with strong, steady strokes. He was vaguely aware of the shouting of the boatmen behind him, but he focused only on his goal of reaching the downed dragon. Where was the rider?

His body warmed as he swam and he no longer felt the cold. He was almost to the dragon.[ What color is Torun? Mention it here so Derol can maybe recognize dragon.] Its wings lay flat across the surface of the water and its head was splayed out. As Derol neared, he saw a movement under the stretched canvas-like surface of the dragon's wing. He kicked harder, trying to get there faster.

Just as he arrived at the dragon's wing, the rider emerged from beneath it. It was Maira. She looked panicked.

"Torun," she gasped. "Get your head out of the water!" She flailed about with her gaze, as if trying to determine on which end to search for Torun's head. Her gaze landed on Derol, and at first her expression turned to alarm, then recognition.

"Tesa's friend," she said simply. Then she was all business. "Help me get his head above water. He's not conscious, but we can keep him from drowning."

She swam out toward Derol so she could get around the tip of the wing and to Torun's head. Derol swam toward his head, too. To his dismay, he could see the dragon's nostrils dipping below the water as the unconscious dragon bobbed in the gentle waves. He reached Torun's head first and wrapped his arms around the dragon's neck and lifted as best he could, kicking to maintain his level in the water. It didn't work. Without his arms to help him tread water, he kicked furiously and still began sinking. One arm then.

Maira reached them and took Torun's head in her hands. She, too, discovered the impossibility of holding his head steady above water while keeping herself above water, too. She cursed.

"Here," Derol said, having an idea. He lay back in the water and let himself float. It was one of the first things his father had taught him when they'd swum in the big pond on the farm. It seemed to work just as well now, on water a good measure less calm than the farm pond. He propelled himself forward to Torun's nose, and with Maira's help got Torun's head resting across his belly. It was just enough to keep his nose above the water.

Maira held her cheeks close to Torun's nose. "He's still breathing!" she breathed in relief, and Derol felt relieved, too.

Shouts broke their concentration and they turned to see two boats approaching. Maira tensed beside him.

"It's okay," Derol said. "It's the Onami traders. Well, the wagon people were. I don't actually know who the boat people are, Onami or Yennar Lei."

"But not the Karume?"

"No, not the Karume," Derol said. Maira smiled and rested her head on Torun's snout for a moment.

The first boat glided up beside them and slowly drifted to a halt. Eriya and Fenn leaned over the side, along with several of the boat crew.

"Toss 'em some ropes!" came the voice of the captain from wherever he piloted the boat.

Ropes flew over the edge, one end tied to posts on the deck of the boat.

"Loop them around Torun," Eriya called. Derol could tell she was just about ready to leap into the water to join them.

"Got it!" he said and swam from his spot under Torun's head toward the floating ropes. Maira did the same.

Derol swam with the rope toward Torun's haunches, then dove under the water, hoping to come up on the other side of the dragon. He brushed the dragon's leg as he came to the surface. Once he was above water, he gathered as much of the end of the rope as he could in a bundle on top of Torun's belly, then looked up to the deck of the boat and met a crew member's eyes. He tossed the rope to her and she caught it deftly while her counterpart on the other end of the boat did the same with the rope Maira had thrown. They tossed another rope for the dragon's midsection, and Derol dove to retrieve it and loop it over his body just under his wings.