Free Dragon Down by Casey Knight Page A

for a while. I spotted several fins, but I ’m sure they were dolphins. I just couldn’t wrap my mind around the notion they were sharks. In fact, I was so convinced I dangled over the side to relieve myself. Admittedly, I waited until I didn’t see a fin or flipper anywhere near the boat.
    The day seemed to drag. No one got much sleep the night before and we were all in slow motion. Zane and I took turns sleeping and keeping the wind in our sails. He got the short end of the stick because I’m no sailor. I had to wake him often with questions. Tokem flew off frequently to look for land or other vessels. So far he hadn’t spotted a thing.
    Darkness started to descend and I was hungry. Zane lit several lanterns and hung them on the bow and stern. Just in case we weren ’t the only ones around. He decided we should keep sailing as long as the conditions were favorable. There was a sliver of a moon and too many stars to count, their sheer volume and vastness were stunningly beautiful. I had to admit it was an amazing display. The only sounds were the waves crashing against the hull and the rigging chimed every time we tacked. At some point Zane relieved me and I stumbled to my palate. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow and I stayed that way long after daybreak. Hunger finally roused me to consciousness. I rolled over and sat up. I was stiff, but I felt rested. Struggling to gain my feet I went in search of food.
    “Good morning or should I say good afternoon?” Tokem said.
    “If you were smart, you wouldn’t say anything until I’ve had something to eat. I’m hungry enough to roast a sylph.”
    “ Lauren, why must you make everything so personal, so threatening?”
    “Why must you be such a pain in my butt?”
    “It’s just my nature. I can’t help myself.” He sniffed as he landed lightly on my shoulder.
    “You ’re such a drama queen. Find anything of interest yet?”
    He reached down and helped himself to some of my cereal. His mouth was full and he had to chew before answering. “Not yet, but I think there must be land near. I’m seeing more birds and I doubt they flew all the way out here for nothing.”
    “Sounds promising to me how is Zane this morning?”
    “His usual talkative self . Seriously, he hasn’t said two words so far today.”
    I nodded and we headed up on deck. I still couldn ’t stay below deck for more than a few minutes without the fear of seasickness. Zane had tied off the wheel and was studying some maps when I came up beside him.
    “Good morning. Can I get you anything to eat or drink?”
    “Coffee sounds good if you don’t mind.”
    I no dded and went to get him a cup and I only scorched my hand once. I just might be getting use to the rolling action of the ship. I handed him the cup and he took it with a sigh. I looked at the map to try to figure out what he had been studying. Unfortunately, I couldn’t understand much by looking at the map, other than the compass points.
    “I think we need to keep a look out for land and for the presence of any enchantments. This is the approximate area where we found the island several years ago. There is no real way to tell , no landmarks. We have to keep our minds and senses open for any hint of magic.”
    “What e nchantments? You mentioned the Mists, but what else should I look out for?”
    “Anything that doesn ’t look like it belongs or if it isn’t acting normally.”
    “You mean besides Tokem . He just isn’t normal you know.”
    “Yeah, anything except Tokem.”
    “Sure pick on the little guy. It is always the same…”
    He didn ’t get a chance to finish. Zane grabbed the wheel and yelled for me to duck. He tacked hard to the windward side and the boat veered sharply to the right. I couldn’t for the life of me understand what possessed him. I looked frantically around trying to see why he was freaking out. That’s when I swear the theme song from Jaws pounded in my ears. It wasn’t a shark, but it may