26. Rubbish in Their Den

It takes a day to clean up the camp outside the mine, and then another day to go around the archipelago. As we sail, we must be cautious of rocks hidden under the water's surface. I'm giving the island a wider berth than many might deem necessary.

Though it comes as no surprise, Tiago decided to join us, determined to protect Milindria's investment. The Sea Rose is behind us this time, letting us take the lead. Or rather, find the rocks.

Our crew appears to be in good spirits, everyone eager to leave the Isle of Sorrows and the creatures that live there.

Early in the day, Felicity claimed the crate near the wheel, keeping me company while we navigate these treacherous waters. She gestures ahead of us. "Rocks on your starboard side."

Only an experienced mariner can spot the subtle difference in the water. "Good eye."

She nods, her attention on the sea. We're nearing the dragons' territory now.

A warning cry alerts us the male dragon is in the sky, but he reaches for Lukas and me, sharing his annoyance that we didn't arrive sooner.

"He's far from the friendliest beast we've ever met," Lukas says as he and Soleil join Felicity and me on the quarterdeck.

"At least he's not hostile anymore," I answer.

Wilder wanders up the stairs, squinting in the rare sunlight. "This is an improvement over the way the dragon first greeted us."

"What are you doing up?" Soleil demands.

"It's been two days."

Soleil scowls, reminding me of her father. "Look at you. You're not ready to be out and about."

If you ask me, the mercenary looks better than he did a few days ago.

"Fresh air and sunshine are good for one's health," he argues. Then, to mollify her when she looks like she's going to order Patches to direct him back to the bunkroom, he adds, "I'll return to my bed in a bit."

Temporarily mollified, Soleil nods.

"Let's drop anchor here," I call to Hudson, and soon the crew is following my command. To Jorgin, I say, "Prepare a dinghy to go ashore."

"Just one, Captain?"

I glance at the dragon, trying to read his mood. "Just one."

"You said I could come along," Felicity reminds me.

"You can," I assure her.

Of course, Lukas and Soleil will join us as well, as they were the ones who promised they'd visit the dragons.

I study our lead mercenary, frowning. "I'd take you, Wilder, but Soleil's right—you don't look like you're ready for an outing."

The mercenary scoffs, but he doesn't bother to argue.

"You'll be up killing things in no time," Soleil assures him. "If you give yourself time to heal."

"Yes, yes." He waves her concern away. "You're worse than Patches."

"Healers are like that," I point out. "They can't help themselves."

That catches her attention. She frowns a little, not annoyed but thoughtful, and then turns her eyes back to the island.

"First Lieutenant de Lemos and Second Lieutenant Avila are requesting to come aboard," Hudson calls to me.

"That's fine."

A few minutes later, Tiago and Carlos join us on the Serpent, and I leave the quarterdeck to meet them.

"Are you preparing to go ashore?" Tiago asks.

"We are."

"I'll join you."

It's not a question, but I pretend it is. "You're welcome to accompany us."

"I'll go as well," Carlos says.

"No," Tiago answers sharply, his tone leaving no room for argument. "You will stay with the Sea Rose."

The younger man frowns, his eyes flashing with embarrassment and irritation. "Is there a reason you're hesitant to let me accompany you, Lieutenant?"

"Yes. I don't want to leave the Sea Rose unattended."

The younger man's frown deepens, but he holds his tongue and nods.

The dinghy is ready a few minutes later. After we find our seats, the men lower us to the sea. The sunshine was fleeting, and the clouds swallow the patch of blue sky. It begins to drizzle as the boys paddle us toward the shore, the rain fine and misty. I glance at Felicity, noting her cloak isn't as heavy as ours, nor does it appear to be rubbed with oils to repel water.

"Are you warm enough?" I ask her.

"I'm fine."

A vision of the dragon's cave is pushed into my mind, along with the sheer rock wall surrounding the opening.

"You'll have to take us up," I tell the dragon. "Is that all right?"

I see an image of Soleil and Lukas on his back, flying toward the Isle of Sorrows.

"Yes, I know you've done it before. I'm asking if it's all right now."

I feel his agreement.

"Is that a yes?" Lukas asks.

"I believe so."

As Jorgin and Brantley leap from the dinghy to pull it ashore, the massive dragon alights on the rocky beach. He watches us climb out of the small boat, impatience sparking the air around him.

A vision of Flink on the ground, unconscious, takes me by surprise—the image so clear I know it's a memory.

"He seems to be fine now," Lukas answers the dragon. "But he didn't want to leave the ship again."

"What happened to Flink?" I demand.

Lukas looks at me, too nonchalant. "We had an incident."

"So I see."

"He's all right."

The dragon continues the memory, showing me the grief etched on Lukas's face as he held lifeless Flink. My brother's expression becomes tight as he relives the moment.

"How is your mate?" I ask the dragon, hoping to distract him.

Immediately, the image changes to one of their nest. Lukas inhales sharply when we see the female resting on a nest of gold.

"You were right," I say to my brother, careful to keep my voice low so the dragon won't hear us.

"As long as it's not some other pilfered treasure," Lukas points out.

It would be unusual for adult dragons to not have acquired a good bit of gold in their life. It's impossible to know if this is Katsacale's infamous treasure.

We see another image, this one of Lukas and Soleil on his back again, but this time, he's taking them to his cave.

"He's going to take us now," I tell the group. Tiago looks concerned, but he nods.

Soleil and Lukas go first. Felicity watches them, her face eager. "What do you think it's like to fly?"

"We're about to find out."

In truth, I'm not excited about flying. I'd rather have my feet on something solid, whether that be earth or the deck of my ship.

While Tiago speaks with Jorgin and Brantley, Felicity turns to me. "You're nervous."

"I'm not," I lie.

Her eyes crinkle with humor. "Big, brave Captain Greybrow, are you afraid of heights?"

"No."

She steps closer, looking up at me, mischief written all over her face. "Just hold on to me, and you'll be fine."

"You're making the flight sound more appealing."

Felicity laughs under her breath, grinning when she spots the dragon returning. "He's back."

I give Felicity a boost, helping her onto the dragon's back, and then I climb up behind her. Tiago hovers awkwardly, both of us realizing there's only one place for him.

"You can wait here," I say, hoping he'll choose that option.

But the man is stubborn. "I'm going."

He climbs up behind me, giving us both as much room as the dragon's wings will allow. Before we're fully settled, the dragon lifts himself into the air, throwing us forward and then back. I wrap my arms around Felicity's waist and hold on with my legs.

Tiago lets out a startled yelp and grabs my shoulders to keep from sliding off. "Sorry—sorry."

I grit my teeth, not impressed with the situation. As we leave the ground, I focus on my breathing, telling myself we're probably not going to die.

As soon as we're in the air and stable, Tiago releases me, clearing his throat.

Felicity marvels at the view, watching the ground.

I tighten my grip on her. "Don't lean too far, or you'll fall."

Laughing, she squeezes my arm. "I'm not going to fall. Are you even looking at this, Davyn? It's spectacular."

Steeling myself, I pull my eyes from the mouth of the cave and take in the view. We're high enough that we can see the entire archipelago and the dusky blue water surrounding it. Mist curls around the small islands, and the land looks verdant.

I clamp my eyes shut. "It's very nice."

"We're almost there," she assures me, patting my hand like I'm a child.

We come to a jarring landing inside the cave, and I release my held breath, feeling foolish now that it's over.

Tiago slides off the dragon's back first, eager to be away. I go next and offer my hand to Felicity. Naturally, she leaps to the ground like she's been riding dragons her entire life.

The female makes a welcome chirp, sending me a happy greeting. The pain we shared is gone, replaced with mild fatigue and a full stomach.

"I'm glad you're feeling better." I try to keep my eyes on her, not the treasure she's holding court upon. How are we going to ask for the journal without offending them?

Felicity hurries toward the dragon. She strokes her neck and murmurs soft words, the two sharing a conversation in their own way.

Soleil hangs back, but she looks pleased that the dragon is doing well.

"Did you have any trouble with the rope?" Lukas asks the male.

He sends us a memory of him biting through the harnesses without issue. The picture blurs as the female tries to communicate with Felicity, sending her a memory of all the fish the male brought her after they returned to their cave.

"Oh," Felicity says softly just as an image of three midnight-blue eggs takes over the rest. "You have a family."

I gather with the others, looking at the eggs carefully nestled into the gold.

"Do you see that?" Lukas says to me quietly. "They're Tilloran tolbits."

We've found it—we've found Katsacale's treasure.

"Do you see the journal?" I ask Lukas, stepping to the side to peer around the dragon, but trying not to be obvious about it.

The male notices, sending me an image of myself.

It's time to ask him, but how can I go about it without risking his wrath? Dragons are highly territorial of their treasure. We would never be allowed into this inner sanctum if we hadn"t saved his mate.

In fact, we would have never found it.

"Your hoard is impressive," I tell him, hoping to play to his pride.

As expected, the pair preens.

"Was it difficult to collect?" Lukas asks.

They try to show us simultaneously, their memories blurring together and making one hazy picture.

"Are you seeing this?" Lukas laughs as we watch dozens of mole trolls carry, shove, and toss the gold, jewels, and other priceless treasures outside the mine entrance as if disgusted the humans left rubbish in their den. "They just left it there."

I grasp Lukas's arm when I see a leather-bound journal tossed on top of the pile in the memory, quickly covered by more gold. "The mage's tome."

The memory continues. The dragons waited until morning, when the creatures were deep in the earth, and then they began carrying it back in their mouths and talons, making dozens upon dozens of trips—careful to collect every tolbit.

"That book," Lukas says to them urgently, though he's trying to contain his enthusiasm. "You took it as well?"

For a moment, the dragons appear flummoxed, the term foreign to them.

"It's shaped like this." Lukas uses his hands to show them the size. "It opens, and you can flip through the thin pages."

It takes several moments, but the female finally connects it. She shows us a memory of the tome. She fixates on the gold leaf on the cover, caring little for the item itself.

"That's it!" Lukas exclaims. "May we see it?"

Suspicious, the male huffs out a breath laced with sparks.

"It's true, we'd like to take it. We came to the islands to save our cousin, much like we saved your mate," Lukas says, wisely bringing in a personal experience so they can empathize with our situation. "We need this journal so we may rescue her from the men who are holding her hostage."

I feel their hesitation. Their gratitude is at odds with their greed.

"Please," Lukas says. "We'd be as grateful to you as you are to us."

He has a way with dragons, even if he cannot communicate with them as easily as I can.

After several tense seconds, an image of Lukas holding the journal and leaving the cave on the back of the midnight blue male nearly brings me to my knees.

They've agreed to give us the mage's tome.

Now we just have to find it.

We spendmost of the afternoon digging through the dragon's loot, careful not to disturb their eggs. They follow us with watchful eyes, ensuring we don't pocket anything else.

"Do you remember where you last saw it?" Lukas asks the female after we've been at it for hours, going through nooks and crannies in the shallow cavern.

The wind begins to blow as the storm picks up outside, but the cavern stays dry thanks to the rocky overhang protecting the cave"s mouth.

Growing weary, I sit cross-legged toward the back of the cave. It must be here somewhere.

Felicity joins me, groaning as she lowers herself. Once settled, she sits back, resting her weight on her hands. "It's getting late."

"I doubt we'll be invited back," I tell her quietly. "It's now or never."

"Why couldn't King Marcelo have wanted this ugly statuette?" She lifts a solid gold likeness of a pig-nosed man.

I chuckle, watching the male from the corner of my eye. "You had best put that down."

"Right." Felicity sighs. "I feel like we're never going to—what is that?"

She stares at a spot at the side of the cavern.

I turn, following her gaze. The cubby is slightly recessed and dark, even with Soleil and Tiago's magelights brightening the space. I could have sworn I searched the area earlier, but something catches the light now. It's a dull shine, nothing too noticeable. Without a word, I push myself to my feet and cross the cave.

There, lying amongst the rocks, front cover down and golden corners smudged with dirt, is a leather-bound book. Gingerly, I drop to my knees. Gulping, I reach for the journal. The brown leather cover is cool in my hand, its surface covered in grit and dust.

Felicity comes up behind me, clutching my shoulder. "Is that it?"

"I'm not sure yet."

I flip it over, finding the gold inlay the female dragon remembered in her vision. Felicity kneels beside me. Realizing I've discovered something, the others gather behind us.

"Open it," Felicity urges.

I don't think any of us knows how to read Tilloran, but I know one thing is certain: if the pages are filled with text, this isn't the book we're looking for. If it's a mix of text and numbers…we've found our journal.

My heart feels like it ceases to beat as my thumb finds the middle of the pages, and I pull the book open.

At the top of the page is a title and a date. The first paragraph is a block of text, and then…

There's a mix of numbers and words, in jagged lines like poetry.

Abandoned at the side of the dragon's hoard like a cheap book from a second-hand shop, we've found the priceless mage's tome.