5. Stranded

There are no boats moored to the dock.

"That's not good," Lukas says, his tone light even though I know he's panicking—just as I am.

Where is the Greybrow's crew? What happened? Are the ships gone as well?

Suddenly frantic to return to the Serpent to confirm it's still waiting for us, I turn back. "Do you have your axe on you?"

"Why?"

"We're going to chop down trees, make a raft, and sail back to the Serpent."

"Soleil." Lukas laughs a little, sounding close to losing his calm. "Let's not be too hasty?—"

"I saw the men build that one we used while we were stranded on the island," I insist. "It didn't look difficult."

"They probably went back for supplies," he says reasonably. "Or perhaps there were men wounded in the skirmish with the mole trolls and they had to bring them to the Sea Rose's ship's mage. They'll be back. They didn't abandon us."

I whirl around. "Allof them? They all went back to the ships for supplies? All of them were needed to transport the wounded?"

Lukas's jaw works as he tries to come up with an answer. When he doesn't find one, he crosses the rocky beach and gently tugs me in for a hug.

"I'm not hysterical," I grumble, softening against him. "You don't need to soothe me."

"You're soothing me. I just need a few minutes to think."

It's been such a bad week. The worst week, really.

Did Loric think the mole trolls took out the team? Did the men assume…

"What if they left because they thought we were dead?" My voice wavers as the weight of the situation finally hits me. The boats are gone. "What if they searched the cavern and couldn't find us, so they?—"

"No," Lukas says roughly. "Not our men. Alvaro's perhaps, but not ours."

I hold him a little tighter. "I just convinced myself I could speak to Father. What if I never see him again? What if our argument was the last thing?—"

"I will get us off this island, Soleil," Lukas vows roughly. "One way or another."

And, fool that I am, I believe him. Because he's Lukas Greybrow, and he hasn't failed me yet.

I'm jolted from behind when Flink joins us, the dragon likely feeling left out. I loop my arm behind me, tucking him next to us.

Composing myself a few seconds later, I nod, stepping out of Lukas's arms. "Are we better now?"

He lets out a great exhale. "I think so."

"What do we do?"

He laughs a little, running his hand through his sandy hair. "I have no idea."

We endup burying the dead mole trolls, which isn't a pleasant task.

"We should have dragged them into the forest and left them for a scavenger," I say once we're finished, leaning on my spade. It's probably midafternoon now, though the heavy cloud cover makes it hard to tell.

Lukas smiles a little. "And risked luring a predator into the camp?"

I grunt as I watch rain run down his hood, thankful we had a chance to retrieve our cloaks before we ventured out of the cave. "Maybe they would have smelled tasty to the dragon. We could have saved ourselves some trouble by luring him in."

"I think we're bait enough."

Flink sits under a tree, staring at us miserably.

"I said you could wait for us in the mess tent," I remind the dragon. "Why are you still out here?"

"He's scared of the mole trolls," Lukas answers.

"You're a dragon," I remind him.

From the forlorn look he's giving me, it's obvious I haven't convinced him he's safe.

"Let's get out of the rain and try to figure out where to go from here," Lukas says.

As we head to the mess tent, Flink bolts ahead of us. The dragon pushes his way inside, and we follow at a slightly more sedate pace.

"Do you think more of the monsters will come back tonight?" I ask Lukas. "They already pillaged the camp."

"They were probably looking for food." He examines the supplies that we piled in the corner when we arrived. "The dried meat is missing."

"That's it?"

"That's probably all they considered edible. What are they going to do with flour?"

"You don't think they have a chef?" I say, attempting to make the words light.

"I don't think they're civilized in the slightest. At least goblins will boil you before they eat you."

"I'm not sure that's any better." I glance toward the tent entrance. "At least one of them watched us leave the cavern. What if they think we have food? Will they attack at dark?"

Neither of us is in a physical state to fight off a hungry horde of monsters.

Lukas thinks it over. "We can go deeper into the island—away from this cave system. Or…"

"Or?"

"We can build your raft. Even if the Serpent is gone, we can use it to search for the male dragon."

"Let's pack up a tent, gather as many supplies as possible, and get away from the mine entrance. Then we'll start on the raft and launch it from a different beach."

Lukas nods, liking the idea, and together, we head back into the rain.

The storm breaksup before evening, the sun shining brightly just before it's done for the day. It turns the clouds golden as it sinks lower in the sky. It would be pretty if I were in a better mood.

"Hold it tightly," Lukas says to me, crouched on the ground, leaning over our almost-finished raft. He anchors a log to the edge of the growing vessel with rope we took from the camp. When he's finished, he says, "All right, I need another."

I assist with magic, lifting another log from our dwindling pile. The trees we chose weren't large, but they're still heavy and took a while to chop. Thankfully, the construction is going quickly. It would take twice as long without magic.

"Are you getting tired?" Lukas peers at me, likely searching for signs of exhaustion. "You're not going to pass out again, are you?"

"You're never going to let me forget that, are you?" I say, referring to our first encounter with the voltaic dragon. I barely made it to my tent before I fell unconscious.

He grins despite the situation. "Never."

"I'm all right," I assure him. "I just want off this island."

"That makes two of us—three, if you count Flink."

The dragon hasn't been helpful in the slightest. He crawled on our packs to avoid contact with the cold, wet ground. He sits on them awkwardly, his head low to avoid an overhead pine bough. Far too large for his perch, he looks ridiculous.

Realizing he has our attention, he grunts, his eyes trained on Lukas.

"Maybe," Lukas tells him. "If Soleil wants to."

"If I want to what?" I place the log next to the others that have already been secured.

"Flink wants to go on holiday in Elrija after we get off this island. He's showing me his favorite memories of the kingdom—a warm oasis, a red desert with scrub brush and rocky sandstone monoliths, and his favorite spot on the balcony of the caravansary he stayed at on our last visit, where he baked his dragon hide for hours on end."

Right now, I'd happily bake with him.

"Is it as warm as people claim?" I ask.

"Yes—and dry."

"That's all you had to say."

Lukas laughs, expertly tying this log to the others and then requesting the next.

We finish just after sundown, when the sky is still light and the clouds on the horizon have gone red.

Lukas stands, admiring our work. "As long as my lashings hold, it should get us off the island."

"Do we dare go now? It will be dark soon."

"I brought the Brechalan conch." He walks to our packs, shooing Flink off them as he says to him, "Yes, I know the ground is wet. And I know you're miserable. Soleil and I are wet and miserable as well, so I'm afraid you're going to have to live with it."

Once he's freed his pack from the dragon, he unbuckles the flap and flips it open. Almost immediately, his expression goes murderous. He clenches his eyes shut, tipping his head back as he draws in a slow, measured breath through his nose.

"What's wrong?" I ask, though I'm not sure I want to know.

Lukas opens his eyes, his expression careful. "The shell is broken."

"What do you mean, it's broken?"

Anger flashes across his face again, and he glares at Flink. "I mean, an overgrown lizard crushed it."