Page 20 of Sapphire Seas

Every water weapon I shot at him, he swam right through. I dipped, he dipped, I shot up, he caught me. There was no getting away from him.

Come on, little Seadragon. I know you’ve got more than that.

I called upon my ancestors to give me strength. It was rare that I did this because in the end, it drained me, but they have helped me out of a few predicaments before.

Seadragon ancestors of yore, I call upon you today not to assist me in a matter of life or death, but to prove I’m a worthy mate and deserve my rightful place beside these protectors.

My body vibrated as their powers surged through me. Caro stood nearby, witnessing the transformation. Before him no longer stood the tiny Seadragon, but now, a mighty opponent. Could I best a protector? No, nor would I try, but he’d at least see firsthand what I was capable of.

Can all Seadragons transform? He asked.

No, there are only a handful the Goddess blessed with the ability to do so. I am a member of our elite squadron.

The Goddess chose well when selecting our mates, Mattias said. I’d felt him and Kes as they neared us.

When I called up a trident, an actual one, from the depths of the sea and hurled it at Caro, it narrowly clipped his wing before he spun away. In this form and with these borrowed gifts the hunted had now become the hunter. Waves crashed all around us as we engaged in battle. No claws, this wasn’t about drawing blood but more a showcase of cunning and skill. My mates mentally cheered me on as I resurrected a sunken ship from the depths and watched in awe as it sailed through the water headed straight for Caro. He’d move just in time, of course, but another skill to showcase.

Caspian, you must hurry! The ancestral voices called out. You must fight to free Torin and save your herd.

Their powers vanished as quickly as they came and I sunk toward the bottom, mentally and physically drained. When I came too, I laid upon our bed, the brothers and my mates patiently awaiting my recovery.

“The-the,” I stuttered, the words weren’t coming out as I needed them to.

“Ssshhh,” Kes, ran his fingers through my hair, cradling me in his arms. Safe, my dragon purred. But I had to tell them. “Ancestors. Torin. Save.”

“Who’s Torin?” Odem asked.

“My mate.” Quint’s response surprised me. “The dragon in the ice.”

“Y-yes. Trouble. Herd. Need help. Save Torin, save herd.” That took all the energy I had. I fell back into Kes, Mattias immediately lay to my other side, wrapping his arms around both of us.

Safe. Rest.

Yes, Dragon.

Chapter Seven

Mattias

“I don’t know if Caspian is strong enough for this mission yet,” I hissed, pacing along the shore in front of Ionus and Caro.

“That’s a fair assessment after what happened when we sparred,” Caro replied, “but how long can we afford to put it off? Torin might be in danger now, if the dragons who trapped him in the ice start to suspect that others know about him or that we’re coming.”

“Take a moment, both of you,” Ionus said, hands clasped behind his back as he stared at me. “We’ll wait twenty-four hours to give Caspian more time to recover, that’s it. You fly out of here after that. Hopefully being back in the region will help Kes find Torin this time.”

“As long as Kes can get Quint close enough to where Torin is being held, Quint will be able to sense him and take care of the rest.”

“You two know how crucial it is that this mission is successful,” Ionus said. “I know about the research you’ve been doing, Mattias, and your theory is sound, but I do not wish to test it. We cannot afford for this war to stretch on until our children are old enough to fight beside us, that is unacceptable! It needs to end as soon as possible. We need Torin brought here safely, that is the only way we will be strong enough to face the battles to come.”

“We understand the gravity of the situation,” Caro said.

“This time of year, the ice will be thick up there,” I told Caro. “Sea conditions will not be what you’re used to.”

“If you still think that I’ve never explored the depths even in the worst of storms, you’re mistaken,” Caro explained. “I know what the seas around the island will be like and am ready for them.”

“After we win this war, you and I need to sit down and talk about all the places you’ve explored that I don’t know about,” I declared, narrowing my eyes at Caro. “As well as how you kept me from detecting you in places you weren’t supposed to be.”

“Only when the tide was high,” Caro pointed out, “when they’re low, they belong to me.”