A sudden sharp rumble shook the air, as the barge glided gracefully along the river. It was so loud one might think it were a thunderclap, were the morning sky not clear and perfect. The trees themselves trembled so violently, that the dew on the branches fell to the ground while the birds that nestled upon them scattered into the skies.

  Kurt had been dreaming of Sabine, again. He had slept on the deck, finding the bedroll that had served him well since all this had begun far easier to sleep on than any of the narrow hammocks below deck for the scaled crew. It was also a fine excuse to hide his quiet discomfort of being on so large a ship that was so heavily laden down. Sydera had assured them before they took to bed that his crew had navigated by the moonlight plenty of times before, and would see them safely along the river even as they slept. Despite the dragon's assurances, nothing could convince Bauer to stay below. The idea of being on any vessel to suffer an accident again held a quiet terror for Kurt, the more he tried not to think about it. He supposed he would be getting tripped on by the crew of whatever ship took them across the sea to...wherever.

  Martin scrambled up on deck from below moments after the sky filled with frightened birds. He had not shared his father’s discomfort, and neither had Janus. The runner, however, had risen before the dawn, to watch the sunrise from the crow’s nest so he might conduct some blasphemous and doubtlessly insulting ritual in its direction. Thinking of Janus had the man soon looking skyward as he felt a lump of fear form in his throat. He was happily relived to see not only Janus, but the scaled crewman placed up there, still safely secured in the nest.

  Sydera and the captain emerged from their respective cabins, the dragon holding a huge and already steaming stein of coffee. Despite the confusion Kurt couldn’t help but wonder if Sydera used his own breath to keep it hot when he wasn’t sipping it.

  “What was that?” the dragon asked, looking as close to alarmed as the human had seen him.

  When no one could give him the slightest hint of a satisfactory answer, speculation among the crew began in earnest. According to Janus, the noise had definitely originated from the direction of Hafenstrand. When it was reluctantly confirmed by the other watchman, this only added fuel to a growing unease among the men of Drachenzahn. Someone, Kurt was unsure as to whom, quietly suggested turning back. Sydera’s displeasure was quickly registered, and it was with great annoyance that the dragon had to toss his crushed stein away into the river.

  “If the world’s ending, we’re not escaping it!” he said, rounding back on his watching crew. “And if something bad has happened in the city, we may be able to render assistance. Also, this is my ship. If you don’t want to continue riding on it, feel free to jump off!”

  No one did, and the matter was quietly dropped while in the presence of the dragon.

  “What do you think it was?” Martin asked his father as they ate a breakfast of bacon, boiled eggs and coffee.

  “I don’t know,” shrugged the man.

  “You don’t think it was Volkard, do you?” his son whispered then. He looked frightened, his hands trembling a little before he hid them in his pockets. He stood and leaned against the rails of the ship, and watched the bank of the river as they passed it by.

  Kurt could only shrug. Thought of the black bull as Martin had described him, and the strange noise from earlier brought him back to the moment when he had finally found his boy again.

  “Do you remember anything about what happened before we got you?” he asked his son. He wanted to get Martin’s thoughts on another topic, and while this might not be the best one, Bauer had been curious about it for quite some time.

  “You mean in the Temple?”

  “Aye,” nodded Kurt. His own memories were vivid, though the farther away from them he got, the more he had to doubt them. He did not feel comfortable talking to Janus about them. The runner, for whatever reason, had not been able to handle those minutes under the Temple. Kurt was quietly amazed that he had.

  “I don’t remember much, papa,” his boy replied. He started to fidget a little, his finger playing over the sleeves of his tunic. It was something Kurt had not seen him do for a very long time. “I was kept down there with these men Volkard left to watch over me. It was dark and there was a really bad smell. After a little while, some of the men watching me got nervous. They started talking about hearing things. I thought it was the soldiers, or the witch hunters coming to get me, but it wasn’t. It was no one. The men started getting very frightened, but I don’t know why. I didn’t see anything that they started saying they could see. I didn’t hear anything, either. After a while the room got dark and they all started screaming, but after that I can’t remember a thing until we were outside and you were carrying me away.”

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  Kurt sipped his coffee and watched the bank with his son. He resolved then not to tell his boy what he had seen back there. He doubted he would need to ask Janus to keep quiet about it. It would be their secret, and it was one Kurt hoped to take to the grave with him.

  In time, the river began to widen even further, and its flow reduced a little while the sun continued its inexorable path across the sky. The number of trees along the bank became less frequent as big rocks became more prevalent, rising steadily higher as if racing to build a ragged wall to contain them. It was not long after this that they spied towers on the left bank, perched high above them. Yellow banners flew from some, and they passed a small, fortified harbour where a trio a sleek longboats rested, flanked by towers with ballistae set up on them. The armed men there waved them on to go out to sea and skirt along the coast to the main port. This was the garrison’s harbour.

  Kurt was unsure what to expect. He and Martin had moved to the prow of the ship as the banks of the river pulled away from their flanks suddenly and they found themselves staring at a never ending universe of blue. Kurt marvelled at the cyan sky, and the deep, mysterious and glittering surface under it. Far off on the horizon, Bauer thought he could just pick out black dots far off in the distance. Were they ships?

  Gasps of horror drew his attention to their left. Kurt did not gasp, though his jaw grew a little slack. For a second he was back in Eichen with Janus leading him along with a rope as they plunged headlong into the dust storm. Its weaker doppelg?nger now rose just outside of what looked to be a vast grey wall built along the surface of the sea. There were collective and anxious murmurs. The crew all slackened in their duties, until Sydera emerged back on deck.

  “Back to work!” he yelled, eventually. Even Sydera had to spend several long moments gaping at the vast column of smoke and dust none too far off from them and their destination. “We have business to attend to in the city!”

  The journey towards the main harbour was stressful for all. Kurt and Martin, having nothing to really do on deck, stood by the prow of the vessel to stare the vast column that was gradually sinking back down onto the sea and what appeared to be some hint of a small landmass out beyond the harbour. Apparently, an old lighthouse had sat there, on a small island that had been both a breaker and a guide to vessels at sea. What had happened to cause such wholesale destruction was beyond the realm of anyone on board to guess. Martin was visibly afraid and nervous, alternating between pacing on deck and standing by his father, holding onto him tightly. It was not until they were drawing upon the harbour entrance, and saw activity along the wall and within the harbour itself, full of vessels of many sizes that were all peopled, that the boy began to relax. Kurt understood his worry but said nothing. What, indeed, could he have said? He'd seen the forests beyond Eichen when they escaped. If magic had destroyed the lighthouse, then much of Hafenstrand would have died with it.

  As they navigated their way towards the docks used for supplying the city’s shipyard, Janus descended from the crow’s nest with a smile and a grudging admiration for the pinks who had built this fabulous settlement.

  “Is this what you hope your town will be like one day?” he asked the dragon as Sydera joined them.

  “Yes,” answered the dragon without a second’s hesitation. Kurt expected that Sydera would want another private moment with Martin, but much to his amazement, he bade Kurt follow him back to the cockpit. Kurt followed, after a confused look over his shoulder to Martin for guidance.

  “I’m afraid it will be too late for you to find passage on any ship out of the harbour tonight,” Sydera said as he found them a lonely spot to converse. “Some of my men will be staying aboard tonight. The rest will be staying at our usual inn. Unloading will start when we dock, but it will probably go on for a day or two. You are welcome to stay with us while that happens," he explained, offering the least toothy smile his thin lips would allow. "I’ll tell Galen - he’s the owner - that you are a business associate of mine. That should net you a small discount.”

  “I thought you were done with us after we reached the harbour?” Kurt asked. It was not that he was ungrateful, or that he did not trust the sincerity of the dragon, but the idea of lingering with these people, these good and kind people, bothered him profusely. It was dawning on him now just what kind of burden they had been on them, and the terrible danger that they might have placed them in. Sydera might think he was being helpful, keeping them under his protection for as long as he could, but Kurt had seen first hand the power of those who were after his boy. People were dead because of this, and the very idea of putting these people in danger any longer was too much for him to contemplate.

  “Things change,” Sydera shrugged. “I can guess something of the trouble you are in, sir. I would like to offer you as much help as I can.”

  “I appreciate that,” Kurt replied, feeling a resolve he had not known for a long time building within him. “But you have done enough for us. I don’t seek to be more of a burden than I’ve been already.”

  “You have not been a burden at all,” countered the dragon. "Janus helped feed my people, your boy helped me catch up on my correspondence, and you assisted in preparing several of the trees on our deck right now for this trip."

  Kurt shook his head. “Thank you for your kindness, sir. Once we land, we must leave you. We’re dangerous friends to have, and the last thing I want is to put you and yours in any further peril.”

  “I understand,” replied Sydera with what a slow, disappointed nod. He offered his hand to the human, and squeezed it gently after it was taken. “Take care of that son of yours. I sense he has a fascinating future ahead of him.”

  “Thank you, sir.” Kurt squeezed back as he shook Sydera’s hand.

  The dragon surprised him, then. He produced something small that was carefully wrapped in cloth from behind his back and placed it in Kurt’s hands. It was heavy, and the coolness under the cloth suggested the container was either glass or glazed ceramic. Without prompting, Kurt unwrapped it.

  It was a jar, its paper top still sealed in wax. Kurt recognised the contents as raspberry jam. He recognised the BAUER JAMS logo pasted on the side.

  “The King gave that to me when I last met him,” Sydera explained. “Raved about it, in fact. And not just because of how fine it was, but what it represented to him.”

  Kurt was only dimly aware of the words. He could not take his eyes off the jar as the years of toil and misery and triumph all came back to him in an instant. Sabine. Martin. The future he could have had. He only just felt the clawed hand at his shoulder.

  “It’s not over yet,” declared the dragon. “So take care of yourself as well.”

  “Thank you,” Kurt murmured, grateful. Truly grateful.