Fate of Dragons

Chapter Twenty-Two, Part I

Captain Askel allowed Derol to pilot the boat more and more as they traveled south through Yennar Lei. He had ample help from the crew. At first, the system of stones, gems, and symbols put his mind into a fog. Once he learned to read the symbols, though, the other rules began to fall into place. Soon, the captain allowed Derol to take command of the boat on a wide, open stretch of lake, and from then on Derol enjoyed the opportunity to practice more and more.

Derol was standing at the tiller shifting spellstones around when Captain Askel cleared his throat.

"Hm?" Derol confirmed his course along the wide, calm canal they were passing through, then looked to the captain.

"We're going to be ready to dock soon," the captain said. "The camp is coming up ahead."

He meant the Onami camp, where most of the passengers from Arethia would be leaving the boats. Derol scanned the banks of the canal up ahead. The lush green forests of northern Yennar Lei had given way to marshes interspersed with drier land and occasional trees. It had been some time since they'd passed the last town, and Derol hadn't seen anything but occasional signs of people since then.

As the canal rounded a bend through a stand of trees, however, the Onami camp jumped into view. Clusters of tents occupied a rare stretch of dry land, along with wagons, horses, and even boats. A crowd of children had already gathered along the banks of the canal, and they waved eagerly up at the dragons who floated in circles in the sky above.

Derol stepped back as Captain Askel assumed his spot at the tiller and took command of the stones that Derol had been shifting around moments before. Derol watched with interest as he maneuvered the boat toward a long dock that stretched out from the grassy bank where the Onami camp began. Soon the crowd of children on the bank was joined by adults from the camp, and as the boats sidled up to the dock, people came out to greet and to help tie them up.

On Derol's boat, there weren't many Senemi passengers; it was mostly Derol, Fenn, Amina, and the riders. The other boats in Captain Askel's group were filled with the Senemi families who Amina had helped leave Areth. Once the boats were tied securely to the docks, Amina climbed off and spoke with one of the women who had approached from the camp.

When they finished speaking, the woman leaned to the side to peer around Amina and waved, smiling. Amina turned and gestured for them to leave the boats. Captain Askel began shouting orders, and suddenly the boats and the docks were swarming with people disembarking and unloading personal items, supplies, and other cargo. Derol hovered on the deck, keeping an eye on what items left the boats. He knew Amina felt that the eggs should stay here, at this Onami camp, but the riders had decided that the eggs would go straight to Saldive.

When the activity had subsided, the boats were left empty compared to before. Only Captain Askel's boat still held most of its occupants—Derol, Fenn, Eriya, Astrid, Gypsy, and the dragon riders. The dragons were nowhere in sight, even Gypsy, who had recently been seen scampering among the legs of the crew unloading the boats.

Soon Amina could be seen floating back through the crowd toward the boats. Derol braced himself to say goodbye. She would be staying here wth her people, who she had worked so hard to free from the confines of the city of Areth. He admired her strength and purpose. Derol and the others filed off of the boat to greet Amina on the dock.

Amina stopped before them with a little grin playing at the corners of her mouth. "You didn't need to do that," she said.

Eriya scoffed. "Of course we did. We need to say a proper goodbye to our good friend."

"Well, you didn't need to," Amina repeated. "Because this isn't goodbye."

Derol couldn't help but smile.