I Am Dragonblood: The Grim Beast (Book Four)

Chapter Nine - Orders

A month had passed, yet it felt like a year.

    He was in dragon form, his massive paws sweeping the water like a dragon's wings. Around his tusks were thick metal manacles, designed specifically for holding him prisoner, with chains the size of small tree trunks trailing from them to the main ship above. 

    Drago, with the help of the rattling seed pods on the end of his staff, had forced Grimmel to pull the ship. He knew the Alpha could be rid of him a easy as a bird ate a grub, and the thought had spurred him on to accept defeat. He was angry about it for sure, but with the situation he was in, he could see no way of avoiding it. 

    His spirits down to the lowest they had ever been, he could see no way out of the torture, the cage he'd been imprisoned in. He seemed to have lost everything he'd held dear, or close, at least. His ship and Deathgrippers had been taken by Drago, Grimmel himself had been taken by him. His freedom had been enslaved, his dreams captured, his mission evaporated and his children...

    He shook his head, making the chains rattle against the vibrations of Drago's staff banging on them. He mustn't think of those two. They had chosen to stay behind, in Cymru, and he didn't need to worry about them now. Myth was a Hunter, he could survive, and Arianwen was with him to keep him company. 

    A specific thump on the chain brought him back to reality, the vibrations thrumming through his skull and making him dizzy. He halted and let the ship drift a little way before he leaned all of his weight against it, paws pressed on the barnacled surface. A metal laden vessel like this was hard to stop without some opposing force. 

    With the boat stopped and the anchor dropped, Grimmel Shifted to hybrid form and swam to the surface. He spotted the metal ladder embedded in the side of the ship and grabbed ahold of it, gripping the wet rust as the waves tried to claw him back down. He climbed up and poked his head over the gunwale, instantly regretting it as a bullhook caught his hood and dragged him onto the deck. He shook his head, spraying droplets of water from his hair, and looked up at Drago from his kneeling position. 'What have you dragged me up her for, Master?'

    Drago growled and Grimmel shrank back little, a phantom in the shadows. 'The scouts have found a nest and I want you to take me there. It is northwest from here. A volcanic island surrounded by fog, so it should not be too hard to miss.'

    Grimmel's breath caught in his throat. That was Cendane's island, her fortress of rock and lava. If the Dragon Master had found a way though her defences, then her island stood no hope of surviving. He looked at the sturdy, powerful catapults in despair, knowing they could blast a boulder through granite. 'But the ships will not be able to pass through the rocks there, there are too many and they are too sharp,' Grimmel reasoned, hoping he could change Drago's mind. 'The ships will be smashed to splinters.'

    Drago's gaze became intense, penetrating him to his soul. 'You've been there?'

    Grimmel didn't reply, afraid he'd say something revealing. 

    'I'll take that as a yes,' Drago muttered. A manic gleam entered his reddish eyes, his scar twisted skin rippling around a smile. 'Take me there. Now.'

    Grimmel stayed where he was, trying to keep his heart rate normal as unwanted fear rose in his throat. 

    'I said,' Drago snarled. 'Take me there!' The staff came down and banged on the deck, seed pods that sounded so sinisterly similar to his Bewilderbeast control rattling. 

    Adrenalin rushed through him in a wave and Grimmel sprang over the side of the boat, not even bothering to take a run up. He Shifted halfway down and smashed into the ocean, sending up a huge white water wave. With a reluctant heave he raised his head above the water so Drago's men could attach the massive chains, feeling the gaze of the Alpha on him. As soon as he could he dove under again, jerking the ship forwards with a tug. He turned west and began swimming with strong sweeps of his paws, hoping Drago would not notice the slight change in direction. If he could just miss Cendane's island by a few miles he might be able to keep the Master away. 

    Thwang!

    He felt the chains vibrate through his tusks, making his eyesight fuzz and his teeth ache. He hadn't been lucky enough to escape attention. 

    With a resigned sigh that sent a wave rolling ahead he turned northwest, going as slow as he could while still maintaining a Master pleasing speed. 

    Please, he thought, hoping some God he'd never believed in before would here him. Let something happen so that we do not reach the island.