Dragonclaw Dare: Dragon Sea Chronicles

By Brian Ference and Chris Turner

Sea Dragons. Pirates. Sea Serpents. Wizards.

The Black Claw and Red Claw Island clans are on the brink of war. A young islander named Darek risks everything to prove his worth as a sailor. Adventure awaits...and the ride of his life.

But there are far deadlier things than pirates on the open sea. A wizard begins to raise sea serpents from the depths. Can Darek learn to harness the growing power within himself in time?

Dive into this epic fantasy adventure filled with magic, hope, and peril. Smell the salt on the wind as dragon and serpent dive below the crystal blue waters in this exciting prequel to the Dragon Sea Chronicles…

Dragon Sea Chronicles:

Prequel: Dragonclaw Dare
Book 1: Dragon Sea - Mage Reborn
Book 2: Dragon Mage - Uprising

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brian S. Ference
• Release date: Jul 25, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386912637

Book preview

Dragonclaw Dare:

Prequel to the Dragon Sea Chronicles

Brian Ference

Chris Turner

Copyright © 2018 by Cave Creek Publishing, LLC

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of very brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Table of Contents

Map of the Dragon Sea

The Race

Feasting

Sacred Isle

The Pirates

Captain Serle

Pirate Cove

Training

A Kiss

The Trials

The Fire Coral

About The Authors

Other Books From  Brian Ference and Chris Turner

Map of the Dragon Sea

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Chapter 1.

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The Race

The salt spray whipped across Darek’s tanned arms as he pulled fast on the line, ducking the boom as it swung across the deck. His twenty-foot sloop tacked west into the wind during the race of his life. Two Dolphins’ Rock was only a mile to starboard; the sleek hull knifed through the waves like a flying-fish dodging a barracuda. His eyes stayed glued to the twin grey rocks, shaped like dolphins poking up over the swells. The trials for the annual Dragonclaw race were in full swing.

The race was the most significant event in the entire Red Claw Islands. A colorful festival rich with cheer, days of feasting, and fat purses for the winners was high on Darek’s list, now that he was of age. The event occupied the first few weeks of the Harvest Moon before the fall changeover. Open to all challengers, the event was relished by many, and anticipated by all.

Around Reeler’s Reef Darek’s craft sped. The sea was choppy this morning, the waves defiant and relentless. Purple clouds rode the eastern horizon in the region the islanders called the ‘Serpent’s Deep’. The conditions were challenging, but Darek was up for it.

The circuit looped past Mystery Isle, over to Two Dolphins’ Rock and back to Cape Spear and the busy horseshoe-shaped harbor on Swordfish Island. The boats dodged each other and bucked the waves, each sailor set on finishing first. All of Cape Spear was about to see who the best competitors were.

Darek snatched a quick look back. The line of sailboats gaining on him was a surprise. He would have been well in the lead but for his two friends, Vinz and Grame. His other rivals, Clara and Bralig, were not far behind, their boats polished, lacquered, with whale hide covering their outer hulls. But Darek didn’t care; he was too caught up in the thrill of the race.

Darek’s fingers itched for the prize as he gripped the tiller. The ocean spray cooled the fire in his limbs as he glided over the swells, navigating like a seal. Sailing was his passion; it had been since he was a small boy. His skill at reading the winds was the envy of all his friends. Even his rivals respected his sailing skills.

A gray boat with lime green sails tried to turn too sharply and Darek heard a thin cry over the wind as the vessel tipped over, heeling in a breaking wave. The round-bottomed hull bellied up. Over it went, its sails dunking into the brine.

Darek winced. Tough break. His fate could have followed that of the sailor’s. Some of the ships had no keels, and while sailing lighter and sometimes faster, they were disasters waiting to happen.

Darek edged behind Vinz’s boat, with its blue sail and shiny silver cleats. He saw his friend’s teeth flash, heard him bellow a roar above the sloshing waves, the blue spray stinging his eyes. Darek whooped with delight as he edged past Vinz and swept around the gleaming two dolphin-shaped rocks which blazed in the noonday sun.

Vinz shook a fist at him. Darek could only chuckle.

The judges, anchored a furlong away in their boats, took note of the competitors’ maneuvers past the rocks. They had inspected each vessel and ensured the rules were obeyed. Any type of divergence from the rules was illegal—including the throwing of firebombs doused in oil, the sending out of smoke to obscure the turns, or any other trick that would give a sailor an advantage. This year’s prize was a sleek, new runner craft and a place in Lared the chief’s fleet. The runner-up would receive a similar boat built last year.

Rounding the Dolphin Rocks, Darek veered his boat downwind. The boom swung back and he quickly leaned to port. Shifting his sail with ease, he charted a path that would cut across the water in the shortest time possible. If the wind didn’t change, this final leg would be a breeze. He’d have to sail by the lee for some of the time, but his mind was set on a glorious finish.

Only a few leagues remained to Cape Spear. The last part of the tryouts would be downwind and Darek looked for ways to sail with the tide. Grame caught up to the pack and he and Bralig were in close pursuit, searching for ways to edge him out. Bralig had caught a strong wind and his bow now slammed into Darek’s stern, knocking him off course. Darek cursed, his boat spinning about, losing ground, but he trimmed his sails, recovered swiftly and surged ahead once more. Vinz and Grame looked on in amazement.

Of the fifty some odd boats, only a few would be selected for the final race. All of the qualifiers would receive high-quality fishing gear, rods and reels made by the finest craftsmen in the town, including master Dasio himself. Darek’s family was poor. What he needed was that boat. The tackle gear was just a bonus. His father, Jace, hated sailing and had long given up hope that Darek could ever make a life for himself at sea. His mother had turned her back on him and Jace, taken up with Raithan, a captain of the rival Black Claw Clan. With a new sailboat, he could leave all this behind and go wherever he wanted. He could explore the uncharted places, the smaller isles, hunt for treasure or new tropical fish, dive in the lagoons. The possibilities made his heart soar with anticipation.

He flung the daydream from his mind. That distraction had cost him a beat, and now the other boats were gaining on him. The bold red and white sail of Clara’s ship bellied to the wind. She