The Guarded Depths

By L Helene

One of many guardian dragons of the archipelago, Lee never seems to have anything to do. When a pirate ship makes it past the outer islands to chase down a young witch, he leaps at the chance to prove himself. The witch, Amili, explains that the pirates are after the precious treasure hidden somewhere among the islands. The two of them agree tha

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recurring Original
• Release date: Mar 4, 2023
• ISBN: 9781738851201

Book preview

Part One

Guardian

THE SKY OVER the island of Locule was clear. Not a single cloud obstructed the expanse of blue, and seabirds wheeled high over the ocean, peaceful. Among them was a much larger shape.

The dragon was large--compared to the birds--and with the light at his back appeared black from below. From above, with the sunlight striking him, he was golden. Curling fur gleamed like honey on his back, and the scales of his forelegs and snout glimmered like stars. He blinked his deep brown eyes, bored out of his mind.

Leponius was in the middle of circling Locule for the five-thousandth time that day. It felt like it, at least. Once upon a time, Lee had started counting his patrol of the the island, but he'd soon realized that he would never know the exact number, since he hadn't started right away. Besides, counting was about as boring as actually guarding the innermost island of the Maetrune Archipelago.

Nothing ever happened. Lee tilted his body, letting himself feel like there was some risk of falling. There wasn't. He had never seen a calmer, more boring day, and he couldn't even remember when he had been tasked with protecting this place.

He supposed there were some perks. As the wind picked up slightly--finally--Lee considered the people of the island, some of the folks he had flirted with and bantered and bartered over silly things. They all knew what a joke it was, for Locule to have a guardian dragon all to itself. It was the safest and least-visited of all. At least there would be a festival in two days, celebrating the Dragon Constellation's passage above the archipelago. It would likely be the same old thing as the last time, though. Most of the festivities would be on a larger island, anyway.

This argument had gone on in Lee's mind every day for the past who-knew-how-long. He probably could afford a little distraction. Perhaps a visit to one of his neighbours, to chat up the merchants with stories from further out. He could play up how important he was, being a guardian dragon, and maybe they'd look past his soft appearance and believe him.

Wind rustled Lee's droopy ears. He frowned, banking, so that it pushed him south along the coast of Locule. This was rather sudden.

Lee wondered if there was some witch playing with the weather again. He'd wanted to be part of the scolding, but she had been on the island of Piscea, near the edge of the archipelago, and Lee had learned of it too late. Maybe this time would be a different story. He turned mid-air, swinging his tail so that he pivoted neatly--he'd had plenty of time to practice his flying techniques, since no one had anything better for him to do.

Facing the wind, he beat his soft wings and inhaled. The air smelled damp, though there were no clouds. It was a very distinct scent, and Lee knew that meant that it was being made by a person. His best comparison would be that it reminded him of the way wet dogs smelled, but Lee had a much different sense of smell than any of the humans he might tell this to. Whenever he did, he was sure to offend them.

Sometimes that was fun. If this witch was causing trouble, Lee would be sure to mention it.

He swooped lower, and scanned the coast of the island nearest to Locule. Behind it, he spotted movement.

A ship was sailing towards Locule, bulky and dark. The front of it was pointed and sharp, cutting through waves that seemed much choppier beneath it than those near Lee. The mage had to be aboard, trying to save some time on their voyage. It was irresponsible and unnecessary. Lee beat his wings and angled himself to soar higher on the wind. The ship was racing towards him, so he really didn't need to gain much speed.

The sound of a cannon made Lee's ears tingle. He opened his jaws, gasping.

Were these pirates?

How could pirates have made it past the six or so dragons guarding the outer islands? Lee had never seen any get this close to Locule. Heart starting to pick up speed, Lee dove towards the ship, heedless of the fact that this would reveal him immediately to the pirates.

If they'd gotten past the others, what hope did Lee have?

That was the talk of someone who believed he really was worthless as a guardian, so Lee bristled and kept on flying. This was his chance to prove how capable he was. The wind stung at his face as he tucked in his wings and aimed straight for the pirate ship.

It came towards him, steadily and hungrily, like a dog loping across a beach. It was a curious ship, magnificent and tall, masts and rigging and sails in a careful web, but there was something piecemeal about the vessel. Patches of it were green, and the deck was black. Here and there it had been cobbled together, looking for all the world like a mashup of at least three other ships.

The cannons fired again, not up at Lee, but at something just to the ship's port side.

Lee dipped in that direction, spreading his wings to catch himself, and saw the sailboat.

It was a little thing, perfect for travel among the archipelago, with a cheerful yellow sail.

"Do something!"

Lee faltered, dropping several feet in the air. What? he shouted, teeth bared.

"They're chasing me, do something!"

Lee dove again and saw the person steering the tiny sailboat. It was a young woman, with her short hair flying in the wind and her eyes wide and frightened. She stared directly at him, and he heard the start of another word in his head before she turned away, to look over her shoulder at the much larger vessel pursuing her.

Wondering whether she was the witch conjuring the wind, Lee sized up the pirate ship and decided that it was too big for him to smash with his claws. If he was very, very fast, he might be able to snatch a pirate off the deck and drop them into the sea, but there was then the risk of swords and cannons and Lee might not even grab an important pirate, anyway.

He was close enough that he could speed between the two boats. Lee turned onto his side, so that the tip of his right wing skimmed the rough surface of the ocean. He could try to worry and distract the pirates, giving the girl a chance to reach Locule.

There was a resounding boom and something dark and spherical flew past Lee's raised wing. The rush of air in the cannonball's wake unsteadied him, forcing Lee to roll away from the ship and catch himself. He could hear yelling from the deck, and the creaking of metal and rope.

Lee gave a roar, shrill and hissing at the same time. Circling back to fly alongside the ship, he saw that his aerial flip had set the small sailboat rocking.

Help!

Lee was trying, but he didn't know what would work. If he just picked up the girl and flew off, he could easily get her to safety, but that would leave the pirate ship able to follow, or attack Locule.

Groaning--it was cut off as another cannon fired, forcing him to evade--Lee gained height. Below, he heard the crash of a cannonball striking the waves. The wind shifted, but it wouldn't be a problem for much longer.

Inhaling deeply, ignoring the dog-smell of the magic affecting the weather, Lee raised his head and beat his wings very fast, to keep himself in place above the two boats. He had his own kind of magic, embarrassing as it was. Shifting his muscles, he lifted his scales a fraction, letting tiny droplets fall from them.

They gathered, silvery, around his body. The pounding of his wings sent them spiralling downward in wisps. Concentrating very hard, Lee conjured more and more, building up a thick, concealing fog.

The magic creating the wind snagged in it. Lee's body wobbled in the air at the sudden lack of movement. To his right, the dark shape of the pirate ship loomed. The wood creaked and jumbled voices demanded to know what had just happened. Some gasped in surprise, asking what they were looking at. A stern voice cut through the chatter.

Do you think this panic will help? Use the oars.

There was a chorus of 'Aye, Captain', and then a flurry of activity. Lee glided, silently, still thickening the fog. He was losing altitude, but he swayed closer to the ship anyway, to try and get a better look at it.

It really did look like it was made from three ships. At the waterline, it was made of reddish wood, and above that it seemed to change shape, looking much more bulky and barge-like before tapering in again in a third layer. From the sides, long oars reached out like fingers, and dipped into the stilling waters.

Painted on the hull, near the stern, was the name Bitzer Hound. Lee boggled, and veered away again.

Did you see that? someone shouted.

The dragon, yes, came that serious voice again. Fire.

Lee flapped his wings, releasing more droplets of obscuring fog as he did. There was a hiss, and then the boom of a cannon magnified by the particles of water hanging in the air. The projectile plunged into the water, and was followed by another, and another.

Though Lee knew he was out of sight, because the Bitzer Hound had dissolved away into the fog, itself, he still feared that a lucky cannonball might strike him. He had to make sure that the girl in her boat was safe, too. She had stayed quiet, but Lee had a sense of where everything around him had been before he'd hidden it from sight, and could guess at how far her little vessel might have drifted after the wind had died away.

Easing up his magic a little, Lee soared just above the surface of the ocean, until he spotted the little triangle of the girl's sail. Lee gave a quiet chirp to announce his presence, and approached the boat from the side the Bitzer Hound had been on. The girl whipped around to look at him, and words filled his head again.

Where did it go? Are we safe now? Did you do that?

Lee was glad that she wouldn't see him rolling his eyes at the questions, and instead transformed as gracefully as he knew how, coming to light in her boat in a way that barely made it rock.

What-- the girl said, aloud.

Shh. Lee put his finger in front of his lips. They're likely still close. You were making the wind? he asked in a whisper.

I, the girl began, before lowering her voice, yes.

I'll give you room to make a small one to get us away to Locule. They won't be able to see us but they've gotten oars out.

Oh! The girl stared at him, her eyes wide, then nodded. Lee returned the gesture, and sat down with one leg hanging over the side of the boat. He closed his eyes, and transformed enough that his wings were out once again. He flapped one, stirring up the air. Fog swirled around them, moving away. At Lee's back, the ocean and sky were looking bluer, but in front of him, where the pirates were, the fog remained thick.

Can you magic now or do you need more air? Lee asked.

I'm good, the girl said. I think. I'm still learning, she confessed. Lee glanced over his shoulder at her, to see she was facing the boat's prow with her hands raised and her tongue stuck out the side of her mouth. She was cute, Lee thought--though not as much as he was. He flapped his other wing, hoping to keep spreading fog in their wake once the girl got them moving again.

A small breeze touched his cheek, the stink of it making him crinkle his nose. Lee caught the girl's eye and tried to smile encouragingly. Blushing, she faced forward again and seemed to really focus, her eyebrows scrunching together. The breeze grew in strength, rustling Lee's hair and catching the boat's yellow sail.

Before long, they were moving. It was a small wind, affecting only their boat. Barely any waves were being stirred up, and Lee thought that had to mean the girl was much less scared now, that she could focus her magic so well. How foolish of her, to have been pushing the ship that had been pursuing her!

We aren't far, Lee observed. Let's moor on the southwest side so they might not see us.

Thank you, the girl said, looking over her shoulder again at the dense patch of fog where the pirate ship had been. What's your name?

Leponius. Guardian dragon of Locule. I'm just doing what I was tasked with.

Oh, the girl said. I'm Amili. I've never met a dragon before.

Am I prettier than you expected? Lee asked, grinning. He knew that the scales on his cheeks were in the sun when he turned his face towards her, making them glitter like stardust.

Amili blushed deeper. Do you think they'll guess where we are?

I know a little bay where they won't even see your boat. If they come to port, I'll fend them off, he added, loftily. In truth, when he'd seen the name on the side of the ship, he'd seriously worried about all the dragons that the Bitzer Hound had needed to pass by to get this far into the archipelago.

Bringing his dangling leg into the boat, and sprawling as much as he could in the small vessel, he casually asked what the pirates had been chasing her for. He expected it was just the sort of thing pirates liked to do, harrying and harassing a young lady on her own. Still, the rumours of this particular ship suggested they usually had better things to do than pick on every little boat they came across.

Oh. Well--I might have--spoken with the captain, Amili said. Lee sat up, his eyes going wide. The girl forged on, "Before I knew he was a pirate of course! But he found out I was a witch, and--I don't like to do this here. Let's wait until we're landed,