DRAGONS
The greatest naval battle in all of history looked trivial from a height of three miles, but for a dragon the height did not matter. Everything that humans did or built was insignificant.
Dravaud had folded his wings back and was dropping like a stone. Far below, he sensed a dragon chick in distress, but had no clear view. The wind had dropped away to almost nothing, and the smoke from burning ships hung over the fighting. The ship holding the chick was nowhere to be seen.
The mind of the enormous creature sensed a faint call of distress, something like the cry of a lost kitten. The chick was helpless, trapped, probably in a cage on a sinking human ship. Young dragons were tricksters, adopting pet humans or starting fires that humans would blame on each other. This youngling was not yet clever enough to avoid human traps, however.
The day before, Dravaud had dropped from the sky and sprayed fire at a ship in the Dravinian fleet, declaring that Dravinia would win the war against Savaria. Now the weaker Savarians had gained the upper hand. This was loss of face, even humiliation, for any dragon. Best that nobody discovers my shame, whether dragon or human. Best to kill them all.
The dragon pulled out of his dive, yet finding a target was a problem. The young dragon was on one of the ships engulfed in smoke. Unexpectedly, the chick’s cry lost all its alarm – the danger was past. Perhaps it had flamed its way out of its cage. Too late, thought Dravaud, still furious. The humans need to be taught a lesson.
Nearly half the Dravinian fleet had not yet joined in the fighting. The dragon approached the reserve ships, skimming barely above mast height. Streamers of green flame lashed through the rigging of the warships and washed over the decks, killing everyone not under cover. Clouds of arrows, crossbow bolts and firepots smashed into his body, but he barely noticed.
Three low swoops over the fleet left three dozen ships blazing. For the dragon, it was all too easy. Dravaud was destroying the losing side, and the Savarians would take all the credit. Their ships were hidden by the smoke of the battle . . . but beyond the smoke, between the shore and the mountains, was Teliz, their capital city.
Why save the city for last? he thought. I shall destroy it next, then hunt down the Savarian ships as they attempt to flee.