Dragon Down by Casey Knight

to figure out how to find it. I suggest making a grid and sailing back and forth until we deftly locate the island or run aground. Or you can help, by telling me what direction gives you the strongest reading.”
    “Is there any other way to find the island? This could take a longtime.”
    “Not unless you can fly. You might be able to hone in on it from the air with your senses. Unfortunately, I can’t think of any way to keep you airborne long enough to find it. We’ll have to hope we get lucky sooner than later. It is also possible that we might uncover another of the enchantments. If we find enough of them, we can triangulate on the island.”
    We got to work trying to narrow down the location of the island. I moved around the boat until I found the direction that gave me the best reception. We spent much of the day in this fashion . It was tedious, mind numbingly boring, bull shit. I was worn out, cranky, and ravenously hungry, just call me Little Miss Congeniality. I’d slap my mamma for a good meal and trust me she was safe from abuse. Dinner, if you could call it that, made Spam look like a gourmet meal. Our fine dining experienced completed, we drifted along in silence.
    Zane and I divided up the nights sentry duties. I drew the first watch and Zane set our course before retiring below decks. There still wasn’t much wind, so I tied off the wheel. My legs were cramped from sitting so long. I needed to stretch them and to warm myself up from the night’s chill. Pulling my collar up and fastening it tightly around my neck, I walked along the deck. Keeping an eye on the compass, I adjusted the wheel as needed whenever the boat deviated from the course Zane had set. Then I resumed pacing up and down the deck. A fog seemed to be rolling in, severally limiting my visibility. This couldn’t be good. If I couldn’t see very far in any direction, then I doubted another boat could see us. It took me a few minutes to find the lanterns and light them, the dampness making it nearly impossible to get the wicks to ignite.
    Once the lanterns were burning, I placed one near the stern and one on the bowsprit. My mission accomplished, I lingered staring off into the distance. The fog was getting thicker and I doubted the lanterns would do much good. I hopped down and started back to check the wheel when I heard a scrapping sound. I looked around to see which rigging was tangled. I couldn’t see anything near the main sail. Perhaps, I had imagined the noise. I checked our bearings and sat down beside the wheel. Huddled down as deeply as I could into my coat, I kept an eye on the compass. Comfortable for the first time all night, I had to fight to keep my eyes open. A fight I was apparently losing because my head snapped up the minute my chin hit my chest.
    I realized I was thirsty and I thought maybe drinking some water would help me stay awake. Besides if I stayed busy, then I was less likely to fall asleep. Hauling myself up from my seat I started to go below decks when I heard a noise. I hadn’t imagined this noise. Stopping in my tracks, I strained to hear where the noise came from. Then I heard it again. Whatever it was, it was coming from the front of the boat. It sounded almost like something was bumping into the hull. My bracelet started to tingle, fear shot through me and I activated the bracelet. Adrenaline flooded my senses. I wasn’t alone. Whatever it was it couldn’t be good on a night like this. I crouched down in the shadow of the cabin and sent out my senses. It was risky because whoever or whatever it was out there might detect my exact location. Unfortunately, given my poor visibility I couldn’t risk searching for the source of the noise.
    There was definitely something there. I couldn ’t tell what and I didn’t want to risk giving my location away. While I was debating whether I should alert Zane before I went to greet our visitor the boat plunged hard to the port side, nearly knocking my feet out