It twisted in mid-flight, adjusting its approach. Tanner saw it was going to land next to them, but instead, at the last instant, it extended both rear claws and grasped him and Carrion. Its wings beat harder and Tanner felt lifted into the air. He feared the dragon couldn’t carry them both, but quickly remembered seeing a dragon snatch two deer and fly away with them. This was no different.
The toes wrapped completely around him, firm yet not hurting. Still, he screamed in fear. The dragon flew for the shoreline, a ragged edge of the horizon. Tanner ran out of breath to scream, as the blurred water passed far below. The down stroke of each flap of the dragon’s wings transmitted the feeling of being lifted. As they pushed down, Tanner was lifted up.
He looked at the other rear leg and saw Carrion, still tied, laughing as if watching a field of baby goats frolicking. Carrion shouted something the wind whisked away.
Tanner calmed himself enough to catch his breath. He turned and looked to the Lady Marion. It was sinking by the bow. The acid the dragon spit on the hull had already eaten through. Men were in the water. He felt no remorse.
Tanner remembered he had wondered what it looked like to Carrion when he used the eyes of the dragon, and now he knew. He hadn’t expected to hear the wind or noise of the air rushing past. It looked little different than watching from the side of a ship.
As they reached land, he found his eyes had something to relate to. The first small house drew it all back to reality. If the dragon dropped him, he would hit so hard he’d leave an impression in the rock where he landed just like the one rumored to King Ember’s father.
The dragon flew along the beach, over the small fishing village with the mummies. The small peninsula where they had hidden the boat was just ahead. His eyes found where they had half-buried it.
Even though they were still trussed and being carried as high as the top of a small mountain, he met Carrion’s eyes and smiled. They’d land ashore near the rowboat. The red dragon would spit acid on the ground, and that acid could eat through the ropes that bound them. Once free, they had completed all they set out to do.
Captain Jamison would be waiting for them on The Rose after dark. Now their only task was to travel home and prevent an invasion, or win a war, whichever came first. The future would be interesting either way.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LeRoy Clary
I have never met a dragon. Never even seen one. But wish I had. They fascinate me, so I decided to construct a mental world where they coexist with people. Most of my books are about them, and I call the people the Dragon Clan.
A book called DRAGON! started it. While similar to the Dragon Clan Series, it set up the idea of how to live and survive in a world where dragons are part of the landscape without resorting to cartoonish dragons or creatures as intelligent and conniving as people. The next hurdle was to keep the stories coming fast enough to satisfy the readers.
The book called the Blade of Lies was a finalist in an Amazon national novel writer’s contest, although under another name. It survives with humor, a medieval setting, and the idea that good guys do win. It is worth the read.
I've done a bit of everything before retiring from teaching high school math and special education. Before that I served in the US Navy, I worked in the electronics field as a technician, supervisor, and owner of a telecom business. I earned my papers as a sea captain for sailboats and motor craft, all of which gives me the background to write books about dragons.
Now that I have the time . . . I write. Every day. I'm writing about the Dragon Clan now, a series of interrelated books and characters. Each book is about them, but centers on one or two characters. They often meet each other in different books.
AUTHOR’S NOTES
If you have any comments or suggestions—good or bad—or anything else to say, please feel free to contact me at my personal email leroy.clary@gmail.com I have responded to all emails, so far, and hope to continue that trend. I love the comments, and, at least, one future book is because of an email exchange with a fan.
Please return to Amazon Kindle where you purchased this book and leave a review, I will appreciate it. Simply scroll down to the bottom of the page where you purchased the book and fill out your review. The only way for others to learn if readers like a book are from reviews
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, events and incidents are either 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.
Dragon Clan #5 Tanner’s Story
1st Edition
Copyright © 2016 LeRoy Clary
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, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law
Cover Design Contributors: Algo12/Bigstock
Editor: Karen Clary