The Voyage of Dawn's Treader

Chapter 7

The ship was alive with action, Eustace soaring alongside the ship at his leisure. Lucy and Dawn stood at the back of the ship on a sort of blacony off of Caspian's study. Lucy pointed out excited towards the blue depths below as a splash broke through the surface. To their delight it was a woman made of water, a mermaid. At first she appeared to be waving and both Dawn and Lucy raised their hands to return the gesture but they quickly noticed that the mermaid was trying to convey another message. Waving her hand frantically at them while mouthing desprately, unable to speak above water, "don't go! Don't go!"

What could have frightened her so much to warn them away?

Lucy and Dawn shared a nervous look. Before Dawn quickly fled the balcony in search of Caspian and Edmund. She found them on deck, it was much quieter now as most of the men were below deck, being forced to row the ship to continue moving as there was no more wind currents and Dawn was no longer being allowed to put so much energy and effort into just moving the ship, which drained her quickly. Caspian forbid it.

"The wind has left," stated Drinian as Dawn came to a halt at her older twin's side. Edmund noticed that she was nervously biting her lip, a habit she had picked up when she was extremely worried about something, it didn't happen often.

He spared her another nervous glance before returning his gaze to Drinian, "so how do we get to Ramando's island now, then?"

"My guess is somethin' doesn't want us to get there," spoke Drinian hauntingly as he passed Edmund and Caspian and walked up towards the wheel of the ship.

"The men can't go on for much longer like this," said Dawn, refaining from mentioning the mermaid, it seemed Drinian might be right.

"She's right, they can't. Especially with so little food," agreed Ed.

"I know," sighed Caspian bring a hand to his head from the stress of the situation, "trust me. I know."

Drinian who had just left them and was walking passed several of the men and listened in as one exclaimed, "if I get any hungrier, I'm gonna eat that dragon!"

Dawn, Caspian and Edmund all glanced up as Eustace stopped in mid air and glowered down at the man. Reep who had stuck close to Eustace must have said somthing because Eustace calmed down and turned away from the ship again.

Drinian approached them and commented, "if we don't find land by tonight, they might very well eat hi-!!"

A giant lurch shot everyone sprawling across the deck, one sailor even falling through the hatch leading down into the lower deck with a yell. Everyone quickly collected themselves and darted to their feet in alarm.

"What did we hit?!" inquired Caspian as he helped Drinian.

Dawn and Edmund leaned over the edge to see ahead of the ship better and what they saw made them beam happily.

"Eustace!" cried Dawn proudly.

"That's brilliant!" complimented Edmund.

Eustace had wrapped his long, golden tale around the head of the ship and was pulling it forward through the water at top speed with strong beats of his large wings.

Reepicheep climbed down Eustace's back and tail and onto the dragon head of the ship and unsheated his sword with a flourish and a loud exlcaim of "onward ho!"

The crew all broke out in loud cheers.

"Just imagine if someone saw this from a distance," spoke Dawn with a smirk.

"What do you mean, your majesty?" asked Drinian curiously.

"Well how often do you see a dragon pulling a ship?!"