Page 101 of Tiger's Voyage

I wished up some kettle corn and root beer in frosty bottles. I gave a giant bowl to Ren and took one to Kishan, who kissed my forehead and turned to watch the dark horizon again.

After I settled myself and started munching on the warm, buttery snack in my own bowl, I looked at Ren who was staring hard at the popcorn. “Is something wrong?” I asked.

“No. It’s good. It just … tastes different.”

“What do you mean? You’ve had popcorn before.”

“This is sweet.”

“Oh. It’s kettle corn. You used to eat it all the time in Oregon.”

He picked up a popped kernel and studied it. He mumbled quietly to himself, “A blue dress. I dropped the bowl.”

“What did you say?” I asked.

“Hmm?” He looked up suddenly. “Oh. Nothing. It’s good.”

We ate quietly. I tipped back my bottle of root beer and looked up at the sky. “Look at that.” I pointed. “The stars are so bright!”

Ren pushed his empty bowl and root beer away and lay back on the cushions with his hands behind his head. “You’re right. They’re very bright. More than usual. Do you see that constellation up there?”

“The one to the right?”

“No.”

He slid closer so his head was resting against mine and gently took my wrist. He moved my arm until my finger was pointing at a very bright star. My heart started beating harder, and my face flushed. A light scent of sandalwood mixed with the sea was coming from his hair that was tickling my cheek. He moved my arm to point out a path from star to star. “Can you see it now?”

I sucked in a breath. “Yes. It’s like a serpent.”

He nodded and let go of my wrist. Sliding away, he put his arms under his head again. “It’s called Draco. As in the dragon.”

“That makes sense.”

“He guards the golden apples of Hera, the Greeks say. Others say he is the serpent who tempted Eve.”

“Huh. That’s interesting. What do you think about the … Ren! Did you see that?”

“See what?”

“There! Look at the Draco constellation. Something’s moving.”

He peered up into the night sky but nothing happened for a moment. I was just about suggest it must have been a figment of my imagination when I saw several stars winking on and off. They started shifting and writhing, becoming bigger and distorted.

Ren stood up. “I see it. Kishan? Protect Kelsey. I’ll be right back.”

Ren disappeared over the side of the wheelhouse while I instructed the Divine Scarf to clear away the cushions and the Golden Fruit to take away the bowls and bottles. Kishan and I stood in the battle stance he’d taught me. I was ready to use my lightning power if I needed to. Kishan pulled free thechakram.

A black undulating shape made its way toward us. It distorted the night as if the sky was the underside of a blanket and something big was rolling across the top of it. The stars bulged and trembled as it moved.

I felt a hand touch my arm. Ren had taken a ready stance with the trident on my other side. We turned as the shape circled above us, keeping it in our line of sight. Suddenly the sky seemed to balloon out and rip, and a dark shape slipped through the tear.

A head emerged, followed by a sinuous long body. It dipped and twisted in the air like a twirling stunt kite. It circled the boat at a slow, leisurely pace, moving lower and lower until we could clearly see what it was—a dragon. But this was not a type of dragon I’d ever seen in the movies. It looked more like a snake. There were no wings; instead it slithered through the air like a sidewinder on the sand. This was definitely not the dragon of St. George; it looked more like the drawings of Chinese dragons Mr. Kadam had shown us.

Moist pockets of air whipped against us, and a thick silence spread around us as if our ears were stopped up. The sea had stilled; its blackness reflected the starlight so it looked as if we were standing in the middle of space. The dragon came closer. Its underbelly was black, but the top was streaked with vermillion, and it seemed to glow with a red light that reflected dimly on the black water below.

Its head was the size of a Volkswagen Beetle. Long black-and-red tendrils trailed from its black-bearded cheeks. As it moved through the sky, its four short, taloned legs pawed the air. The body moved toward us, and the air pockets left in its wake crashed against the ship like waves. The dragon flew around the boat again. This time it was near enough that its entire body circled the ship. Shiny scales about the size of dinner plates ran down the length of its body and gleamed in the starlight. Its head came closer and stopped near us. We faced the red dragon as its head rose up and down in the air, as if bobbing on a current.

Huge nostrils puffed cold air on us as one great, long-lashed eye blinked and stared. One red iris with a black pupil considered us thoughtfully. I took a step closer and peered into that bright eye. It shone in the middle as if a star were captured inside.