"Follow me," he shouted, hoping the Antracii would head his call. Even if they did not, he couldn't stay. If the Hydraci took the wall, they were all goners.

Looking at the second pocket of Antraci, he saw Tergin talking to one of the other Kobolds. "Tergin! Hurry up," he roared.

Huddled next to a smaller Kobold, Tergin looked up. Looking around, he saw the situation at the wall and began yelling. With the screaming Hydraci everywhere, Jake couldn't understand what he said, but it had the desired effect. Tergin and the Antracii shot through the water, towards the wall.

"Jake! How did you find us?"

Jake slowed down a little when he saw that Bolyr had to struggle to keep up.

"A captured Goblin," he responded, trying to ignore the battle sounds raging behind him. His attention was on the Hydraci, who almost reached the wall. Ignoring the Antraci, he shot forward at full speed.

When the first of the monstrous Hydraci reached the Kobolds, Jake reached the tail of their group. Without a second to wait, he grabbed the nearest Hydraci and slashed it across the throat.

Blood wafted everywhere, and he felt his instincts war with the cold-induced calm. Seeing dozens of Hydraci turn to him, Jake released his hold on the cold, giving in to his dragonic desire for battle.

--

Jake held his claw against his side as he hovered in the pink and cloudy water. His back was towards the hole through which the last of the Kobolds fled. Only Bolyr and Tergin were hovering next to him.

Thin streams of blood poured from the many wounds that covered them, the red tinting the tainted water even more.

Bodies drifted everywhere, mostly Hydraci, but there were plenty of Kobolds.

A group of living Hydraci was hoving close to the river bed, twenty or so meters in front of them. Some held Kobold corpses, biting into them while glaring at Jake. Far behind them, another group of Hydraci was incoming.

"Where can we go?" Bolyr sighed, his voice pained as he stared at some Antracii bodies drifting up towards the already cluttered surface. "If we go up, the Goblins and Insectoids will get us. If we stay here, the Antraci will hound us."

Jake shook his head, weary to the bone. That's a good question. His desire to save his energy hadn't held up against the battle, and he had no idea if he had enough strength left. Although the spears couldn't penetrate his scales, the Hydraci knew how to fight Dragons. To keep them from blinding him, and at the same time keeping as many Kobolds alive had cost him too much.

"Let's go."

Jake turned and ushered the others through the hole. Taking a last look at the Hydraci, he saw they were drifting forward, staring at him as if he were delicious food. When was he going to get some rest? With a quick flap of his tail, he surged through the dark blue corridor. The ice was cracked and melting, but long from gone.

On the other side of the wall, the Kobolds and Antracii were taking care of the wounded. Hovering halfway towards the surface, a few guards kept an eye out for attacks.

"Tergin, bring them to the island and begin working on the fortifications."

Giving him a short nod, Tergin swam away, leaving Jake alone with Bolyr.

"What are you planning?"

The silence of the river was once again broken as Hydraci shouting echoed through the hole.

Jake hovered back from the wall, water energy specs drifting towards him. Sucking them in, they roiled and fought against the control of his tired mind. The water around him darkened, and Jake frowned as he looked up, expecting a cloud or something else. There wasn't one, and as the darkness encroached more from the edges of his vision, he understood it was his body and mind that finally gave in. The constant fighting and draining had been too much.

He stopped drawing in more energy and took a few shuddering breaths.

"Jake, stop! You have to …" Bolyrs voice ebbed away as ice formed around Jake.

A quick intake of air followed a whisper.

"Frost Dragon"

Ice covered the middle sections of the wall in front of Jake. Not that he could see, black shadows covered most of his vision, but he could feel it. It was almost as if a radar showed him what was surrounding him. He tried to move slowly when a Hydraci stuck its head out of the hole.

Fuck it! Jake fought against his fading mind and squeezed out as much power as he could. He covered the entrance, including the Hydraci, with ice. A startled shout cut off, but he wasn't sure if it was because it ended or because his hearing failed him. His stomach cramped upon itself violently, and he doubled over. Not hearing anything anymore, he focused the last of his energy on creating ice inside the weak spots in the middle of the wall.

The last thing he felt was the ice growing, faster and faster, and a massive vibration through the water. Then his connection to the ice snapped, and he lost his control over his body. The sonar-like vision disappeared, and he drifted in the water. With his flagging consciousness, he hoped that he wouldn't lose control of his bowels and bladder. The only thing he still had was his sense of touch, and he felt hands grab him and drag him away.

Darkness and water. Movement and silence. Jake knew he should probably be panicking, but with the inability to move came a sense of calm, and he felt himself drift off into sleep.

--

The first thing Jake felt was how many hands tugged his body through the water. The next thing was a massive headache. Groaning, he raised his claws to his head and clamped his eyes shut against the painful throb behind them.

His nails ticked against the scales of his head. He could move again! With the realization came a wave of ravenous hunger. Worse than the one when he ate David, he forcefully suppressed the urge to bite into something moving beside him.

"He is waking up! Move back."

Bolyr's familiar voice did little to alleviate the void that was his stomach. Groaning, he opened his eyes.

They were still in the river, and a ragtag group of Kobolds hovered around him. The Antraci were staring at him with something close to devout worship. The desire to eat them was so strong Jake closed his eyes.

"Are we safe?"

His gravelly voice sounded as if he had drunk too much the night before, and the sound made the throbbing intensify. A whisper began around him, but he couldn't focus on the individual words.

"Yes… you collapsed the wall, and the Hydraci got distracted by the Goblins that fell in the water."

Bolyr's voice sounded too loud and grating in his ears, and Jake growled, silencing Bolyr and the whispers.

"I need to hunt." Raising his head to the surface, he propelled himself forward. "I will find you on the island. Until I get back, work with Helen to create fortifications and housing."

"Be careful!" Bolyr's shout came a second before his head burst out of the water. The bright light caused him to grit his teeth in pain, but he did see where they were. They weren't far from the lake, and he was close to one of his hunting grounds. Like a duck, he ran across the water, causing torrents of air and water drops with his wings. As he lifted off, he saw the small shadows of the Kobolds swim away.

He should probably be worried if they would make it ok, and if the island was fine. But it didn't matter. Nothing mattered besides finding food. He angled towards the nearest place he knew there to be prey.

--

Melissa dangled her legs into the water as she sat on the wooden pier. Her sharp nails drew small trails into the wooden logs, removing the dark bark and laying bare the pale wood below.

"You've been gone for four days now… where are you, Jake?"

Her silent mutter was the only sound close by. The Antraci guards, to her chagrin, were so quiet she never heard them move, and the rest were sleeping. Bolyr kept working everyone full time, Antraci or Kobold alike.

The shared pain and looming danger of Goblin or Insectoid raids were working, though. Friendships were forging faster than she had thought possible, although she was mostly hanging on her own. Not that there hadn't been a few Antraci making a move on her, but she had held back. She never was one to make friends. Trust issues and all that.

With a sad sigh, she stared out across the water before getting up. She kneeled next to Tir, who was sleeping, curled up next to her. The small lizard had barely said a word to anyone but stayed close to Mellisa. If she left her and the small one woke up, she'd panic, so Melissa carefully picked her up.

Tir stretched like a cat, found a good place in her arms, and continued sleeping.

Melissa took a last look across the still lake. The jungle in the distance was still, save for some high pitched animal cries. Just when she made too turn, she saw something flash across the dark shadow canopy and out across the lake.

"Jake!"

Seeing the blue and silver Dragon race towards her, she took a step back. Since when was he this big?

"Melissa?"

A surprised voice came from the Dragon as it landed with a heavy splash into the water. A wave surged forward, drenching her feet and the wood, but she barely noticed.