Flight of the Phoenix by Melanie Thompson Page B

language. I couldn’t run the ship without them. They are also sea creatures so they are able to enlist the aid of other sea creatures when we run into trouble.”
    Bryn’s interest was captured. “What a unique idea. How did you discover it?”
    Tures dropped her head and smiled. “I did not. The ancients knew about these creatures long before I existed. I just discovered how to keep them alive while I use them.”
    Bryn couldn’t resist spreading her hands and touching one of the globes. She immediately snatched her hand away. “It shocked me,” she said to Tures.
    â€œYes, the tiny creatures are very protective of themselves and of this ship. They are imbued with electrical properties which help them communicate with the sea creatures outside the ship.”
    â€œI can hear a tiny sound like a thousand voices whispering,” Bryn said.
    â€œYes, that is them. We call them masika pire.”
    â€œOcean fleas?”
    Tures nodded. “One translation.”
    Fenix and Sam were staring out the huge windows in the nose of the vessel. A sudden dark shape swam by, casting the room into deep shadow. Fenix screamed and Bryn spun to look. Draak Priest, in his dragon form, had found them. The huge dragon opened his mouth and liquid fire flowed toward the ship. The globe under Tures’s hands swirled with activity and the ship abruptly dived. Bryn tumbled to the deck, Fenix held onto one of the brass rails lining the room and Sam rode the slanted deck like she’d been born on it.
    The liquid fire, much like molten lava, flowed above the ship, missing the nose but raking the top and the dome. Alarms sounded as the ship rolled to the right, turned and came back to fight.
    Tures stepped to the second globe as Bryn pulled herself up using one of the formed chairs placed in the center of the room. “Strap yourselves in,” Tures said in a tight voice. “Things are about to get crazy.”
    â€œKill him,” Bryn snarled.
    â€œI plan to try,” Tures said. “Sam, make your way to the engine room and tell Father Antonio I’m activating the cannons and calling in the leviathans.”
    Samantha ran out of the room, easily handling the tilted deck and the rolling motion of the ship as it blasted forward at an amazing speed. Fenix crawled across the deck and into the chair next to Bryn’s. They now had a ringside seat for an amazing battle. Whales swept toward the ship. “Blue whales,” Fenix said.
    The huge creatures lived off tiny organisms, but right now they were after big prey, particularly a big black dragon. Twin booms echoed through the ship which immediately rocked violently. “They’re firing at him,” Bryn whispered.
    More whales, these possessing bumpy skin and a hump, shot toward the dark shadow streaking through the water that was Draak Priest. Tures’s hands flew above the globes as she communicated with the sea fleas.
    A stream of molten fire spread across their field of vision. The wake cast by the blue whales as they fled the fire rocked the ship. Priest, his wings folded against his sides as he swam, chased the whales, spewing molten flames. Bryn gasped as one of the whales rammed Priest, rolling the black dragon over and over. But the dragon righted himself and shot toward the ship on a collision course.
    â€œFire!” Tures screamed.
    The swirling blue liquid suddenly turned gold. Tubular bombs powered by twin screws shot out of the ship, rocking it. One of them hit the dragon. A hole opened up in its side. Blood spewed into the green sea and a school of sharks attacked the open wound. The dragon rolled away from the sharks, righted itself and shot toward the surface trailing dark blood.
    â€œYou hit him,” Bryn said.
    Tures snarled. “I didn’t kill the bastard.”
    â€œThe sharks are after him” Fenix said. “Maybe they’ll catch him and finish him off.”
    Tures spread her