“They are,” Dolph and Juno answered in unison, grinning.
Zohar studied the map. “So, once we get to Loch Ness, how are we supposed to bring this Nessie back?”
“We could tie a rope to her neck and lead her back,” Juno suggested.
“She’s a monster, not a puppy,” Dolph said.
“Yeah, but it might work. We’d need a sturdy rope,” Zohar agreed. “And I’ll need to breathe underwater. I can swim for a while, but I don’t have gills.”
“I could create a bubble around you. Once I’ve done that, I’ll command the current to carry you through the portal with us.”
Zohar’s eyes lit up. “Like a submarine!”
“A what?” Juno blinked.
Zohar grinned. “It’s from another book I have. On Earth, people made ships that go under the water. Some of them can stay down for days.”
“We have some of those, but none in the lake where we’re going,” Dolph said.
“Then a bubble it is,” Zohar said.
Zohar looked outside a few hours later, surprised to see how dark it was. Jenny had come to check on the boys twice, and Dolph and Juno had disappeared for dinner. Zohar had hidden inside the tent.
He crawled back into the tent now when he heard footsteps coming and laid back against the pile of pillows and blankets.
I like water boys.
I do, too.
With their plans for tomorrow’s quest settled, the boys finally yawned their way into their sleeping spots, and Zohar grinned up at the ceiling of the makeshift tent. His dragon was as curious about the Isle of the Sea Serpent as he was. After everyone went to sleep, he and his dragon were going to explore the isle.
Outside the tent, Juno’s soft snoring began—gentle and rhythmic, like waves lapping against a dock.
“Hey, are you still awake?” Dolph’s voice came quietly from the other side of the tent wall.
“Yeah, I’m still awake.”
“What’s your life like… on Valdier?”
Zohar blinked.
He thought about the twin moons casting golden light over crystal lakes. The polished spires of his home. The open sky above the training fields where he and the others flew for hours. The energy of his cousins, the chaos of their adventures, the way they all fit together even when they fought.
He smiled in the dark.
“It’s beautiful,” he said quietly. “Wild. Alive. There’s always something going on. We train a lot. Battle formations, shifts, strategy. It can be… intense, but fun. We play a game called tag. My grandpa Paul taught us.”
He rolled onto his side.
“But sometimes? We get to have real adventures. Like last cycle—we went with my Uncle Vox and Roam, he’s one of the Dragonlings with us, only he isn’t a dragon shifter, he’s a Sarafin. They are cat shifters. Anyway, Uncle Vox took us to a Spaceport and ended up getting kidnapped. Roam, Bálint, Jabir, and I rescued him. The guys who kidnapped him were pretty bad-ass, but we kicked butt.”
“That sounds pretty cool. We don’t go to other worlds—well, except for Earth. I’ve been there before,” Dolph whispered.
“I’ve been there a few times,” Zohar chuckled. “My Grandpa Paul came from there. He has a ranch in Wyoming. I don’t know why I feel so… restless lately. I feel like I’m meant to be doing something instead of training all the time. I miss when we were little and we would go off exploring without worrying about duty.”
He fell quiet for a moment.
“I get that,” Dolph said finally. “I’ve been sneaking out more, exploring the Isles. I don’t fly spaceships or anything.” He exhaled. “There are so many amazing places. But I’m stuck here, learning royal protocol and how to sit through council meetings without yawning.”
