Chapter 3

As the lava got closer to the ship; the temperature got hotter. More lava was spat from the volcano. The dragons wasted no time in trying to get the ship off the rocks. The larger, older dragons pushed it from behind, while the younger ones pulled from the front. They put all their combined strength together, and suddenly felt the ship start to shift and slid off the rocks. Aurora secretly used her magic to make the ship feather light. At long last they were able to get the ship back into the water mere minuets before the flow of lava reached where the ship had been. The lava hit the water, creating huge clouds of white steam. Wind filled the sails and Chris steered the ship away from the shore. The dragons landed back on the deck. They all looked back at the erupting volcano, its slopes glowing red hot from the lava flow. Aurora turned to the Rescue Riders.

"Thank you for your help young ones," she said.

"You're welcome," said Winger.

"Where do you guys live?" Re asked.

"Huttsgalore," said Layla. "In that direction." She pointed towards the horizon on the other side of the volcano. Chris turned the wheel and the ship turned around, staying well clear of the volcano. The sun was getting lower in the sky.

Aurora anticipated that they wouldn't reach Huttsgalore until the next morning. Everyone passed the time in their own way. Dak asked Chris if he could steer the ship, and Chris showed him how. However, Dak had to stand on Winger's shoulders so he could be tall enough. Layla was showing Serenity her Dragon Diary, and Serenity was helping her fill up on what she knew about dragon anatomy. Summer looked over their shoulders. Edelweiss was lounging on the lookout deck that was positioned at the base of the central mast. She used her binoculars to scan the horizon for hazards. Suddenly she heard a dragon land on the lookout deck. Edelweiss turned to see that it was Cutter.

"What are those?" Cutter asked, pointing a wing at the binoculars.

"They're binoculars," Edelweiss explained. "They help me see farther out." Cutter chuckled.

"Why do you have that, when you could just ask me?" He boasted. Edelweiss smirked at him.

"Not every ship has a Razorwing on board you know," she said. "I always carry these." She sat on the railing and put the binoculars beside her. "It's getting too dark to see anything anyway." She looked down at her parents interacting with the Rescue Riders. Some of the dragons were settling down for the night. Tenor, Windwalker, and Eclipse went out for their night hunt. As the sky grew darker; the riders and dragons started to wind down. Chris took over steering.

Early the next morning; the ship was approaching Huttsgalore. The nightly dragon returned with breakfast for everyone.

"What will you guys do after you take us home?" Layla asked. Chris and Serenity exchanged a casual look.

"Sail around the area," Serenity said. "See what dragons live around here. I should be riding again soon."

"Why do you sail on a boat when you have dragons?" Burple asked, with his mouth full.

"This ship is a resting place for us," Re explained.

"You guys said that before you landed on Huttsgalore, you often struggled to find good, safe places to camp," said Edelweiss. "With this ship, they never have to worry about that."

"That makes sense," said Winger. "But what about pirates?"

"I'd like to see the pirates that can raid this ship," Tenor said. "Guarded by four dragons, sometimes more." He flexed his claws.

"We did get raided by pirates once though," said Chris. "The one time we didn't have dragons. So we never sail without dragons now."

"Can we sail with you while you're in the area?" Dak asked unexpectedly. Everyone looked at him. Serenity and Chris exchanged a glance.

"I suppose," said Serenity.

"They've flown to many of the island around here," said Edelweiss. "And have met the wild dragons that live on them."

"Please, we don't get to hang out with other people who talk to dragons," said Dak.

"What about the rest of you guys?" Chris asked, looking around at the other Rescue Riders. They all exchanged a glance.

"I could be fun," said Summer. They all murmured in agreement.

"I can be your lookout," Cutter volunteered.

"All right," said Serenity. "You can sail with us. We'll stop at your village so you can tell them you'll be traveling for a while."

"And we'll bring you back here when we're ready head home," said Aurora. Everyone beamed.

Edelweiss took over the helm and steered the ship to the harbor. The ship was much too big for any of the piers, so it had to drop anchor off shore. The sails were lowered. Dak and Layla got on their dragons and headed for the village. While they waited Serenity tried walking to strengthen her wounded foot. She walked around the sun deck then sat back in her chair.

"You feel better to day Mama?" Edelweiss asked. Serenity nodded.

"I'll be limping for a while, but I can walk," she said. "And I can probably ride too." At that moment Dak and Layla returned and landed their dragons on the deck.

"Chief Duggard knows we'll be gone for a while," said Layla.

"Of course Magnus thinks we're leaving for good as usual," Dak said rolling his eyes.

"Let him think that," said Eclipse.

The ship's sails and anchor were raised. Chris steered the ship out of the harbor and passed the Roost. Cutter perched on the highest mast to keep a lookout. Dak stood on the ship's bow, the wind blew in his face. Summer jumped into the water as the ship sped up, and went bow riding like a dolphin. The ship left the island far behind and headed out to sea.