Alan F. Troop - Dragon Moon

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Dragon Moon

Alan F. Troop

A ROC BOOK

ROC

Published by New American Library, a division of

Penguin Putnam Inc.,375 Hudson Street,

New York,New York10014,U.S.A.

Penguin Books Ltd, 80Strand,

LondonWC2R ORL,England

Penguin Books Australia Ltd,250 Camberwell Road,

Camberwell,Victoria3124,Australia

Penguin Books Canada Ltd,10 Alcorn Avenue,

Toronto,Ontario,CanadaM4V 3B2

Penguin Books (N.Z.) Ltd, Cnr Rosedale and Airborne Roads,

Albany,Auckland1310,New Zealand

Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: Harmondsworth,Middlesex,England

First published by Roc, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.

First Printing, April 2003

10 987654321

Cover art by Kovec

Cover design by Ray Lundgren

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REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REG1STRADA

Printed in theUnited States of America

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be

reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means

(electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of

both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

PUBLISHER'S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's

imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business

establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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of the author's rights is appreciated.

For Susan, my mate, my love

Acknowledgments

To Rocky Marcus for your insightful reading, ongoing advice and enthusiastic cheerleading. To Steve

Marcus for your occasional patience. To Pat Rosenbaum for your enthusiastic support. To all of the

BMC— Jimmy Stinson, Bob Hollander, Rick Rosenbaum, Mike Fisher, Geoff Weisbaum and Dan

Palmer—for your relentless teasing. To my mother, who's probably purchased more copies of my first

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book than anyone else. And to Delaney, Zoe and Aaron, who won't be allowed to read this book until

they're much, much older.

1

It's been almost four years since my wife, Elizabeth, died. No headstone marks her grave. No bouquet

of cut flowers lies on the grass that grows above her. I see little value in such things. I know perfectly well

whose dead body I lowered into the ground. I need no letters carved in stone to remind me to mourn my

poor bride's passage. I need no dead vegetation to honor her memory.

BecauseElizabethloved the garden just below our veranda, overlooking our island's small harbor, I

buried her next to it. Because she often sat and relaxed under the shade of the ancient gumbo limbo trees

that dot my island, I took a cutting from the largest of the trees and planted it at the head of her grave.

That skinny twig's rapid growth has made me shake my head. Now over twenty feet tall, the tree stands

guard over Elizabeth's resting place, breaking the force of the fierce winds that sometimes blow in from

the sea, shielding the grave from the driving rain, shading it from the burning sun.

Like all of its kind, the gumbo limbo possesses a thick glossy green-brown trunk that weeps strands of

red bark, as if it's in permanent mourning. Its gnarled branches spread out and up in asymmetrical

disarray, hugging theair, connectingElizabeth's resting place tothe sky above.

I like to believe thatElizabethwould smile if she could know such a mighty tree grows above her. It

would please her too, I think, to see how much her son has grown.

"Papa?" Henri says, just after breakfast, as soon as we arrive at the grave, "Did Mama ever see me?"

"No. She died just after you were born," I say, stifling a sigh. I dislike telling my son partial truths but I

know better than to discuss something so complex with a young child. One day, I promise myself, when

Henri's older, I'll tell him the full story of his mother's death.

For now I look at my son and ruffle his hair with my hand. Almost four, the boy's as large as most

five-year-olds, far more precocious, already beginning to show the tendency toward muscularity, the

wide shoulders that are typical of our people.

Not surprisingly, he's chosen to look like me, sporting the same middle-American appearance, the same

blond hair, even the same cleft chin as I do. Had Elizabeth lived, I've no doubt he'd look much like her

and—with the contrast of her dark skin and the emerald-green eyes all of our kind have—much more

exotic.

Part of me wishes he resembled his mother more. But all he's ever known of her are the stories I've told

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him, the pictures he's seen on her passport and driver's license and the small grassy grave we visit each

morning after breakfast, on every day the weather permits.

On each visit Henri asks me dozens of questions about his mother—all asked and answered more times

than I care to remember.

"Yes," I answer today, "she was pretty.... Of course, she loved you very much.. . . No, she didn't expect

to die....Sure, one day I plan to find another wife....No, I won't forget your mommy when I do...."

Something slaps the water in the harbor—just loud enough to catch our attention. Henri turns, as do I,

both of us staring at the fresh concentric rings of ripples expanding across the small harbor's surface. A

few moments later, a gray fluke rises from the water and slaps down again. The manatee it belongs to

pokes its snout above the water and blows out air in a single huff.

Henri looks at me. "Can I, Papa?"

Just as glad not to explain any more this morning, I nod, smiling as my son runs toward the dock.

The manatee has visited us before but this is the first time I've allowed Henri to greet the beast by

himself. I sit down next to the gumbo limbo tree, lean against its trunk, let the sun-dappled shade beneath

its branches cool me as I watch my son begin to unravel the hose I keep coiled on the dock near where

my boat is tied.

I have to will myself not to interfere as Henri grabs the top coil with both hands and yanks, barely

budging more than a few coils. The hose curls into a spiral as he pulls, resisting his attempts to straighten

it, but the boy jerks and yanks until enough is free to make it manageable.

Henri gives it a final tug, looks up at me and smiles, then turns his attention to the spigot. Holding the

hose nozzle with one hand, he attempts to turn the valve with the other. It refuses to give. To my son's

credit, he just bites on his lower lip and tries again, struggling with the stubborn valve until it too succumbs

to his attentions and begins to rotate.

Water flows, then shoots from the nozzle, the hose becoming alive, twisting and flexing. Henri holds on

to it with both hands, tries to point it—first splattering water on the dock—then wetting the bow, the

cockpit, the outboard motors of the boat.

For a moment I wonder whether the hose or Henri is in control. I start to get up but, before I can, the

boy manages to direct the stream toward the manatee, the water shooting up, forming a shallow arc,

splashing into the surface of the calm harbor.

The beast swims toward the dock, putting its head directly into the flow. Henri smiles. Crouching by the

edge of the dock, leaning over the water, he offers the hose end to the ugly thing. It nuzzles and slurps at

the nozzle like it's nursing. Almost taking it into its mouth as it drinks the fresh water, the manatee

accidentally nuzzles my son's hand too and he giggles loud enough for the sound to reach me.

I grin. Too bad, I think, that Elizabeth never had the opportunity to hear him laugh. I shake my head as I

lament the short time she and I had together—the emptiness I feel without her.

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Henri's a beautiful boy, a worthy subject for my devotion. Still, it's been almost four years since I've felt

any female's touch, almost four years since I've ventured to the mainland.

Arturo nags me constantly to leave the island. I've never explained that Henri lacks the necessary

self-control to be around ordinary people or to have anyone but me watch him—nor would I. The man's

paid to run my business and to do my bidding, not to offer personal advice.

Still, just the other day, he said again, "I admire your dedication to the boy. But you need to get out

some. You need to have some sort of life.... At least let's arrange to bring you a woman...."

I sighed into the phone. "Let's not. When Henri's four, he should be old enough for me to take from the

island. I can wait till then."

Not that the waiting has been easy. I long to fill the void thatElizabeth's death has left in my life. But, as

Arturo so obviously can't understand, no ordinary woman will do. I want, I need, one of my own kind.

I know whom I plan to pursue. I know where to find her. And as time passes, I think about her more

and more.

At first, I felt twinges of guilt when I allowed such thoughts to intrude on my mourning—so soon after my

bride's death. Time has eased that burden. After all,Elizabethwould have understood my need for a new

mate. She certainly would have approved of my quest for one. Whether she would have been pleased

with my choice of her sister, Chloe, is another matter entirely.

Chloe was hardly past thirteen when I last saw her, inJamaica, when I first metElizabeth. I still carry an

image of her in my mind—a young thin dark girl with sparkling emerald-green eyes and a mischievous

smile. I know she'll look older now, but she can't be more than seventeen. That gives me plenty of time

yet, I tell myself, to leave my island and to travel to hers. She won't reach her maturity until after her

eighteenth birthday.

True, if I could, I would have traveled toJamaicalong ago. But I've had to wait for Henri to be able to

travel, for him to grow old enough to control his natural impulses.

For almost four years I've bided my time, taken care of my son and made my plans. For almost four

years, I've thought of no women but Elizabeth and Chloe. The boy should be ready soon. As soon as I

see he can behave, I plan to take him with me toJamaica.

I'm sure there will be more waiting then. The moment must be right before I dare approach Chloe. If it

is, I know she can't refuse me. Still, late at night, when I picture the girl in my mind, I worry that maybe,

just maybe, I have waited too long.

Henri tires of the manatee—or the beast tires of him— and my son rejoins me just as I begin to weed

the gardenElizabethso lovingly restored. He studies me as I kneel and search the ground between the

green stalks of the exotic herbs Elizabeth had planted, follows me as I look under the yellow-green

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flowers of the Dragon's Tear plants and the deep purple petals of the Death's Rose bush— seeking

invading parasites, yanking them out, roots and all.

Finally, the boy pulls on a few green stalks of his own, slaughtering some innocent herbs and one

deserving weed in the process. Henri holds them out for me to inspect.

"Good job," I say, and take them from him.

Henri beams. But rather than return to weeding, he looks away, toward the island's ocean side. "Papa?"

he says. "Can I go to the beach?"

I yank another weed, and mutter, "Damn!" when its stalk snaps, leaving its roots buried in the dirt.

"Papa!" Henri giggles. "You used a bad word."

"You're right. I'm sorry," I say, digging in the dirt for the roots, wondering if letting him watch movies off

our satellite dish has been a good idea. The few PG-13 ones I've let him see have certainly led to endless

discussions about which words are good or bad.

"Can I go, Papa?" Henri says.

There's no reason I can think of why the boy has to stay with me. If I could, I'd avoid weeding too. I pull

out the last of the weed's roots and frown at the rank, thick aroma of the broken vegetation around me.

Standing, I turn my back on the garden, study the clear, light blue sky above us, the powder-puff clouds,

the bright sun, its heat surprisingly strong for May. I can understand why my son would rather play on a

day like this than do chores.

"Go ahead." I add, "Just be careful," even though I doubt that anything on the island can inflict any injury

he can't quickly heal.

"Yes, Papa." He rushes off.

Brushing my hands on my jeans, I wait a few minutes, then follow the stone path from the garden to the

wide, deep stone steps that lead to the oak-decked veranda encircling our three-story-tall coral house.

Taking the steps two at a time, I get to die bay side of the deck just hi time to check on Henri as he

begins to scamper up one of the dunes across the island on the ocean side.

Barks and yelps break the morning quiet. As soon as Henri reaches the light brown slender stalks of the

sea oats crowding the dune's top, better than a dozen of our dogs, all furry and thick framed, with

overlarge heads and mouths, appear from the other side of the dune.

The younger ones and the puppies surround my young son, gambol about him and vie for his attention. I

grin. As much as he's grown, the beasts still tower above him.

Only the few older dogs and the pack's leader, Scar, keep their distance. They know better than to trust

our kind. The younger ones have no memories of the many times I've had to cull the pack. They have no

understanding that I've been trying to let their numbers grow back tofull strength from the few that were

left after the attack that devastated their ranks four years ago.

Henri laughs as the dogs push against him. He pets some and allows others to lick him. When one of the

larger pups jumps up and almost knocks him over, the boy just steps back and regains his balance.

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Ignoring the rambunctious beast, he resumes playing with the smaller pups.

The dog jumps on him again. This time my son glares at it and shoves it away—hard. The dog yelps,

then slinks back. Ears flattened, hackles raised, it circles him.

To get closer, in case I'm needed, I walk to the ocean side of the veranda, stand by one of the open

cannon ports placed every five yards along the waist-high coral parapet that rings the deck. But I've little

doubt Henri can handle this challenge. The boy's been taught to cope with worse.

Henri knows to always keep his eyes on an attacker. He faces the beast, slowly revolves as it attempts

to get behind him, allowing the dog no opportunity for surprise. Finally, it charges, knocking some of the

smaller pups out of its way, snapping its jaws when it nears my son, (hen jumping back, lunging forward

again.

"Back!" Henri yells. The dog freezes for an instant, then shoots forward, mouth open, fangs exposed.

The boy steps back, puts up his left arm to guard his face just as the animal bites.

Its teeth sink into his forearm and Henri yowls once. Then the boy hisses—loud enough for me to hear

from the veranda. The foolish beast ignores the warning, and refuses to let go.

Henri holds his right hand up and stares at it, his fingers narrowing and extending, his nails turning into

sharp, curved claws in only a few moments. I nod, proud the boy could ignore the pain and the attack

long enough to focus on what he must do to save himself. Like me, like his mother, like all of our kind,

the boy is a shapechanger, a far more dangerous foe than the animal realizes.

Henri slashes out and this time the dog yelps. It howls as my son strikes again and again. The creature

backs off, tail tucked in, blood flowing on the ground as it scurries into the underbrush.

"Good," I mutter. It's best that all these beasts understand that we are masters of this island. And it's time

my son learned they've been bred to be our watchdogs, not our cuddly pets.

Henri shoves the other dogs away from him, then turns and holds up his left arm so I can see the red

teeth marks of the dog's bite, the blood running down his arm. From the expression on his face, I'm not

sure whether he's showing me because he's proud or because he needs my sympathy."Poor you," I

mindspeak to him."Do you want me to guide you, help you heal?"

My son shakes his head."No, Papa," he mindspeaks."I'm too big for that now. I'm almost four.

Look, Papa!"

He keeps his arm up so I can watch. Henri stares at the red puncture wounds on his forearm, frowns,

knits his eyebrows and I grin at the concentration evident on his face. One day he'll be able to heal an

injury as minor as this with a moment's thought.

The bleeding stops. The wounds turn from red, to pink, to normal flesh color, and Henri smiles again.

"See?" he mindspeaks. "I told you I could."

"You're growing up, son,"I say, frowning at the concept. A year ago he would have taken refuge in my

lap and moaned while I nudged his mind toward the thoughts that could ease his pain and heal his wound.

Ready to move on, Henri waves at me with a clenching and unclenching of his chubby right hand. I smile,

wave and watch him go over the top of the dune to the beach on the other side. Then I turn and go back

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to my chores.

It makes me chuckle when I think how many people assume it's easy to live on an island. How idyllic

they imagine such a life to be. But on an island such as ours, life is anything but simple.

Sandwiched between theAtlantic OceanandMiami'sBiscayne Bay, surrounded by salt water on all sides,

oursmall island—Caya DelaSangre, as my family calls it, or Blood Key as it's named on the charts—is in

a constant state of erosion and decay. Wind and tide attack the shores relentlessly. Salt air penetrates

everything.

As I weed, I mentally catalog all my chores. Besides working in the garden, maintainingElizabeth's grave

and straightening out the cavernous interior of our coral house every day, I have to spend my time going

from machine to machine. I lubricate and repair generators and motors, fight rust where it appears and

recharge batteries. Other regular chores include painting, replacing rotted planks of wood, making sure

the well pumps remain primed, keeping the reserve water in the cistern fresh and servicing the twin

Yamaha outboards on the boat so they function as they should.

Keeping supplied presents its own difficulties. All materials have to be brought by boat fromMiami, just

over the horizon, to our west. Since I trust no one to visit but Ar-turo, I've taught only him the twists and

turns of the narrow channel that leads to our harbor. He alone is responsible for bringing all of our

supplies, including frozen meat, from the mainland.

Since Henri's far too young to help, fresh food is entirely my responsibility. Our kind prefers fresh meat

and whenever we feel the need for it, I have to go off on a hunt. Not that hunting is ever a hardship. It's

what my people do.

Just the thought of hunting fresh prey makes my stomach growl. I look up at the sun, frown when I see it

hasn't quite yet reached its apex. I sigh, swallowing saliva. If I could, I would go right now. But I'll wait. I

know the only safe time to hunt is at night, in the dark, after the world has turned quiet.

I decide to wait until evening before I tell Henri of my plans. Otherwise, the day will go too slowly for

my son.

At dinner, I serve Henri only half his regular portion of rare steak, as I do every time before a hunt. I

don't want the boy to be too full to eat what I bring him. He looks at his plate, then at me. "Papa? Are

you hunting tonight?" he says.

I nod, put my own much larger serving of warm, bloody meat on the table.

"Can I go too?"

"You know better," I say. "Not until you're older."

"But I'm going to be four...."

"Older than that."

"Not fair!" he says, folds his arms and pouts.

I smile at him. "When you're bigger, we'll hunt together. For now, eat your food. There will be more

later, when I come back after you're asleep."

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Henri, still pouting, looks away from his plate.

I ignore his momentary food strike and make a show of cutting and eating my meat. In only a few

minutes the heavy aroma of the blood on his plate and my feeding in front of him makes him too hungry to

resist eating any longer.

After Henri falls asleep, I go out on the veranda and walk over to its ocean side. In the darkness, a dog

barks. Otherwise, only the waves rushing at the shore, the wind rustling through the trees break the

silence of the night.

A southeast breeze, I think, normal for this time of year. My mind turns to Chloe, living on that island so

far south of mine. There's little chance the girl has come of age so soon. Still, I turn my face toward the

southeast, sniff in the salt smell the wind carries. If Chloe has reached her maturity, her scent will surely

be on the air. Thankfully, the breeze carries no hint of cinnamon and musk, the telltale aroma of a female

of my kind in heat.

Grinning, I put my arms out, luxuriate in the caress of the wind. "It's time," I say out loud. I take off my

shirt, my pants, my underwear, my socks and shoes, and stand naked on the oak deck of the veranda.

Flaring my nostrils, I breathe in the night air again, puffing my chest as it fills my lungs—the oxygen

energizing my blood cells—my heart speeding its contractions, hammering in my chest as it pumps great

bursts of blood throughout my body. I look up to the dark sky, the gray clouds scudding overhead, the

pinpoint sparkles of the stars, the dull glow of a half-moon. I belong up there, I think.

I will myself to change, groaning at the pleasure/pain of stretching skin, the sweet agony of growing

bones. Once I was ashamed of what I was. Once I wished to live only as a human. But now I welcome

my metamorphosis to my natural form. I draw in a deep breath of the salt-tinged night air and let out a

slow growl.

"I am Peter DelaSangre, son of Don Henri Dela-Sangre," I say into the night. My skin ripples, hardening,

turning to dark green armored scales everywhere but my underbelly. Beige scales form there, double

thick to protect me from any attacks from below. I grimace as my back swells, then splits, my wings

emerging, growing, unfolding, my tail stretching out behind me.

My lips compress as my face narrows and elongates and my teeth lengthen and turn to fangs. My body

stretches and thickens until I'm more than twice the size of my human form. My hands and feet reshape

themselves into taloned claws and I groan at the pain and pleasure of it all.

Clasping and unclasping my claws, I stretch my wings to their full span—almost twice as wide as my

height. I beat them once and then again, fanning air before me, switching my thick tail from side to side,

stretching muscles that have rested too long—until every fiber of my being longs to fly.

With one bound I take to the air. The sky belongs to me. The night is my domain. I roar into the dark.

I pity those who have never experienced such a moment.

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Alan F. Troop - Dragon Moon

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