PARAGON

Paragon had not been far off when she estimated their arrival in Havenous. After a few days of hard sailing, she could see the massive clifftop castle. The two-toned blue flag flew high above the spires of the structure. Paragon focused on the pair of identical flags atop the two gateway stones that marked the safe passage into the bay formed by the coral reef.

The white ship silently crossed the star-studded dark waters as the night air filled her sails. With a deep breath of the night air, the figurehead slowed her pace and leisurely approached the harbor's entrance.

Thankfully, the green and white conical wind flags promised safe passage to all ships, and Paragon effortlessly slipped between them. She sensed several sleeping serpents among the corals and smiled at one of the nocturnal species as it poked its head out of the water to investigate the white ship.

Once it disappeared, Paragon refocused on the docks as she slipped into an empty slot designated for trading ships. Her anchor dipped into the waves and rested on the seafloor as the ship itself slowed to a stop. Ropes uncoiled from their hooks and jumped over to the cleats attached to the dock. The lines swiftly tied themselves and secured her to the cleat.

Once she safely moored, Paragon settled on the bowsprit. Her non-magic ship facade would fool many of the guards until daybreak, and until then, she could silently reorganize and repair the old treasure chests in her hold.

Through the ropes, she could also sense the wood planking of the boardwalks and the other ships; it was riveting to feel other time-tested vessels tied to the docks around her. However, she restrained herself and focused on her hull. Now was not the time to investigate them, and she knew none of the vessels belonged to pirates or any other kind of dangerous folk.

She felt Travis shift in his bed but decided not to wake him. She doubted Horizon would be awake, and she was contempt waiting until morning. She still struggled to comprehend the finality of his residence within her. I have a captain. In her excitement, she fought herself to remain still. She doubted that she would have remained composed if it was not for the clearance of mind provided by the bond with Travis. The mental fog of loneliness is gone, and I hope it never returns.

She paused as she heard faint flapping above and watched as a dark figure landed softly onto the dock. The dark figure chuckled as cream-colored markings began to glow on the being's shadowy form. "Paragon, you can't fool me."

Paragon allowed the stars in her eyes to glow slightly as they naturally did in the dark. "Hello General Skilulon," the figurehead hung from the bowsprit by her tail with her head level with his, "it is always a pleasure to see the head of the Night Guard." She looked into the glowing yellow eyes of the winged figure.

General Skilulon chuckled. "You are a large white target. You may be silent, but your hull stands out more than my luminous scales when they are glowing." Dimly glowing scales in the pattern of his skull covered his head and the spikes that ran down his back. He had other patches of bioluminescence, such as lines tracing his limbs and stripes down his back.

"At least I don't go calling you out when you hide in the shadows." Paragon chuckled, "so, how's Horizon? How much has changed in the years since I was last here? There are a few more serpents in the bay."

"The queen is healthy and popular. There is even a festival tomorrow that the townsfolk planned as a surprise. Havenus has grown quite a bit, and some new towns are forming in the rest of the country. There's even construction on an underwater city farther up the coast. The population growth is mostly magical refugees, very few dragons." The shadow dragon sighed.

"Any serpentine dragons?" Paragon questioned, her voice resonating with hope. "What about shadic dragons?"

"You are more energetic and hopeful than usual this night." The general laughed slightly, then shook his head. "No, the two new dragons were not the queen's species, nor mine. The more and more species I see come here, the more I wish Horizon founded Draconia sooner. Perhaps even during the dragon wars."

"Well, now that I have a captain, my search will be much more efficient." Paragon grinned while the tip of her tail wagged slightly. "My days of aimless wandering are over! I can trade again!"

The shade creature blinked in surprise, then grinned, "Queen Horizon will be glad to hear that. She's been rooting for you. She made plans on exactly what to send with you on your first venture years ago." General Skilulon chuckled slightly. "So, what kind of sentient is your new captain?"

"He's a human with minimal magic and the son of a shipwright. The shipyard is near Port Snivin in Lacuna." The silver figurehead carefully watched the Night Guard General's reaction.

"I was hoping it wouldn't be a human." The shadow dragon mused. "However, if you trust him, then he is welcome here."

Paragon nods. "Thank you; I know that you have poor experiences with humans. If I hear of any shadic dragons, I will try to convince them to come here."

The general snorted, "Thanks for the sentiment, but I'm starting to get old. I recognized I'm never going to find another mate."

"You are not old." Paragon snorted slightly, "You are still quite young for your species. Don't give up hope yet. There is a whole ocean out there. If I can find a suitable captain that will accept me, I'm sure that there is more of both your kind and Horizon's kind out there somewhere."

"You are quite wise when you are not struggling with madness." General Skilulon chuckled. His glowing scales faded as he spread his wings. "As much as I enjoy conversing with you, I must continue my rounds before some private spots me shirking. I shall add your arrival into my dawn report for her majesty. Any unusual ships in the harbor that I should be aware of?"

"Nothing to report, all of the ships seem trustworthy as far as I can tell. Thank you for talking with me, General Skilulon," Paragon nodded to him as the shadow near-silently took off into the air.

Paragon looked up to the night sky as she pulled herself back onto the deck. Tomorrow, I finally start trading again. A chill of excitement ran down her spine as she settled into her proper place to wait out the rest of the night.

Author Notes!

Sorry about the delay! I've been out all day with my parents running errands!

Havenous is one of my favorite places we will see in detail in this story, probably because of my short story A Dragon's Ruin. We never got to see the end city, but now we do! I'm so excited!